Loire valley: Day three

Half day Chateaux (Azay le Rideau & Villandry)

Azay le Rideau , one of the most graceful Early Renaissance buildings, rises in part from the very bed of the river Indre. The two wings, at right angles, are basically gothic, but all the decorative carving is in the Italian Renaissance style. Fully furnished, the inside is a most interesting museum.

On the banks of the Cher near the point where it joins the Loire, is the castle of Villandry whose unique attraction lies in the magnificence of its Renaissance gardens. Here, reconstructed with loving care and the utmost fidelity, are the three-dimensional Renaissance gardens.

Nothing grows here that was not known in Renaissance days. As a fitting background, there is an old village with a Romanesque church and the gentle beauty of the landscape of the Loire Valley.

GRAND FINALE:

Farewell Renaissance  dinner in the Royal Castle of Amboise, overlooking the Loire valley

• Half day Chateaux (Azay le Rideau & Villandry)
• Farewell Renaissance  dinner in the Royal Castle of Amboise

Early morning motorcoach transfer to Paris airport