Château du Plessis

Tour Guide

Bienvenue en Touraine

Welcome to Touraine.

We wrote this Tour Guide in answer to the questions: “What would I do for a whole week at Le Plessis ?” Are there enough things of interest to keep one interested and occupied during one full week? Sorry, those are the wrong questions. We think the right question is: “Among the hundred choices offered to the history buff, to the amateur of Renaissance architecture, to the wine and food aficionado, to the adventurer, to the sports amateur, or simply to the leisure and rest seeker, how does one make intelligent choices among the numerous opportunities available in the rich and diverse region of Touraine?

We tried to provide a few choices and alternatives in this guidebook. Most options are based on our own personal experiences. However, many stories included are told by friends and visitors to Le Plessis, and the reader is likely to find those much more relevant and valuable.

The Sightseeing Sampler is our suggestion for ten different itineraries of one day each.

“Two Ideal Weeks” is the diary of two weeks spent at Le Plessis by friends of ours. We were very impressed by the way they balanced cultural events with sporting outings, while soaking up the local culture and balancing the whole experience with appropriate rest and leisure time.

The towns and villages guides are more in the nature of survival guides to the villages immediately surrounding Le Plessis. We list the various shops and services available, their opening hours and phone numbers (beware, they have probably changed!), and generally what to do and what to avoid. They reflect our personal opinions and tastes. Nonetheless, we think that you will find them useful and informative. Note that sometimes we have lumped two or three adjoining villages under one heading. For instance, under Artanne you will find the neighboring villages of Saché, Pont-de-Ruan and Monts. Similarly, you will find Savonnière under Ballan-Miré.

The Restaurants guide lists some thirty restaurants we have tried and enjoyed and a few we have not liked too much. We are not professional restaurant reviewers but we offer our candid impressions and experiences with these restaurants.

Enjoy your stay in Touraine.

Navigation tip: To view the various Tour Guides topics, just click on the desired menu item on the right hand column.

Please send us your own comments and experiences by Email to GdeKerchove@LePlessisThilouze.com. We will endeavor to include them in updated versions of these guides should you allow us to do so.