Montsoreau
Member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
A limestone rock in the bed of the Loire, where the Vienne flows in, gave Montsoreau its name and its castle. Jean II de Chambes replaced the old fortress with one of France's first Renaissance pleasure châteaux, now a contemporary art museum, while the tuffeau quarries behind the old boatmen's port became cave dwellings. The Loire à Vélo cycle route follows the riverbank through the village.
Highlights
- Château de Montsoreau, the only Loire château built in the riverbed itself
- Contemporary art in the château, home to the Philippe Méaille collection
- Troglodyte homes carved into old tuffeau stone quarries
- Cycling the Loire à Vélo route along the unfenced riverbank
- River shuttle boats between Saumur and Montsoreau
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Montsoreau (FR), Montsoreau (EN)), Wikivoyage (Montsoreau). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 408
Things to see
Events through the year
- Musical Season of MontsoreauEuropean classical music from the Renaissance to today
- Castle picnic and sky lanternsPicnic for residents at the castle, then a concert and lantern release
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Montsoreau). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Montsoreau mushroomsLocal produceGrown in tuffeau caves; served in soups or stuffed
- AsparagusLocal produce
- Montsorelian beefDishTraditional dish served on St John's Eve
Adapted from Wikipedia (Montsoreau). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
11 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 7
- Campsites 3
- B&Bs and guest houses 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Candes-Saint-Martin · 1.4 km
- Fontevraud-l'Abbaye · 3.8 km
- Crissay-sur-Manse · 33 km
- Lavardin · 85 km
- Angles-sur-l'Anglin · 85 km