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.

Camping Olivet
On the bank of the Loire River in France

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.

Camping Olivet
The reception area with a small market and picnic area to have snack.
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There was a small trampoline for the kids
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Our pitch in Olivet

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.

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At the tourist center, being tourists! 🙂
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The city of Orléans was so clean and beautiful. It still had its old charm and updated infrastructure.
Camping Olivet
Memorial for Joan of Arc
Jaf posing infront of Cathedrale Sainte-Croix d'Orleans
Jaf posing in front of the main street by the Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans
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Inside 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:

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

Camping Olivet
This was the beautiful walkway that lead to the French château, Chenonceau.
Posing...
Posing…
Camping Olivet
Beautiful gardens on the property…
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Inside one of the rooms 🙂
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Another one of the gorgeous gardens
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The Chenonceau from the Loiret River
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A wishing well 🙂

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.

Camping Olivet
We saw horses along the way…

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

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Kids were excited they had a pizza food truck at the campsite!

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

 

 

4 thoughts on “Camping in Loiret, France: Castles, Joan of Arc and Cathédrales”

  1. Though I would love to return to France, I would never have thought of camping as an option! I love seeing all the architecture in your city shots, but the photos of your family are quite lovely as well. Thank you for sharing!

  2. This really looks like a great trip! And awesome that you are able to say that you found a place that you can imagine to live in when you were to retire now!

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