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Chinon is a historical town located within the Loire Valley region of France. It sits along the banks of the Vienne river only 10 km from where it meets to Loire.
The city is known for its history, wine and medieval castle ruins. All of those things, along with its picturesque views, made it my favorite place to visit within the Loire Valley.
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If you ever visit the town, you might start your journey by walking the path around the medieval ramparts.
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There you might happen to come across a family of sheep that are peacefully grazing on the long grass.
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At the top of the hill are the old castle ruins that date back to the 5th century. They were the home of Henry the II as well as many other English and French Kings to follow.
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The castle also served as a prison for the knights Templar in the 1300's when they were arrested under the command of King Phillip IV. The castle also hosted the 17 year old Joan of Arc in 1429 before she went on to win the battle of Orleans.
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Looking out over the high walls of the castle provides some really cool views of the river and city below. This image of the two parts of town connected by a single bridge is one of my favorites.
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Walking across the inner lawn and peeking over the wall on the other side you will see one of the many vineyards of the area. Chinon is known for its Cabernet Franc based red wines and my biggest regret was not knowing that ahead of time. Had I known I would have definitely set up a wine tour during our visit. But I guess that also gives us an excuse to go back for another visit. We did enjoy a bottle of regional wine at dinner though. I found it to be uniquely spicy, kind of like a Shiraz but even more pronounced.
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After our walk in and around the castle we browsed the streets of the old town which we found to be very clean and very pretty overall.
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After a certain hour the streets of the old town become closed off to vehicles, which made sense when we started seeing how many restaurants were setting up tables in the middle of the cobblestone walkways.
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A photo of my lovely wife at dinner time.
Being Canadian, we tend to eat dinner much earlier then a lot of the locals. Often we are just waiting around for the restaurants to open their doors at 7pm. We are almost always one of the first couples to sit down for dinner. By the mid point of our meal at least 8 more tables were set up in the street at this particular restaurant.
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It was quite challenging for us to pick a restaurant that night because their were so many to choose from but we were quite happy with the one that we selected.
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There were also quite a few wine caves in the city that we didn't get a chance to explore. Looking back, I don't think we really gave ourselves enough time to truly appreciate all that the city has to offer.
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As you can see, I am a sucker for cats. Hidden among the flowers, this one was just chilling out in the sunshine. It looked like a good spot to take a nap. I think this photo was taken earlier in the day, though its hard for me to remember. We visited Chinon back in June when it was still light out until after 11pm. This picture could have easily been taken after 9pm for all I know.
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I'm also a sucker for a good wisteria vine. Wisteria isn't very common back home in Canada. It just doesn't do well in the harsh Canadian winters. I will always remember the wisteria vines of France.
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One last look back at the town before heading out.
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What an amazing looking place! There's something quite magical about these medieval towns and cities.
Yes I agree. Especially when you are from a place where theres not a lot of history and theres nothing dating back further than maybe the 1950s or so.
There is, just a different kind with fewer traces. More eco, so to speak. And you can camp there for days on end and never meet a soul. And, and, and... Did I mention the grass is always greener on the other side?
Hahaha yes, good points.
Dang... You got some really beautiful shots. What a fun adventure. :)
That's some really interesting history about the castle. Must have a special sort of energy to it if you consider those things while you are there. Castles have always kind of fascinated me in some ways... Anyways. Cool stuff man! :D
Thanks man.
Yeah the castles often require some imagination to picture what life was like there hundreds of years ago. Thats especially true for the ones in ruins. They all definitly have their own vibe or emotional feeling about them as well.
Very nice! I've never been there, but it's on the list now. Keep 'em coming :-)
Wow, I'm surprised that I've been to place that you haven't. I was thinking that you've been everywhere in France. Chinon was cool though. I really liked it
Not even close. It just so happens we have similar tastes as locations go :-) Which is why I put it on the list.
I see. Well I hope that it doesn't disappoint then
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