Living in the Loire Valley
The answer may well be no. If this is the case, then perhaps we can persuade you to take a closer look. This part of France has lots to offer the prospective investor, holiday home seeker or those wishing to make a permanent move. It has easy transport accessibility by car, rail or plane thus giving it even more reason for contemplation.
As an indication only, you can pick up a 2 bed ‘maison ancienne’ for approximately 100,000€, or a 3 bed in the 130,000€ – 190,000€ bracket. If you’re looking for something on a bigger scale, 250,000€-350,000€ will get you a nice large 4/5 bed house with grounds. For the larger budget, there are some beautiful bourgeois ‘Maisons de Maitre’ or Chateaux available too.
The Loire Valley falls into the Region of France called ‘Centre’, which consists of 6 individual ‘departments’ namely :
- Loir- et-Cher (41)
- Indre-et-Loire (37)
- Cher (18)
- Eure-et-Loire (28)
- Indre (36)
- Loiret (45)
Each department differs in terms of house pricing etc. but there are some great offers to be had throughout the area.
Accessibility
As mentioned before, one of the great things about the Loire Valley or the ‘Centre’ is the good transport links and accessibility. You won’t spend endless hours in the car or plane or train to arrive at your lovely French home, giving you more time to relax over aperitifs and wind down for that delicious evening meal.
The Loire Valley is served by Ryanair with 1 hour flights into Tours from Stansted. You also have the TGV stations of Tours and St. Pierre de Corps with links to/from Paris and Lille for the Eurostar. If you’re coming by ferry from Calais, you will have a smooth easy drive on excellent autoroutes in approximately 5hrs.
Weather and Climate
The region of the Centre is influenced by both a continental and oceanic climate, giving pleasant mild temperatures throughout a good part of the year. Winters can be cold although short and summer months can be long, nicely hot and often dry. Spring and autumn offers mild temperatures, allowing outdoor lovers to take advantage of the gentle countryside.
Where to go and what to do
There are plenty of outdoor activities to keep any member of the family happy. Here’s just some of the choices available to you :
- Take advantage of the many wine festivals throughout the year, especially the first pressing of the grape (Bernache) and the famous Beaujolais Nouveau in November which is a fun event throughout the Loire
- Stroll around the many local markets offering an abundance of fresh produce
- Cycling on the Chateau route
- Hiking and Rambling trails
- Fishing – the Loire Valley will spoil you for choice of lovely peaceful fishing lakes
- Hot air balloon rides
- Take a trip round the Loire Valley wine route with many ‘degustation’ (tasting) stop offs
- Chateaux – living in the Loire Valley is not complete without a trip to the most famous Chateaux; Amboise, Loches, Chenonceaux, Blois, Chambord, Cheverny just to name a few!
- Canoeing and Kayaking on the Loire river and its tributaries
- Golf – over 30 golf courses available for the earnest golfer
- Gardens, parks & forests – many exquisite renaissance and medieval gardens as well as national parks and forests for those Sunday afternoon strolls
- World heritage – the Loire River is Europe’s only wild river and is bursting with wildlife, simply paradise for the bird watcher or fisherman
- Character Historic Cities – Tours, Bourges, Blois, Loches, Amboise are some of the wonderful cities steeped in history and character
- Troglodyte villages/houses – explore some of the fascinating cave dwellings and subterranean living. Why not try a cave restaurant for a unique experience?
- Horse riding – many riding schools and pony clubs for the horse lover
If you are interested in finding out more about properties or living in the Loire Valley, please don’t hesitate to talk to our Agents based in the Region :
Elaine Lowin Departments covered : Loir-et-Cher (41), Indre-et-Loire (37)
Tel : + 33 2 54 75 16 35 or + 33 6 50 78 27 10
Jane Gardener Departments covered : Indre-et-Loire (37, Indre (36)
work tel: + 33 (0)6 79 42 05 96
mobile tel: + 33 (0)6 79 42 05 93
Mike Riley
Tel : +33 (0)6 09 33 28 16
Listing of properties in Loire Valley
