Visit a range of independent boutiques in a medieval town centre.
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| Kitchenware shop. |
Loches is a small town with one of the best markets in the area, and an excellent range of independent boutiques. Tell me what you like to shop for and I'll choose three shops to introduce you to. After that you can browse at your leisure. Loches has great shops for fashion (including second hand) and accessories (including hats), food (including cheese, pastries, charcuterie, wine), pharmacy (including skin care and cosmetics), kitchenware, hardware, household linen, musical instruments, jewellery. Or you could join me at the market (Wednesdays and Saturdays only), which has stalls selling local produce, fashion, soaps and perfumes, textiles, lingerie and homeware.
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| Music shop. |
Itinerary
*meet outside the Tourist Office.
*visit three boutiques or stroll through the market.
*afterwards you are free to explore further at your own pace.
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| Wine boutique. |
Duration: 1 hour 30 min.
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| Artisan jewellery workshop. |
This tour as a whole or partially, can be customized to fit your preferences - please inquire!
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| Second hand clothes boutique. |
This is a walking tour. The centre of Loches is pedestrianised, but not all shops are wheelchair accessible. The market is outdoors, and goes ahead rain or shine.
Price: €80 for groups of up to 4 people.
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| Hat shop. |
Booking: email admin@tourtheloire.com at least one day before you wish to take the tour. Tours can be conducted on any day of the week, throughout the year, at a time to suit you.
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| Household linen shop. |
About the Guide: I am Susan Walter. I specialise in story telling, the weaving together of this fact and that, this character and their relationship with another. It is a technique which brings alive the history of what is sometimes just stones to look at, but those stones may lead to something wonderfully evocative and provide a better understanding of the past. Much of the history of the Loire Valley is about important characters which you will have heard of, but there is a great deal of hidden history too -- characters who have been forgotten in modern times, motivations for deeds which seem inexplicable can become clear, how different life was then, but also how similar. If you want to know who would graffiti a royal chapel and why, and why it isn't who most guides will tell you it is, then take a tour with me. If you want to know about the history of bathing and personal hygiene, and how that isn't quite what you think it is, then take a tour with me. If you want to meet fascinating characters from history who really made a difference, often women, then take a tour with me.
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| Creamery. |
English speaking, born and raised in Australia, I lived for 12 years in England, where I worked for the National Trust in their Historic Buildings Conservation Department, and now in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Loire Valley for more than a decade. I am an active heritage and nature conservation professional with experience of working with conservators and curators to care for historic objects and buildings, and with ecologists caring for our natural environment. Deeply embedded in the local scene I speak quite good French and enjoy life in a small village near some fabulous chateaux and lovely countryside. I'm always happy to talk about life in France and am friends with many wine makers and local food producers.