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Discover the Loire Valley castles route by campervan, car, or independently with the amazing Instagram family @xirivica . A journey that will captivate you through their travelogue of France's most elegant and impressive castles.
This Catalan family of four is undoubtedly one of our favorite Instagrammers in the caravanning and campervan world . And not just because their Instagram posts add value to the motorhome and campervan community and help inspire us to plan and decide on upcoming routes. But because, for us, they are much more than just Instagrammers.
We must confess that they are one of our best friends in the camper world. What's more, we could say they are our better half Kucavanera. And the thing is that Kucavana and Xirivica are two Challengers 396 motorhomes that only take a month apart in their delivery and that led us to meet each other and then be inseparable.
Our values, our tastes, our hobbies, and our families are as similar as our motorhomes. Together with @blankaonroad, our motorhomes are now three inseparable companions on great trips and adventures. For me, they're one of those Instagrammers who truly touch your heart, and you can't imagine life without their adventures , so don't hesitate to follow them! What are you waiting for?
They are a family of dreamers who love to travel, especially on road trips in a motorhome. Three years ago, Jaume and Silvia bought Xirivica, as they call their motorhome, and together with their sweet and affectionate Labrador, Mel, and their two children, they embarked on a world of motorhome adventures.
In this time they have become the most expert motorhomeists on France. There is no trip to the neighboring country that they have not made: Disneyland, Alsace, Provence, etc ... They even visited Bacarés at Christmas ... which by the way they really liked it! (I close the irony hehehe).
And today this family so adventurous and so dear to us are going to tell us about a great trip to a great destination and route by camper and traveling by motorhome: the Loire castles route with children and by motorhome.
The route: castles of the Loire by motorhome with children
Many of you will have heard of Catherine de Medici or Diane de Poitiers, others may recognize the name Henry II, but surely everyone has heard of THE LOIRE CASTLES.
The world-famous Loire Valley castles are located in the Loire Valley in central France. Most are situated on the banks of the Loire River. Many of them were built or rebuilt during the French Renaissance , a time when royal power resided along the banks of the Loire.
For lovers of art history and architecture in particular, this little route is a gem. It allows you to revel in the splendor of a bygone era, transporting you to salons filled with music, white wigs, and sumptuous gowns that concealed the female form beneath their skirts and explicitly displayed the ample bosom of breasts encased in tiny corsets.
The Loire castles route by bike
For us it was a week full of magic, going from castle to castle aboard our Xirivica and rounding off the routes by bicycle.
The Pays de la Loire region boasts countless bike paths, each one a gem, connecting town after town and creating a network that invites you to visit the castles on your beloved bicycle. The most famous of these is the Loire Vélo, which crosses France from the Atlantic Ocean to Orléans, passing through the main cities along the Loire River.
Basic guide to travel to the Loire Valley and France by motorhome
Castles of the Loire map
Some previous tips for the castles of the Loire France route
- To see the castles well: Never forget the grounds, they are wonderful. And remember, if you want to visit the Inside the Castles reserve 2 hours.
- Doing the Loire castles with children: Ask for information about the childish games that hide many of the castles, enliven the visit of the little ones.
- If you carry bikes: Find information about the bike lanes to visit the area, they are beautiful, and will make the whole family enjoy.
- The route of the Loire castles by motorhome or camper: Make use of motorhome services whenever there is availability, you will not always find an area in the area to visit, although all the castles are very close.
The Loire castles route by motorhome through 9 essential castles
1 CASTLE OF SAUMUR, THE FIRST STOP ON OUR ROUTE CASTILLOS DEL LOIRA
We start our Loire castles route by motorhome in the town of SAUMUR, visiting its castle. We park our Xirivica in the Saumur area, area of the PASS'ETAPES network, next to the area there is a campsite for those of you who have a predilection for campsites ...
The second Castle, on our Loire castles route, to our credit was the CASTLE OF USSÉ. This castle is also known as THE CASTLE OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTY. We park the Xirivica in a parking lot that is right at the castle gate, therefore today there is no bicycle….
The arrival to this castle is made by a not very big road where you will find small parking lots just at the beginning of the town ...
Next stop, VILANDRY CASTLE. We park the Xirivica in the area that is scarce 1 km away. We decided to get off the bikes and ride them ...
The parking is at the foot of the driveway to the Castle. You can park your motorhome without problems. For lovers of art history, especially the Renaissance and the rebound of history in general, this Castle is the best, both for its architecture and its history. A must-see on the Loire castles route without a doubt ...
At noon we headed to AMBOISE castle located in the center of the town that bears the same name. Upon arrival, the AC Area was closed, presumably due to construction work and we decided to enter the campsite next to the area. The camping is not bad, price of camping with the right to a plot that looked more like a piece of field, but it was not bad to spend the afternoon and visit the town and the castle….
We park the Xirivica in the same parking lot as the Castle. The Castle has 3 different car parks and they all accept AC's, therefore there is no problem to park and visit the Castle, what I think is not allowed is overnight. These car parks are usually closed at night ...
We left Disney at noon with the intention of being at Chambord Castle by mid-afternoon. We are going full of gray, the poti almost overflowing and without a drop of water, the Chambord area has everything ...
Let's go for the last castle on our little journey, but the most special of all, especially for the little ones. The Castle of Cheverny. This Castle is endearing, thanks to its permanent exhibition of the best-known reporter in the comic world "TINTÍN" ...
THE END OF THE TRIP
Now yes, with sorrow in our soul and long and sad faces, we begin our descent to Catalan lands. We are left with the good and the best of our trip and we leave behind the not so good, because there has been nothing bad. With a sweet and honeyed taste in the mouth we are sure that more castles await us to discover and more adventures to enjoy on our next trip to the VALLE DEL LOIRE.
