30 Activities
The Loire Valley For Foodies: Wining & Dining Along the River
Starts from
Rennes
Transportation
By Car
Guidance
Self-Guided
Activities
30
Duration
4 days
Length
533 mi
Guide details
Starts from
Rennes
Transportation
By Car
Guidance
Self-Guided
Duration
4 days
Length
533 mi
- Unusual Locations
- Gastronomy
Wendy Moore
Travel Expert
- Sip ‘champagne’ in the vineyards of a château.
- Meet the ‘night gardeners’ of the troglydite mushroom farms.
- See how ‘white gold’ (salt) and ‘red gold’ (saffron) is produced and harvested.
- Cruise along the Loire River in a traditional fishing boat.
- Sample different cheeses, terrines, and chocolates made by local artisans.
The Loire Valley is famous for its magnificent Renaissance Chateux, but there’s much more to the region. It’s also home to hundreds of small food & drink producers, as well as some fantastic shops and restaurants.
This four-day journey is a gastronomic tour around the region that will introduce you to some of the wonderful products produced here, as well as the families that make them.
On this trip, you’ll see how wild mushrooms are cultivated in caves, how saffron is delicately plucked from the tiny crocus, how ‘salt-flowers’ are harvested from the marshes, and how ‘beaten-apples’ are made.
You’ll also get to taste some fabulous ‘champagne’ from a specialist winery, see how fruit liqueurs are made, and sample some regional craft beers.
En route, there are plenty of opportunities to shop for local products including a fromagerie selling over 400 different types of cheese, a family-run fish terrine producer, and a chocolatier.
As the trip is a celebration of all things ‘gastronomical’, there are also some fabulous lunch and dinner stops including an award-winning organic restaurant, a quirky riverside café on an island, a classic French restaurant specializing in escargot and a chilled-out beach bar.
But it’s not just about the food. You’ll also learn about the troglodyte villages that were inhabited in the Middle Ages by the peasants who helped build the châteaux, as well as visiting one of the most beautiful of the châteaux’ extensive gardens. There’s also a relaxing boat trip along the Loire River and a chance to explore a unique helix cave sculpture.
Advance booking is essential for some of the restaurants and experiences on the trip. Details on how to book these are outlined in the route description.
This four-day journey is a gastronomic tour around the region that will introduce you to some of the wonderful products produced here, as well as the families that make them.
On this trip, you’ll see how wild mushrooms are cultivated in caves, how saffron is delicately plucked from the tiny crocus, how ‘salt-flowers’ are harvested from the marshes, and how ‘beaten-apples’ are made.
You’ll also get to taste some fabulous ‘champagne’ from a specialist winery, see how fruit liqueurs are made, and sample some regional craft beers.
En route, there are plenty of opportunities to shop for local products including a fromagerie selling over 400 different types of cheese, a family-run fish terrine producer, and a chocolatier.
As the trip is a celebration of all things ‘gastronomical’, there are also some fabulous lunch and dinner stops including an award-winning organic restaurant, a quirky riverside café on an island, a classic French restaurant specializing in escargot and a chilled-out beach bar.
But it’s not just about the food. You’ll also learn about the troglodyte villages that were inhabited in the Middle Ages by the peasants who helped build the châteaux, as well as visiting one of the most beautiful of the châteaux’ extensive gardens. There’s also a relaxing boat trip along the Loire River and a chance to explore a unique helix cave sculpture.
Advance booking is essential for some of the restaurants and experiences on the trip. Details on how to book these are outlined in the route description.
Categories
- Unusual Locations
- Gastronomy
The Loire Valley is famous for its magnificent Renaissance Chateux, but there’s much more to the region. It’s also home to hundreds of small food & drink producers, as well as some fantastic shops and restaurants.
This four-day journey is a gastronomic tour around the region that will introduce you to some of the wonderful products produced here, as well as the families that make them.
On this trip, you’ll see how wild mushrooms are cultivated in caves, how saffron is delicately plucked from the tiny crocus, how ‘salt-flowers’ are harvested from the marshes, and how ‘beaten-apples’ are made.
You’ll also get to taste some fabulous ‘champagne’ from a specialist winery, see how fruit liqueurs are made, and sample some regional craft beers.
En route, there are plenty of opportunities to shop for local products including a fromagerie selling over 400 different types of cheese, a family-run fish terrine producer, and a chocolatier.
As the trip is a celebration of all things ‘gastronomical’, there are also some fabulous lunch and dinner stops including an award-winning organic restaurant, a quirky riverside café on an island, a classic French restaurant specializing in escargot and a chilled-out beach bar.
But it’s not just about the food. You’ll also learn about the troglodyte villages that were inhabited in the Middle Ages by the peasants who helped build the châteaux, as well as visiting one of the most beautiful of the châteaux’ extensive gardens. There’s also a relaxing boat trip along the Loire River and a chance to explore a unique helix cave sculpture.
Advance booking is essential for some of the restaurants and experiences on the trip. Details on how to book these are outlined in the route description.
This four-day journey is a gastronomic tour around the region that will introduce you to some of the wonderful products produced here, as well as the families that make them.
On this trip, you’ll see how wild mushrooms are cultivated in caves, how saffron is delicately plucked from the tiny crocus, how ‘salt-flowers’ are harvested from the marshes, and how ‘beaten-apples’ are made.
You’ll also get to taste some fabulous ‘champagne’ from a specialist winery, see how fruit liqueurs are made, and sample some regional craft beers.
En route, there are plenty of opportunities to shop for local products including a fromagerie selling over 400 different types of cheese, a family-run fish terrine producer, and a chocolatier.
As the trip is a celebration of all things ‘gastronomical’, there are also some fabulous lunch and dinner stops including an award-winning organic restaurant, a quirky riverside café on an island, a classic French restaurant specializing in escargot and a chilled-out beach bar.
But it’s not just about the food. You’ll also learn about the troglodyte villages that were inhabited in the Middle Ages by the peasants who helped build the châteaux, as well as visiting one of the most beautiful of the châteaux’ extensive gardens. There’s also a relaxing boat trip along the Loire River and a chance to explore a unique helix cave sculpture.
Advance booking is essential for some of the restaurants and experiences on the trip. Details on how to book these are outlined in the route description.
Wendy Moore
Travel Expert
- Sip ‘champagne’ in the vineyards of a château.
- Meet the ‘night gardeners’ of the troglydite mushroom farms.
- See how ‘white gold’ (salt) and ‘red gold’ (saffron) is produced and harvested.
- Cruise along the Loire River in a traditional fishing boat.
- Sample different cheeses, terrines, and chocolates made by local artisans.
Travel itinerary
7 Activities
Day 1
101 mi0.8 mi
Saffron, Snails and Shitake
Today starts with a visit to a saffron farm to see how this ‘red gold’ is produced, followed by a riverside lunch on a small island in Angers. In the afternoon, you’ll be taken on an underground tour to see how wild mushrooms are cultivated, and you’ll end the day with a sumptuous meal and the chance to try l’escargot – a regional speciality.
9 Activities
Day 2
112 mi0.3 mi
Champagne, Chateaux, Caves & Gardens
Today’s trip centres around the valley’s troglodyte caves. You will explore these underground labyrinths to learn about the tradition of ‘pommes tapees’ making, as well as seeing how villagers built and used these caverns in the Middle Ages. You will also visit a ‘champagne’ house and a distillery for some wine and liqueur tasting and stroll around the beautiful gardens of one of the Loire Valley’s finest Renaissance chateaux.
9 Activities
Day 3
191 mi0.6 mi
Fishers, Markets and Modern Art
This morning is all about the Loire River and its fishers. The day starts with a visit to a small fish processing place, which sells delicious terrines and pates, followed by a beautiful riverboat trip in a traditional fishing boat. In the afternoon you’ll finish in the historic city of Tours and its wonderful fresh produce market followed by a visit to a unique, and quite incredible ‘archi-sculpture’, before ending the evening at a fabulous restaurant.
5 Activities
Day 4
127 mi
Fromage, Fishing Huts & Fleur de Sal
Starting the day with a ‘cheese feast’, you’ll then leave the Loire Valley behind to travel to Saint-Nazaire where you will see the unique fishing huts lining the seafront and have a tasty picnic on the beach. In the afternoon, you will tour the Guerande salt marshes to see how ‘fleurs de sal’ is produced before stopping off at a micro-brewery followed by dinner at an award-winning organic restaurant.