The Loire Valley For Foodies: Wining & Dining Along the River

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.