Watching a Baker at Work in the Loire Valley

One of the fun things about many French bakeries, especially the modern ones, is that you can look right past the counter into the kitchen and see the bakers at work. Just another thing to look out for if you are on a tour with us and we have time to pop in to one of our favourite bakeries. And our top tip is that the bread is made from scratch on the premises if the sign over the door says the shop is a 'boulangerie'. French bakers are not allowed to call their shops boulangeries (bakeries) if they do not make the bread on the premise from flour, water, salt and yeast. Many loaves have nothing else, except time because of instead of modern accelerated raising techniques, French bread is given time for the yeast to act naturally on the flour and raise (prove) the bread. This is one of the things that gives French bread its superior taste and texture. Just like our French friends and neighbours, we are passionate about bread. Ask us all about it when you take a tour with us.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

The History of Drinking Chocolate in the Loire Valley

Want to buy a simple, inexpensive souvenir of your trip to France? What could be better than a box of drinking chocolate? After all, many people come to France determined to try this famous beverage. What they probably don't know is that the oldest French drinking chocolate is the Poulain brand, and it is sold in every supermarket in the land, not in expensive boutiques. It is truly a treat for anyone with a sweet tooth who loves chocolate. What is more, it is still manufactured here in the Loire Valley, and the brand is owned by a French company. It seems like too good an opportunity to miss. 

The range of drinking chocolates in one of our local supermarkets. Poulain and Nesquik are the market leaders and have been since the 1950s.

Of course, the purists would say that hot chocolate must be made with solid chocolate melted into milk, not this powdered chocolate stuff that is already dosed with sugar. But for the combination of flavour, price and convenience, Poulain has definitely convinced many French people to give it a home on their pantry shelves.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Servicing Our Classic Cars in the Loire Valley

Claudette and Célestine, our classic tour vehicles, are more than 60 years old, so they take a lot of maintenance. Luckily we have a great specialist mechanical team that we can call on, who love Citroen Traction Avants, and know exactly what to do. If you too have a love of old cars, book a special tour of the Loire Valley with us in an old Citroen.

These days the reproduction brake drums are not so perfectly manufactured, so we've had the ones on Claudette skimmed to ensure they are perfectly round and not causing brake shudder.

 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

To See Great Medieval Art Come to Loches in the Loire Valley

Earlier this year the Cluny Museum of Medieval Art in Paris held a special exhibition of art from the reign of Charles VII. He is a much under rated late medieval king of France, and his mistress, Agnes Sorel, lived in Loches. The Cluny approached the town of Loches with a request to borrow her beautiful tomb effigy, the first time such a loan had been agreed. But on the day the specialist art transporters came to lift the effigy off the tomb and take it to Paris everyone involved was in for a nasty shock. The effigy was barely lifted a few millimetres and it was obvious that an old crack, dating from the 19the century, was opening up, and she would break in two if efforts to lift her continued. At the very last minute the loan had to be cancelled and the exhibition went ahead without her. That means, that if you want to see what was to have been the star piece you have to come to Loches and see her in situ. 

The effigy of Agnes Sorel taken a few days after the removal attempt, with the crack clearly showing between her elbow and her belt.

 

We are always happy to welcome visitors to Loches. It is packed with history, and Agnes's story alone will fascinate and intrigue you. Why not book a 3 hour walking tour of Loches, or a chauffeured tour that includes this charming medieval town?

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Review From Tom

Tom and Rose were returning clients who brought their family with them for a second visit to the Loire Valley. Here is what Tom had to say:

Everything was fantastic! Our teenaged grandchildren had a great time. The car and the tours were professional and fun. Do see the Tintin museum as well!

Our second time with Simon and Susan and we look forward to another time!

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Where in the Loire Valley Can You See Important Modern Sculpture?

Where in the Loire Valley is this piece of modern sculpture by a well known artist, displayed in public? And it is not the only piece of important 20th century sculpture in the public domain nearby. If you are interested in modern art or how historic towns stay relevant and are not just stuck in some randomly chosen time warp of the past, book a tour with us and we will include this town in your itinerary. Find out who the artists are and why their works are here, what their connection to the Loire Valley is and how it inspired them.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Finding Edible Snails in the Loire Valley

Famously, French people eat snails. You may or may not want to try them and these days they don't appear on that many menus, but they aren't especially difficult to find if you know the right restaurants. What you may not know is that the species of snail which is the most prized lives in the wild in the Loire Valley, and if we are in the right place at the right time we may see some. They are a protected species, so only certain people can gather them and only for a limited time during the year. But if we encounter any while we are with you, we will be sure to point them out. One of the lesser known chateaux that we visit with clients has them in the grounds, so if you are very keen to see real Escargots de Bourgogne roaming free and living their best life, let us know and we will include that chateau in your itinerary.

 

Roman, or Burgundian Snail Helix pomatia, in the grounds of a chateau.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Watch Skilled Conservators Working in the Loire Valley

We always try to show clients how the heritage of the Loire Valley is maintained by professional conservators, curators, architects and artisans. Wherever possible we try to offer a behind the scenes look at how the famous chateaux are managed so they can continue to receive visitors. A good example is our encounter with a young stone conservator working on the repair of the iconic carved limestone stag from the frieze of the beautiful Chapel of Saint Hubert. She was very happy to tell our clients what she was doing, what had caused the damage in the first place and how she would repair it. In this photo she is showing us the sort of material she is removing because it was plaster added in a poorly executed repair in the 19th century.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Learn About the Behind the Scenes Care of Historic Objects in the Loire Valley

One of the star objects tucked away in a relatively little known church in the Touraine Loire Valley is the finest tomb effigy of the mid-15th century. Its subject was once a household name, but now is known only to those interested in this somewhat overlooked period. Earlier in the year she was all set to take pride of place at a special temporary exhibition at the famous Cluny Museum of Medieval Art in Paris. But it was not to be. She proved to be too fragile to move (and in the photo below, taken not long after the aborted attempt to transport her to Paris, you can see the crack that caused so much angst). If you book a tour with us that includes the charming small town of Loches you will learn who she was, why she was important, how she died, what caused the crack and how the modern conservators and curators negotiated a very tricky situation in order to protect her. It's worth coming off the tourist trail to see her if you are interested in the behind the scenes management of historic sites.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Visit the Loire Valley When it is Golden!

Twice a year the Touraine Loire Valley goes bright yellow! In April it is the canola crop flowering, in July it is the sunflowers. Make sure you are here for one or the other!

The Chateau de Montpoupon with canola.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Wine Cellars in the Loire Valley

Wine cellars in the Loire Valley are often underground, in troglodyte caves. We finish most of our chauffeured tours with a visit to a wine cellar. Sometimes they don't look very sophisticated, but it's all about the quality of the wine, not how flash your storage looks. So what are you waiting for? Book a tour!!

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

What is the Cuisine of the Loire Valley?

As well as the bourgeoise tradition of haute cuisine developed by Escoffier and the famous restaurant rating system of Michelin stars, there is a nation wide tradition of simple nourishing unpretentious regional peasant food too. Root vegetables (carrots, turnips and celeriac) and pulses (lentils and white beans) are remarkably popular, and pork is everywhere. But likewise, almost every French village has a patissier, making ornate tarts and complex multilayered slices. Join us for a day and find out what is in season and delicious in the Loire Valley.

Locally grown Charentais melons, marked to indicate when they should be eaten, on the advice of the producer.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Charming Luncheon Companion in the Loire Valley

One of the restaurants we use a lot with clients is situated right on the river, with a comfortable all weather terrace and great daily changing set menus making this one of our nicest dining experiences. We will be joining a lovely resident known as la Plongeuse (the Diver). She is the creation of a local sculptor and gives the perfect expression to the fun and friendly atmosphere in the restaurant. If you book a tour that includes Loches in the itinerary, we can introduce you to La Plongeuse.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Working With France of a Lifetime

We are 'just' tour operators, we are not travel agents, so whilst we can give you an unforgettable experience on one of our day trips in a classic car in the Loire Valley, we can't plan and organise your whole trip to France. For that we recommend you work with Mallory and Benjamin Nettleton of France of a Lifetime [link]. When we had some free time over the winter, we met up in Loches so Mallory and Ben could see what it was about Loches that we are convinced our mutual clients will absolutely love, even if they've never heard of the place before. It's perfect for those who enjoy genuinely off the beaten track locations.

 

Ben and Mallory marvelling at some unique and little known wall paintings in Loches.

 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

What is the Best Wine in the Loire Valley?

Many people would nominate the Chenin blanc grape variety as the one which best suits the conditions in the Touraine Loire Valley and therefore the one which makes the best wine here. It is a white grape which thrives in a temperate climate, early to bud and late to mature for harvest. The resulting wine can be dry or sweet, sparkling or still. The principal appellations making wines from chenin blanc in the region where we conduct tours are Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire, along the river between Tours and Amboise. Come and join us to learn about this versatile grape and meet some of the winemakers.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Come and See a 15th Century Mystery in the Loire Valley

Jean Fouquet is without question the greatest French artist of his day. At the 15th century court of the French King Charles VII, based in the Touraine Loire Valley he painted stunning portraits of the Royal Family, and their close friends and associates. One such painting is of Etienne Chevalier, the King's right hand man. Although we only have a copy of the painting (the original is in Berlin) we can clearly see an object in this painting which has caused a small flurry of excitement recently. Saint Stephen, shown standing next to Etienne Chevalier, is portrayed in the traditional way holding a stone. But the image of the stone has recently been analysed and revealed to be a half million year old handaxe. If you would like to know more about where it came from, how scientists analysed it and what the artist and sitter may have believed about it at the time, make sure you book a tour with us that includes the charming small town of Loches. It may be off the tourist trail but it is packed with history.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Learn About Loire Valley Wines

How much do you know about Loire Valley wines? Chances are, not much, but serious wine lovers appreciate them for their diversity, due to the wide range of soils and microclimates along this great river system that cuts France in half and divides the cool north from the warm south.

There are 43 000 hectares of vineyards in the Loire Valley, in 14 départements (counties) stretching from the Vendée in the Atlantic coastal lowlands to the Puy-de-Dôme in the eastern Massif Central uplands. It's the third biggest wine producing area in France and includes over 60 different appellations (designated geographically defined protected names that wines may be sold under).

The wines of the Central Loire (around Orléans) include Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-sur-Loire, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois, Chateaumeillant,  Cotes de la Charité, and Coteaux de Tannay. Sancerre is by far the best known of these appellations, covering an area of 2600 hectares, with soils ranging from flinty or chalky to clay or sandy. The average age of the vines in Sancerre is 25 years, primarily the white sauvignon blanc variety.

In Loir-et-Cher the appellations include Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny. The latter is a tiny appellation of just 50 hectares, working solely with a rare white grape variety called Romorantin, found nowhere else. I always think the wines of Loir-et-Cher are some of the best kept secrets of France, as not even the French are very familiar with them. They are extremely good value for very good wines as a result.

In Indre-et-Loire, where we live, we have the wines of the Touraine. The main appellations are Chinon, Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire and Touraine. The reds are light and fruity, the whites dry and floral, or fruity with a nice acidic finish, depending on grape variety.

Along the Loire there are about 400 caves touristiques where visitors can taste a range of red, white, rosé and sparkling wines in cellars presenting local wines. We can help you visit some of our favourites.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Where in the Loire Valley Can You See This Splendid Tomb?

Where in the Loire Valley can you see this splendid tomb, and who is buried there? Who are the characters depicted and why are they there? If you are intrigued and want to know more, let us create an itinerary for your tour that includes this tomb.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Review from an Author Researching the Loire Valley

Many thanks to Donna, who took the time to write a review of her 3 hour walking tour of Chenonceau. She was in the Loire Valley researching a book. Her husband Jack got to tag along, as they were visiting from the United States in May 2023.

 

"Susan was amazing -- she customized the walk for my specialized needs -- I'm focused on the 11th/12th centuries which is not a typical period she covers but she did the research and did an amazing job pinpointing the parts of the tour that would interest me the most. She was full of knowledge, and answered all of our random questions -- from the type of trees that grew in the nearby woods in the 11th century to questions about what hung on castle walls in the 12th century."

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Buy Your Tickets Online For Chenonceau

We advise clients to buy their tickets online for the Chateau of Chenonceau no later than 4 days before they plan to visit, whether they are going to be accompanied by us or going independently. The chateau is very strict about visitor entry time slots during days of high visitor numbers. These include all the May long weekends, which are usually the busiest days of all during the year, and of course, the summer school holidays, in July and August. During these periods the "chateau is full" signs will often go out by lunchtime. If you turn up wanting to visit you will be allowed in to the grounds, for a reduced price, but not inside the already packed chateau. 

 

If you are buying tickets online, only do so from the official site [link], as anywhere else can only sell you a voucher, with no time attached. This gains you nothing, as you still have to call in to the ticket office to exchange your voucher and be allocated a time slot. You could easily miss out on your preferred timeslot, or not get one at all.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Bit of Steam Punk With Your Chateaux Tour?

The Loire Valley is not just all about Renaissance chateaux, although no doubt that's what most visitors come for. There is a surprising amount of 19th century industrial heritage too though, which is well worth making a short stop along your route to see. And that is exactly what we do on our tours. A good example are the éoliennes Bollée, wind turbines for pumping water, which you will get to see if we pass one of the survivors. Very steam punk!

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Review From Cathy

 This is a lovely review from Cathy, who joined us with her husband Michael for a tour in October 2023. We greatly appreciate that they have taken the time to post a review, and are very glad they enjoyed themselves with us.

"Wonderful Loire Valley Tour with Susan and Simon: We (American husband and wife) had a wonderful day tour with Susan and Simon in late October 2023. They met us at the local train station (telling us in advance which train to take from Paris and how to make the train reservations), drove us in their very neat antique car to tour Amboise and Chenonceau, arranged for lunch at a lovely local restaurant, and returned us to the station. Susan is incredibly knowledgeable about the chateaux and local history and culture. We had a very enjoyable trip and highly recommend their company."

 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

The Challenges of Driving on Rural Roads in the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is very rural and the off the beaten track roads that we like to use are quite narrow. It can be quite challenging driving a classic car on such roads. Luckily we know them well, and other drivers love to see stylish and iconic cars being used so are quite respectful. Many have fond memories of their fathers or uncles owning one and going on family outings to the seaside.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

See the Loire Valley in Spring

The Loire Valley is beautiful in spring, with wisteria, lilac, magnolias, fruit trees and judas trees making the most glorious display. On the ground below them will be daffodils, tulips, primroses, honesty and daisies. We would love to share this fabulous display with you and will make sure any visit to a chateau includes time in the garden.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

What is the Cuisine of the Loire Valley?

In the north of France the flavours and colours are subtle, muted, often sophisticated and complex. This is the France of butter, cream, soft cheeses, white asparagus, endives or cabbages and delicate seasonings (thyme is about as strong as it gets and garlic is used judiciously). Here in the Touraine Loire Valley we are mostly influenced by this northern tradition. Why not do a tour with us and see for yourself what delicacy turns up on your plate?

Beef cheek is a very popular cut for delicious savoury slow cooked beef casseroles.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Blue and Yellow in the Loire Valley

If we come across a field like this on your tour, chances are we will stop for the photo op. This one was just after lunch, on our way to Chenonceau in September.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Leather Parts for Claudette

Sometimes the spare parts for classic cars are rather surprising. When it came time to replace the sleeves that protect the steering rack underneath and hold all the grease in we had a choice of rubber or leather. The rubber parts were far cheaper (about quarter the price) but the price difference would have been more than offset by the cost of almost totally dismantling the front of the car, so we went with leather. Discussing it with our mechanic we reckon the lifespan of the sleeves will be about the same. But leather is definitely not a material one expects these days on cars apart from luxury seats. An added bonus of getting this work done was that we got invited under the hoist to check her out from underneath in the garage. The leather sleeves are the brown concertina tubes you can see in the middle of this photo.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Review From a Returning Client

 Last summer we had the pleasure of touring with returning clients Tom and Rose. This time they brought some of their family with them and a great time was had by all. Here's what Tom had to say on our Facebook page: 

Tous vas bien! It was fantastic to travel with Simon and Susan once again! Don't miss it!

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Servicing Our Classic Cars in the Loire Valley

Claudette and Célestine, our classic tour vehicles, are more than 60 years old, so they take a lot of maintenance. Luckily we have a great specialist mechanical team that we can call on, who love Citroen Traction Avants, and know exactly what to do. If you too have a love of old cars, book a special tour of the Loire Valley with us in an old Citroen.

Citroen Traction Avant brake shoes and master cylinder need regular checking.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Where in the Loire Valley Can You See This Carving?

Where in the Loire Valley is this intriguing carving, and what does it mean? If you would like to know more, ask us to include it in your Loire Valley tour with us.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Escargots in the Loire Valley

Famously, French people eat snails. You may or may not want to try them and these days they don't appear on that many menus, but they aren't especially difficult to find if you know the right restaurants. What you may not know is that the species of snail which is the most prized lives in the wild in the Loire Valley, and if we are in the right place at the right time we may see some. They are a protected species, so only certain people can gather them and only for a limited time during the year. But if we encounter any while we are with you, we will be sure to point them out. One of the lesser known chateaux that we visit with clients has them in the grounds, so if you are very keen to see real Escargot de Bourgogne roaming free and living their best life, let us know and we will include that chateau in your itinerary.

Roman, or Burgundian Snail Helix pomatia in the grounds of a chateau. They are often white like this and nicknamed 'les gros blancs' ('big fat whites') in French.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Meeting the Florists of the Chateau de Chenonceau

One of the best kept secrets of the Loire Valley are the extraordinary floral arrangements in every room of the Chateau de Chenonceau. Our clients have rarely heard about the flowers, but once they've seen them they are blown away by how impressive they are. The Chateau employs two full time florists and grows the flowers in the cutting garden. Whenever possible we introduce our clients to the florists, who are happy to chat about their work to interested visitors. In this photo they are in the cutting garden in the late morning in early autumn, selecting blooms for their next creations.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Stag-gering Skills in the Loire Valley

We always try to show clients how the heritage of the Loire Valley is maintained by professional conservators, curators, architects and artisans. Wherever possible we try to offer a behind the scenes look at how the famous chateaux are managed so they can continue to receive visitors. A good example is our encounter with a young stone conservator working on the repair of the iconic limestone stag from the frieze of the beautiful Chapel of Saint Hubert. She was very happy to tell our clients what she was doing, what had caused the damage in the first place and how she would repair it. In this photo she is carefully removing plaster from a poorly executed 19th century repair using a dental drill.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A Review From Kathy

Kathy and her family from the US took a 3 hour tour of the Chateau of Chenonceau with me in July 2023. She was kind enough to leave a terrific review for me.

"Susan was wonderful. She has a vast knowledge of the history of the era and will answer questions with candor. She was able to draw in our two grandchildren ages 11 and 13 and they enjoyed the 3 hour tour very much. We are happy to recommend Susan and would jump at the chance to tour with her again!! She didn't waste a minute and even walked backwards to the château so that she could share information as we walked up the lane. Thank you Susan!!"

Catherine de Medici featured quite strongly in this tour, through popular request.

 

For my part, I enjoyed spending time with Kathy and her family very much. Their engagement and interest was very rewarding and I was impressed with how much they wanted to get into the subject.

 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Classic Cars in the Loire Valley

Classic cars are popular in the Loire Valley and we often see other enthusiasts out and about in their cherished vintage vehicles. 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

What is the Cuisine of the Loire Valley?

My observation is that France sits in a unique location, the only truly central western European nation, and this has influenced its food heritage (and indeed, made it quite multifaceted). France has a northern European face and a southern European face, and lots of regions. On the ground in France regional cuisine is more important than national a lot of the time. So come and join us for the day and find out what the Loire has to offer you on a plate...

A galette des rois, traditionally eaten in the Loire Valley and northern France in January for Epiphany.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Wine Cellars in the Loire Valley

Wine cellars in the Loire Valley are often underground, in troglodyte caves. We finish most of our chauffeured tours with a visit to a wine cellar. So what are you waiting for? Book a tour!!

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Winter Conservation Cleaning in the Chateaux of the Loire Valley

Winter is a great time to visit the Loire Valley chateaux, especially if you are interested in the behind the scenes work of maintaining and presenting a heritage building to the public. Winter time is when the tapestries get cleaned, for example, and the conservators doing the work are very happy to talk to visitors about their job. If you book a tour with us we will always make sure you get to see this type of work being done. 

A conservator prepares to carefully vacuum a 17th century in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Rose Covered Buildings in the Loire Valley

If you visit in May and June you are in for a treat. Many houses in the Loire Valley have roses trained over their walls and they look glorious in the late spring.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Nature Conservation at the Chateau of Chenonceau

If you visit the Chateau of Chenonceau in early summer it is a frenzy of activity. Small blue birds with white bellies and rumps are whizzing around everywhere and diving into mud nests stuck to the eastern facade of the chateau itself and the Marques Tower. They are the protected species House Martin, and the chateau provides a home to the biggest colony in the Touraine. They arrive from Africa in April to breed, and by October they are off again on their travels south. If you are a bird lover, make sure you spend a few minutes watching them from the terrace of Diane de Poitiers garden. 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel.