Camping in Loiret, France: Castles, Joan of Arc and Cathédrales

While traveling through Europe hubby and I spend a lot of our free time combing through our favorite book; 1,000 Places to See Before you Die. In it, we have been able to visit and camp near some of the world’s most beautiful places. We read that if we were driving through France we must stop and spend time near Europe’s legendary and last known untamed river, the Loire.

Loiret, is located to the south of Paris around the town of Orléans, in the Centre region of France.We managed to find a wonderful small, eco-friendly campsite in the town of Olivet right on the edge of the both the Loiret and Dhuy rivers. Camping Olivet has spacious pitches for RV’s/campers and near the bike/walking paths along the river bank where you can enjoy nature and explore this unique region. We spent a week here riding our bikes and visiting beautiful chateau’s and castles.

The campsite is a 10 minute walk from the nearest train station to the city of Orléans. We spent time daily in the city were Joan of Arc once resided. This city was so beautiful, somewhere we decided we could and would definitely live in if we were to retire. Their tourist centre has a lot of information and even a “children’s” walking tour, highlighting all the wonderful parks, museums and things to see in Orleans. Here, we were able to discover the local cuisine while being surrounded by unforgettably beautiful and rich architecture at of the Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans.

The Loire river and valley are known for its architectural heritage combined with its exceptional unspoilt nature. It is France’s biggest UNESCO-listed site, 280 km long and stretching from Sully-sur-Loire in the Loiret to Chalonnes-sur-Loire in Anjou regions.

Tourists from all over the world come to experience it by water, on foot or by bike stopping to discover the Castles of the Loire. The castles date back from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of the Middle Ages, a time when France’s royal power was situated on or very near the banks of the river. There are 42 among the Castles of the Loire. Among the most noteworthy castles:

• Château de Chambord
• Château de Cheverny
• Château de Blois
• Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
• Château de Brissac
• Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire
• Château de Chenonceau
• Château de Chinon
• Château de Langeais
• Château de Loches
• Château de Saumur
• Château de Valençay
• Château de Villandry

There was a beautiful bike path from the campsite that lead to the famous French château Chenonceau where we spent the whole day exploring.

The region is absolutely gorgeous and we just rode our bikes everywhere we went, meeting people along the way and having picnics which the kids just loved.

We spent so much time outdoors it was nice to get back to the campsite where a pizza truck would visit every 2 days.

It’s hard to imagine what life was like among the upper class French which were luxurious and over the top. In times of peace, the Medieval nobles dedicated most of their daily life to hunting which occupied weeks, taking them far from their homes and families. When the season did not allow them to hunt, the nobles enjoyed feasting and gambling. Jaf said he would have been a great hunter if he lived here. 😉

After a week of roaming the Loiret region we felt so sad to leave our comfy campsite. Just spending time outdoors and roaming all these medieval castles and fortresses takes you back to magical and mystic times.

We’re so glad we read about this wonderful region and found this wonderful campsite to enjoy it all.

CAMPING OLIVET ***
Rue du Pont Bouchet
45160 OLIVET
FRANCE