This stage drifts slightly away from the Loire to follow the Cher and the Indre for a while, two tributaries home to some of the region’s most photographed châteaux. A short detour leads to Villandry and its Renaissance ornamental kitchen gardens, one of the most visited landscaped estates in France.
Azay-le-Rideau, a château standing directly on the Indre and considered one of the masterpieces of the early French Renaissance, offers a striking contrast with the more austere fortresses passed earlier on the route.
Arriving in Saumur, a troglodyte town known for its sparkling wines and cavalry school, marks the entry into the Angevin stretch of the Val de Loire, with the scenery gradually shifting toward hillsides riddled with wine cellars.
Indicative distance for this stretch.