Grand Loire Expedition with AI Audio Guide

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Day 1: The Royal Gateway (Orléans to Blois)
15 stops
(Pass by)
Stand beneath the soaring twin towers of this Gothic masterpiece. Use your camera to let Herodot AI decode the stained glass narrating the life of Joan of Arc.
(Pass by)
Step into the reconstructed timber-framed house where the "Maid of Orléans" stayed. Your guide reveals the strategic military genius behind the teenage icon.
(Pass by)
Admire this red-brick Renaissance mansion. Snap a photo of the bronze statue of Joan of Arc to hear about the royal receptions held in these very rooms.
(Pass by)
Capture the grand equestrian statue at the city’s heart. Explore the surrounding cafes at your own pace while learning about the city's 1429 liberation.
(Pass by)
Discover where the Loiret river is born. Your AI buddy explains the unique "resurgence" phenomenon of this underground spring.
(Pass by)
Explore the "Castle of Two Faces"—part medieval fortress, part classical palace. Dive into the dark history of its underground dungeons.
(Pass by)
Witness history meet light. Use the app to understand how this 11th-century keep evolved into a Renaissance residence.
(Pass by)
Snap the Romanesque facade to uncover why a 12th-century church council here changed the course of French royalty.
(Pass by)
View the former home of Madame de Pompadour. Learn how the King’s favorite transformed this estate into a pinnacle of Enlightenment style.
(Pass by)
Discover a castle where you can actually play. Snap the historical games in the courtyard to learn about 17th-century leisure.
(Pass by)
Stand before the tomb of King Louis XI. Ask Herodot why this King chose a humble pilgrimage site over the royal necropolis.
Chateau de Chambord (Pass by)
Get your first glimpse of the 365 chimneys. Use your lens to identify the "Salamander" emblem of Francis I carved into the stone.
Chateau de Villesavin (Pass by)
Known as the "Chambord construction hut." See the rare 16th-century Italian fountain and hear about the workers who built the giants.
(Pass by)
Enter the "Gallery of Illustrious." Snap the 327 portraits to get a 15-minute crash course in 300 years of European history.
(Pass by)
Stand in the square and use your camera to see four centuries of architecture in one frame—from Medieval to Classicism.
Day 2
Day 2: The Heart of the Renaissance (Blois to Amboise)
12 stops
(Pass by)
Watch the dragon emerge from the windows. Learn about Robert-Houdin, the father of modern magic who inspired Houdini.
(Pass by)
Capture the modern stained glass hitting the ancient stone.
(Pass by)
Climb the decorated stairs for a panoramic view of the Loire.
Chateau De Chaumont Sur Loire (Pass by)
Stand on the drawbridge of this fairy-tale fortress.
Le Chateau du Clos Luce - Parc Leonardo da Vinci (Pass by)
Walk the halls where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final days.
Chateau Royal d'Amboise (Pass by)
Stand at the balcony where kings watched the river.
Chapel of Saint-Hubert (Pass by)
Pay your respects at the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci.
(Pass by)
Discover the "Forgotten Palace." Learn about the first orange trees brought to France from Italy.
(Pass by)
Climb this 44-meter "folly" for a 360-degree view of the Amboise forest.
Chateau de Chenonceau (Pass by)
Witness the "Ladies' Castle" spanning the River Cher.
(Pass by)
Explore the perfectly geometric parterres of the King’s mistress.
Caves Ambacia (Pass by)
Descend into 15th-century wine cellars. Snap the dust-covered bottles to learn about the "King of Wines," Vouvray.
Day 3
Day 3: Fortresses and Vineyards (Tours to Chinon)
15 stops
(Pass by)
Admire the flamboyant Gothic facade. Your guide points out the "symphony in stone" detailing the evolution of French religious architecture over 400 years.
(Pass by)
Visit the shrine of the soldier-saint. Capture the neo-Byzantine dome while Herodot AI tells the story of how Tours became a global pilgrimage hub.
(Pass by)
Stand in what was voted "France’s most beautiful square." Snap the timber-framed houses to hear about 15th-century merchant life.
(Pass by)
Step into the world's most famous ornamental garden. Your camera identifies the symbolic meanings behind the "Gardens of Love" hedges.
Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau (Pass by)
Capture the reflection of this "Isle of Stone" in the Indre River. Learn how it was built by a financier who lost everything to the King.
(Pass by)
Walk the grounds where Rodin and Camille Claudel hid their forbidden romance. Use your lens to find the spots where "The Kiss" was inspired.
(Pass by)
Stand before the towers that inspired Sleeping Beauty. Your AI buddy narrates the fairy tales of Charles Perrault hidden in the architecture.
(Pass by)
Snap these giants brought from Lebanon in 1808. Learn about the Napoleonic era's obsession with exotic botany.
Chateau de Langeais (Pass by)
Cross the only working manual drawbridge in the Loire. Watch the re-enactment of the secret royal wedding that joined Brittany to France.
Forteresse Royale De Chinon (Pass by)
Explore the 500-meter-long walls where Joan of Arc first recognized the Dauphin. Hear the echoes of the Plantagenet kings.
(Pass by)
Climb the narrow stairs. Snap the panoramic view of the Vienne valley while the app identifies the medieval city layout below.
(Pass by)
Walk the docks of Chinon. Your guide explains how flat-bottomed boats once carried the region's "Black Gold" (tufa stone) to build the castles.
(Pass by)
Descend into a quarry-turned-wine-cellar directly under the castle. Learn about the "Tufa" stone's role in aging Chinon’s red wines.
(Pass by)
Visit the birthplace of the giant-creator. Learn about the "Gargantua" legends that still define French gastronomy.
(Pass by)
Discover this half-hidden rock-cut chapel. Capture the 12th-century frescoes depicting a mysterious royal hunt.
Day 4
Day 4: Underground Secrets and Tufa Stone (Chinon to Saumur)
11 stops
(Pass by)
Enter the largest monastic city in Europe. Stand before the effigies of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart.
(Pass by)
Visit the only castle built directly on the Loire riverbed. Use your lens to see how the water level has changed over 500 years.
(Pass by)
Discover the "Castle within a Castle." Your camera reveals a massive dry moat and a hidden underground fortress 30 feet below ground.
(Pass by)
Capture the "Disney-like" turrets against the blue sky. Your guide explains why it was once called the "Castle of Love" in the Duke of Berry's manuscripts.
(Pass by)
Watch the elite riders of the National Riding School. Snap a photo to learn the physics of the "Courbette" and "Cabriole" jumps.
(Pass by)
See one of the world's largest collections of armored vehicles. Let your guide narrate the 1940 Battle of Saumur.
(Pass by)
Cycle through the cellars! Use your app to navigate the "Sunken Cathedral"—an underground quarry carved into gothic arches.
(Pass by)
See the Loire’s greatest monuments carved in miniature into the cave walls. Your camera "identifies" the real-life counterparts.
(Pass by)
Stand inside one of the largest Neolithic burial chambers in Europe. Your guide explains the mystery of how these 60-ton stones were moved.
(Pass by)
Admire the massive dome. Hear about the miracles that turned this riverside chapel into a royal destination for the Medici family.
(Pass by)
Walk across to the Île d'Offard. Capture the classic "postcard view" of the castle while hearing about the river's shifting sands.
Day 5
Day 5: The Black Prince and The Apocalypse (Saumur to Angers)
11 stops
(Pass by)
Visit the longest inhabited castle in the region. Snap the 17th-century wall paintings that cover entire galleries.
Chateau de Brissac (Pass by)
Stand before the tallest castle in France. Your guide reveals why it has "two faces" and tells the legend of the "Green Lady" ghost.
(Pass by)
Explore the library of 12,000 rare books. Use your camera to identify the original signatures of French kings and Napoleon.
Chateau d'Angers (Pass by)
Approach the 17 massive towers of this "Black and White" fortress. Your guide explains the use of schist and limestone for psychological warfare.
(Pass by)
Snap the unique "Plantagenet" vaults. Learn how this architectural style differs from the Gothic style of Paris.
(Pass by)
Capture the "House of Adam and Eve"—the most famous timber house in Angers. Find the "Tree of Life" carving with your lens.
(Pass by)
See the modern "Chant du Monde" tapestries. Contrast this 20th-century masterpiece with the medieval one you saw at the castle.
(Pass by)
Step into a glass-roofed 13th-century abbey. Snap the white plaster sculptures to learn about the man who carved the heroes of the Pantheon.
(Pass by)
Stand at the social heart of Angers. Hear about the theater that burned down three times and the "rallying" of the people.
(Pass by)
Escape to this 18th-century botanical garden. Use your camera to find the "Empress Josephine" rose collection.
(Pass by)
Climb the octagonal tower. Hear the story of the river tolls and the sailors who risked their lives on the "Wild River."
Day 6
Day 6: The Atlantic Gateway (Angers to Nantes)
12 stops
(Pass by)
Enter the first of the Loire castles. Snap the "Butterfly Aviation" house and hear about the family that has owned the estate for 1,000 years.
Chateau Des Ducs De Bretagne (Pass by)
Stand within the last great castle of the Loire. Learn how the Edict of Nantes changed the history of religious freedom.
Cathedrale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul de Nantes (Pass by)
See the tomb of Francis II. Hear the story of how the cathedral survived a fire in 2020 and the massive restoration efforts.
Passage Pommeraye (Pass by)
Photograph this 19th-century shopping arcade. Your guide explains its role as a "temple of consumption" during the Industrial Revolution.
(Pass by)
Stand beneath the 40-foot Mechanical Elephant. Your AI buddy explains the engineering inspired by Jules Verne and Da Vinci.
(Pass by)
Witness a three-story mechanical aquarium. Snap the "giant crab" to hear about the deep-sea monsters of Verne's imagination.
(Pass by)
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Loire. Dive into the mind of the man who predicted the moon landing and submarines.
(Pass by)
Visit the former LU biscuit factory turned art center. Snap the "biscuit tower" and learn about Nantes’ industrial rebirth.
(Pass by)
Explore the vibrant, multi-colored houses of this former fishing village. Hear why the houses were painted with leftover boat paint.
(Pass by)
Stand before the massive skeleton of a sea serpent emerging from the Atlantic at Saint-Brevin. Hear the legends of sea monsters.
(Pass by)
Step inside a reconstructed ocean liner. Your guide narrates the "Golden Age" of transatlantic travel from Nantes to New York.
(Pass by)
Watch the "Paludiers" harvest fleur de sel. Use your camera to see how the sun and wind create the "white gold" of France.
Day 7
Day 7: The Explorer’s Bonus (Additional Wonders)
43 stops
(Pass by)
The final resting place of Richard the Lionheart.
(Pass by)
The inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
Chateau de Langeais (Pass by)
See the oldest keep in France and a royal wedding re-enactment.
Chateau de Valencay (Pass by)
The opulent home of the diplomat Talleyrand.
(Pass by)
One of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France."
(Pass by)
Medieval architecture meets whimsical contemporary art.
Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau (Pass by)
A gem of the early Renaissance set on an island.
(Pass by)
The secret love nest of Camille Claudel and Rodin.
(Pass by)
The "Castle of Love" overlooking the equestrian capital.
(Pass by)
Watch the elite French National Riding School in action.
(Pass by)
Explore a town carved entirely into the rock.
Chateau de Brissac (Pass by)
The tallest castle in France, boasting seven stories.
(Pass by)
Home to one of the most incredible private libraries in Europe.
Chateau Des Ducs De Bretagne (Pass by)
The last castle before the Atlantic.
(Pass by)
Ride the Great Elephant in Jules Verne’s birthplace.
(Pass by)
A moated fortress that protected Joan of Arc.
(Pass by)
Discover the history of hunting and world-famous pottery.
(Pass by)
Try your hand at medieval catapults.
(Pass by)
The "Fisherman’s Castle" with a massive vegetable garden.
(Pass by)
A modern attempt to build a 13th-century castle from scratch.
(Pass by)
The home of poet Pierre de Ronsard.
(Pass by)
Perched on a cliff, dominating the Loire valley.
(Pass by)
See the ruins of a conspirator’s demolished castle.
(Pass by)
The only castle built directly in the Loire riverbed.
(Pass by)
Where Joan of Arc first met the future King Charles VII.
(Pass by)
One of the most imposing fortified cities in Europe.
(Pass by)
The first of the Loire castles when coming from Paris.
(Pass by)
A perfect example of a small, fortified manor.
(Pass by)
The smallest of the Loire Châteaux, full of recycled art.
Chateau de Cheverny (Pass by)
The inspiration for Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin comics.
(Pass by)
Still inhabited by the same family since 1728.
(Pass by)
An untouched 18th-century masterpiece with original furniture.
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Surrounded by a moat so wide it looks like a lake.
Chateau d'Angers (Pass by)
Home to the massive, 100-meter-long Apocalypse Tapestry.
(Pass by)
Explore the slate mines that gave the region its "black" roofs.
(Pass by)
A 10th-century fortress hidden beneath a 16th-century castle.
(Pass by)
Discover a functional Renaissance vineyard and winery.
(Pass by)
Admire the unique brick-and-stone architecture.
(Pass by)
Home to a world-famous "Tomato Conservatory."
(Pass by)
The first "Château de la Loire" near Nantes, famous for its biscuits.
(Pass by)
A colorful fisherman's village on the banks of the Loire.
(Pass by)
A Scottish-influenced gem in the heart of France.
(Pass by)
Known as the "Little Carcassonne" of the north.

Additional info

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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