Le Parc des Mini-Chateaux and the best attractions in the Loire Valley from France For Families

Loire Attractions When we started preparing this section we had in mind all the fantastic chateaux that the Loire is famous for, but as we started thinking about the places we had visited in the region, it became clear that the area has equally as much to boast about when it comes to tourist attractions. Coupled with the chateaux.... caves, museums and delightful towns this makes for one of the most attractive regions for active holidays.

Le Parc des Mini-Chateaux

Location: On D31, 3km S of Amboise
General Info: La Menaudière, 37400 Amboise. Tel No: 0(8) 25 08 25 22. Open all day from Friday 7th April 2007- Sunday 5th Nov 2007. €12.50 adult, €8.50 child.

Description: This park has over 40 miniature models of the most famous castles of the Loire region spread out along a route of 11/2 km. In addition there are miniature railways, boats and the whole site is landscaped with bonsais and small shrubs. Perhaps you might like to visit the Mini Parc before visiting some chateaux, having made your selection on the basis of what you have seen in miniature.
Our recommendations: Combine this with a visit to the Aquarium du Val de Loire as you can get a combined ticket for these attractions.

Probably only a couple of hours of fairly pricey entertainment.

Our favourite attractions in the Loire valley:

     - Abbaye Royale de
       Fontevraud
     - Aquarium du Val de Loire
     - Maulévrier Japanese
       Gardens
     - Le Parc des Mini-Châteaux
     - Parc Naturel Regional
       Loire-Anjou-Touraine
     - Tepacap Adventure Park

Bicycle and Walking Trails: We spent a wonderful morning walking the vineyard route at Le Puy-Notre-Dame (W of Montreuil-Bellay). We learnt about the process of producing wine starting from cépage and terroir, to learning about the work of a vineyard owner throughout the year, to that final all important process of dégustation! All we needed at the end was someone to hand us a fortifying glass of wine but unfortunately that didn’t happen! It would be possible to go round these routes on a mountain bike (VTT in French) or there are plenty of other opportunities for cycling on designated cycle paths or simply along the quiet backroads. Cycling is a pleasure, as along the rivers it is fairly level while away from the main water-routes the countryside is gently undulating. The Tourist Office is a good first port of call for hiring bikes.