The Center region, as the name suggests, is located in the central part of France. The region is surrounded by the regions of Île-de-France, Burgundy, Auvergne, Limousin, Poitou-Charentes, Pays de la Loire, Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie. The city of Orléans is the largest city and the capital of the region. Other major towns in the region are Blois and Tours. The main tourist attraction of the region is the Loire River with the associated Loire Valley. There are more than 140 castles in this part of France, many of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition, the region is known for its delicious white wine. According to many France enthusiasts, the Center region is one of the most beautiful regions of the country.
Top 10 Things to Do in Centre
#1. Loire
According to Etaizhou, the Loire is the longest river in France with more than 1,000 kilometers. It rises in the Ardéche and flows through various departments and regions to the Atlantic Ocean. The Loire flows through four departments in the Center region. The image of the departments of Cher, Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire is partly determined by the Loire. Along the banks of these rivers, these departments are home to some of the most beautiful castles in France. This entire area is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its official registration is Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire.
#2. Zooparc Beauval
Zooparc is one of the most beautiful zoos in France. It is also the largest zoo in France and one of the top fifteen zoos in the world. There is a combination of large spacious accommodation and sometimes somewhat outdated lofts. As a result, the Beauval zoo can probably best be compared with the Blijdorp zoo. Bengal tigers, white lions, manatees and since 2012 a few giant pandas reside here. In total, more than 4,500 animals reside here.
#3. Castle Cheverny
Not far from the village of Cour-Cheverny and the city of Blois is the castle of Cheverny. It is one of the castles of the Loire and is for this reason on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The castle was built and designed in the early seventeenth century and is built in the Baroque style. This was one of the first castles in France to open its doors to the general public in 1922. Since then, the castle has been open to the public daily. The various rooms of the castle are furnished with furniture from the Louis the Fourteenth style. The castle served as a model for the Molenslot castle, known from the Tintin comic series.
#4. Orléans
The city of Orléans is located in the central northern part of the Center region in the Loiret department. The city is located on the banks of the Loire River and is the capital of the Center region. It is an ancient city that was conquered by the Romans from the Gauls as early as the first century BC. The most famous resident of Orleans is without a doubt Joan of Arc, nicknamed the Virgin of Orleans. A statue of her can be found on the Place du Martroi. Another attraction in the city is the thirteenth-century Cathédrale Sainte-Croix.
#5. Tours
The town of Tours is located in the southwest of the Center region. It is the largest city and the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department. The most beautiful sights in the city are the Saint-Gatien Cathedral and the Abbey Church of St. Julien. The city is known for the many markets that are held there. In an average week, more than thirty different markets are held here. These markets vary from the ordinary fruit and vegetable market to antique and flea markets. The writer Honoré de Balzac was born in Tours.
#6. Golf
In total, thirty-one different golf courses can be found in the Center region. Most of these golf courses have a full eighteen hole course and some half of it. The Golf des Aisses golf club has thirty-six holes and is known as the most beautiful and most popular golf course in this region. The beautiful rolling landscape of this region ensures that the waves here will not get boring quickly.
#7. Chinon
On the banks of the Vienne in the Indre-et-Loire lies the village of Chinon. High above the village is the Castle of Chinon. This castle consists of a medieval fortress that is five hundred meters long and more than one hundred meters wide. This castle was used as the main residence by the kings of England in the Middle Ages and later by the kings of England. Not much remains of the oldest parts of the castle, but the old bell tower and parts of the old royal residences have been restored. Many of the original half-timbered houses can still be found in the village.
#8. Château de Chambord
Château de Chambord is the largest and one of the most beautiful castles in the Loire Valley. The castle is located near the village of Chambord, not far from the city of Blois. In the castle there are more than four hundred different rooms, many of which are open to the public and partly furnished with antique furniture. The Château de Chambord, like the other castles in the Loire Valley, is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Three hundred and sixty-five different towers can be found on the roof of the Castle. One of the highlights of the castle is the double spiral staircase that according to some sources was designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
information about Chambord. Castle
#9. Wine
The Loire Valley mainly produces white wines. The vines grow here along the banks of the Loire and its tributaries. The Orléanais wine region and the Touraine wine region are located in the Center region. Within these two wine regions, several types of AOP occur and are known as the more complex regions because different grape varieties are allowed per region. Along the banks of the Loire and its various tributaries there are several wine farms where you can taste and buy the local wine.
#10. Blois
Blois is an old town in the west of the Center region in the department of Loir-et-Cher. There are many places of interest in the city. The Castle of Blois and the Cathedral Saint-Louis are good examples of this. The Château de Blois is a Renaissance château that houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Blois. The old part of the town of the Vieux Blois is located in the hilly terrain on the west bank of the Loire. Here are still several half-timbered houses interspersed with some facades that date from the Renaissance. Near the town of Blois are some of the most beautiful castles in the Loire Valley.
