Loches / Saint-Hippolyte / Châtillon-sur-Indre

In Loches, the castle dominates the town, perched on a rocky spur and surrounded by ramparts that are ideal for immersing yourself in the time of kings. Within the walls of the Royal City, the Logis du Château, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Ours, the keep, a thousand-year-old work of Count Foulques III of Anjou, known as Foulques Nerra, will arouse your curiosity as you wander through the winding, cobbled streets that have retained all their charm. There, the history of France awaits you, as many kings have stayed in Loches, and the love affair between Charles VII and his favourite Agnès Sorel still seems to resonate. From the esplanade of the Logis or from the top of the keep, the whole town is open to you, revealing the depths of the Loches forest in the background, and the Abbey of Beaulieu-Lès-Loches. Before heading back down to the city centre to meet the shopkeepers and artisans, you can visit the House-Museum of the painter Emmanuel Lansyer, a student of Gustave Courbet.

Why not go through the Prairies du Roy to discover the Petite Cité de Caractère and its imposing abbey founded in the 63th century by Foulques Nerra, whose XNUMX-metre bell tower has been beautifully renovated. Many craftsmen have taken up residence in Beaulieu-lès-Loches and every year, the doors of the workshops open during the summer event Rues des Arts.

The Cyclo Bohème continues towards Saint-Jean-Saint-Germain where, below the bridge, you will find an ideal picnic spot. On your route to Châtillon-sur-Indre, the Château de Saint-Germain, whose keep dates from the 11th century, its park and gardens are open to visitors in the summer and by reservation the rest of the year. Continuing your route which has already revealed a hilly landscape for a few kilometers, you will leave Touraine to enter Berry. Passing through the small town of Saint-Cyran-du-Jambot, take a detour of a few meters to discover its castle which today houses an agricultural college and an equestrian center. The road is not very long before reaching Châtillon-sur-Indre.