Montsoreau 3 Bedroom House (LL002203)

Eating Out

'Diane de Méridor Restaurant, Montsoreau'
"A couple of minutes' walk to the quayside restaurant "Diane de Méridor," named after La Dame de Montsoreau of the eponymous historical novel by Alexandre Dumas (France's version of Sir Walter Scott). Regional cuisine with menus ranging from 28 Euros (menu saveur régionale) up to 55 Euros; also 15 Euro lunch menu on weekdays and children's menu (10 yrs or younger) 10 Euros. Featured in Sunday Times "Traveller" June 2008. Cosy atmosphere, views over the Loire and friendly, attentive service. "

'Four Auberges near Montsoreau'
"Four of the best restaurants within easy reach of Montsoreau are all "auberges," complete with wooden beams, rustic ambience and local fare: "Auberge de la Route d'Or" in Candes Saint-Martin is a short walk away; "Auberge de la Mangeoire" is a couple of miles along the road at Parnay; "Auberge de la Reine de Sicile" on the island in Saumur is a hidden gem; and "Auberge de Saint-Pierre," on a lively square in the heart of Saumur, is a tourist favourite - but watch out for the immense, low beams in the rear dining room! "

'La Licorne, Fontevraud l'Abbeye'
""La Licorne" is one of just 3 (the last time we looked) Michelin-starred restaurants in the Maine-et-Loire département. Food is, as you'd expect, excellent and the wine list has more Loire Valley wines than you could shake a waiter's friend at. Entrance is off a tree-lined avenue leading to the Abbey. Also featured in Sunday Times "Traveller" June 2008. Reservation essential."

'Monsoreau café-bars and restos '
"Try your hand at ordering coffee, plat du jour or apéritif on the terrace of Le P’tit Bar or one of the 2 other cafés on place du Mail, the main square in Montsoreau. Get there early on Sunday mornings when the weekly food market is held on the square. Another Montsoreau eatery with character, just along from the crêperie La Dentellière, is the Aigue Marine barge ('peniche') restaurant, moored to the quayside of the Loire, where you can enjoy hot bread fouées, fried eels and other good-value meals. The French proprietress studied at a School of Art in London. "

Local Area and Activities

'Beach at Candes Saint-Martin'
"Swimming in rivers is so French! Our house is one mile from this sandy, south-facing beach on the spit of land where the Vienne joins the Loire. A pleasant cycle or walk through picturesque Candes, or you can drive down and park in a field in the woods next to the river. Have a dip in the Vienne (swimming isn't allowed in the Loire). Watch the pleasure boats plying up and down and rowing boats crossing back and forth the Vienne. Popular with French families in the high season, but there's always plenty of space. Gorgeous sunsets over the beautiful village and church of Candes Saint-Martin, where the cloak-splitting patron saint of France died in 397 AD."

'Beautiful Villages of Montsoreau and Candes Saint-Martin'
"Wander around the tranquil, flower-lined lanes of these adjoining conservation villages, poised below vineyard-topped tuffeau cliffs offering panoramic views of the Château de Montsoreau and the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. Dating from the 1450s, the château contains an atmospheric, multimedia exhibition that will help you to imagine what life was like on the Loire in the past. Admire the view from the top before descending the circular staircase to sample Saumurois wine in the chateau's own cave. Both Montsoreau and Candes Saint-Martin are members of the 149-strong association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and Montsoreau is one of only two members in the Pays de la Loire region. A "village fleuri", Montsoreau was featured in "Country Living" in May 2006. Montsoreau community council’s English-language website http://www.ville-montsoreau.fr/english/english.php shows photographs and provides information to help you plan your visit. "

'Bird Watching trips on the Loire near Saumur'
"Every weekend from April to September and daily from June through August you can enjoy a bird watching trip, guided in French and English, on the "Loire de Lumière". Departing a few miles downstream of Saumur, the trip lasts 75 minutes. Children will love spotting kingfishers, herons, terns and many other birds as well as beaver-knawed trees on the riverside. We saw a rare migrating osprey perched on top of a riverside tree when we took a trip in April 2006. http://www.loiredelumiere.com/ Also worth noting is the tiny Ile de Parnay, a mile downstream from Montsoreau, which provides sanctuary for thousands of migratory birds every year. "

'Canoeing from Chinon to Montsoreau'
"In the summer you can rent canoes from next to the campsite in Chinon, and paddle downstream on the gently flowing Vienne to its confluence with the Loire at Montsoreau. The rental company will collect the canoes and will even pick you up in the middle if you get slowed down by a headwind as we once did! Take time to look around the medieval town of Chinon, dominated by its fortress where Joan of Arc relaunched the French campaign to rid France of the English! Another tranquil spot to rent a canoe is on the Thouet at Montreuil-Bellay, a few miles south of Saumur. "

'Cycling in the countryside around Montsoreau'
"The Loire Valley is great for cyclists of all ages, who pass through Montsoreau all the year round. Bikes now seem to outnumber walkers tackling the GR3 long-distance footpath which passes behind our house. In summer you can rent bikes in Candes St.Martin or in Saumur. The vast, flat plain of the elusive River Authion, across the bridge over the Loire from Montsoreau, is easily accessible and from there you can continue on up a gentle slope into the forest of Brain-sur-Allonnes, with its honey producers. "

'Doué-la-Fontaine Zoo'
"Children will love this charming zoo developed in former "falun" quarries on the outskirts of the small town of Doué-la-Fontaine, half an hour's drive from Montsoreau. An enjoyable family afternoon out, but watch out for the giraffes when you're eating your ice cream cones! Beware of the goats: they'll eat your guidebook if you turn your back on them for an instant! "

'Fairytale Gardens of Château du Rivau near Chinon'
"There are any number of lovely châteaux to visit near Montsoreau, but 13th century Château du Rivau is particularly charming. Mentioned by Rabelais, whose birthplace at La Devinière between Montsoreau and Chinon is also interesting to visit, the Château is now renowned for its light and airy "fairytale" gardens. Designed by proprietor and modern art collector Patricia Laigneau as an historical recreation of Middle Ages gardens, you'll enjoy the thought-provoking contemporary art installations, including giant legs running through the trees! There is a programme of concerts and events including a pumpkin festival in autumn. Discounted entry for RHS members. 17 miles from Montsoreau. http://www.chateaudurivau.com/english/"

'Fontevraud Abbey'
"The 900-years old monastery complex of Fontevraud Abbey, 3 miles south of Montsoreau, is justifiably one of the biggest tourist attractions in the west of France. The impressively high nave houses 4 recumbent statues which once rested on the tombs of monarchs of France and England, including Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart and Isabella d'Angoulême, who "bad" King John abducted and married (his heart is buried in the crypt). Admire the multi-chimneyed Romanesque kitchens and the meticulously restored gardens. Interesting exhibitions in the former dormitories. Houses the Cultural Centre of the west of France which hosts concerts throughout the year and sells cds of a huge range of classical music recordings made in the refectory. http://www.abbaye-fontevraud.com/eng_index.php"

'Golf de Roiffé'
"This golf course is part of a country club at Saint-Hilaire, 5 miles south of Montsoreau. Plays a bit like a (sunny!) Scottish links course with hard fairways and long rough. The greens are watered. Nice bar for 19th hole, situated US-style midway between outward and back nines. You can rent clubs, caddy-cars and motorised buggies. Also tennis. Baugé (where a Franco-Scottish force beat and killed Henry V's brother, Clarence, in 1421), some 28 miles north of Montsoreau, is home to a good course, while there's another on the southern slopes of Saumur. "

'Horse Riding near Montsoreau'
"Home of the National Riding School, Saumur is the equestrian capital of France. There are several good places to go horse riding near Montsoreau. Besides those clustered around the National Riding School, we recommend the Centre Equestre d'Isoré (http://equisore.free.fr) at Beaumont-en-Véron a few miles from Montsoreau or another stables at Villandry (opposite the famous château and gardens). Both are areas where the countryside is gentle, calm and well-provided with suitable trails. On the way back visit the Ecomusée du Véron, celebrating the life and crafts of the area that now forms part of the Parc Naturel Régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine. The park's administration is in Montsoreau, where a new park visitor centre is due to open in May 2008. "

'Le Saut aux Loups Mushroom Caves, Montsoreau'
"You must visit at least one set of caves during your stay in Montsoreau. Why not saunter along the road to the celebrated mushroom-growing caves of "Le Saut aux Loups"? Quarried out of the limestone cliff overlooking the Loire, the kilometres of caves house an interesting exhibition of the stages of mushroom cultivation for which the Saumur area is the principal region in France. You can also buy mushrooms, including rare varieties, and sample them in the restaurant! Other cave experiences nearby include producers of "pommes tapées" (dried apples) along from neighbouring village Turquant, Saumur's fizzy wine makers, the Château de Brézé, and old troglodyte houses at Rochemenier and Doué-la-Fontaine. "

'Val de Thouet swimming pool, Saumur'
"Covered swimming in the modern, airy and clean pool in Saumur. There's a flume in the children's pool, a separate pool to do your lengths in and a balcony area upstairs for lounging around. Men beware: the gimlet-eyed attendants won't let you into the pool wearing anything resembling "shorts"; only "trunks" are allowed (as in all French pools for hygiene reasons). The pool at Avoine near Chinon is also a good modern one. There's a slightly older, but popular, open-air pool near the campsite on the island in Saumur. "

Markets and Shopping

'Aux Pains de Diane, Montsoreau'
"A leisurely stroll down for morning croissants and pain au chocolat from the friendly baker’s opposite the Loire in Montsoreau. Closed on Mondays, when the VIVECO grocery does a depôt de pain. Boulangerie du Portail Louis on the street of the same name in central Saumur is also very popular. "

'Aux Saveurs de la Tonnelle, Saumur'
"This excellent wine cave on Rue de la Tonnelle in the centre of Saumur is a great place to stock up on wines to transport to your home. The knowledgeable, English-speaking caviste keeps hundreds of Loire Valley wines as well as a selection from Bordeaux (and there's an excellent little cheese shop just round the corner). The wine department in the Leclerc supermarket in Saumur is also recommended. We haven't seen Gérard Depardieu's wine (he has a château nearby in Anjou) on sale in either shop, though! There's also a small cave in the village selling a selection of Loire Valley wines, or you could visit Domaine La Perruche, along from the bakery, to taste and buy some of their Saumur-Champigny. "

'Les Puces de Montsoreau'
"Every second Sunday in the month, from 9 am to 6 pm, dozens of "brocante" dealers set up stall along the Quay de la Loire at Montsoreau selling secondhand goods of all descriptions: just the place to find a souvenir to take home. If you miss the one in Montsoreau, the peripatetic brocante market is held in Chinon every third Sunday in the month, from 7 am to 8 pm, and on boulevard Béranger in Tours every fourth Sunday in the month. "

'Weekly Sunday Morning Market in Montsoreau'
"Low food miles and high quality produce at this popular market held on the main square in Montsoreau every Sunday morning. Regional cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and charcuterie, and mushrooms picked the same morning from local caves. One of our guests told us the free-range chicken, organically reared near Loudun, he bought at the market was the best he'd ever tasted! We have even seen a Chinese camera crew filming the market! "