Sightseeing By Foot::
You can choose to visit the area by foot, bicycle, train, or auto.
The Château des Sablons is only a 15 minute stroll from the center of Bourgueil. The town is well endowed with shops, including three butcher shops, five bakeries, three café-bars, five restaurants, a wonderful patisserie and a good newsagent’s shop for newspapers, etc. In addition there are two supermarkets, one in town that stays open Sunday morning and one just on the outskirts, the huge HyperU Supermarket.
The town is prosperous and enjoyable, and a center of wine production. The A.O.C. of Bourgueil is present on every wine list of any size in France and visiting the neighboring wineries (you’ll pass vines on the way into town) is one of our guest’s favorite activities.
By Bicycle::
The Loire Valley in the part of France which is the most bicycle-friendly. A separate bike path has just been constructed beween the center of Bourgueil and the Loire. This kind of construction is becoming more common in the area. (A several hundred kilometer bike path runs along the south bank levee of the Loire.)
There are plenty of guides for visiting the region by bicycle, but the immediate area has three bike circuits of about 40 km that provides visitors with a unique visit to the area. One focuses on the vineyards and wine-producing areas, another on the old ports on the Loire, and another takes you up into the hills and along the Chaungeon to see the mills, etc.
You can also combine bicycle tours with the train to extend your range. Almost all local trains from the Port Boulet station 3.5 km from the château carry bicycles. This allows you to ride to Saumur on the bike and then take the train home, for instance.
Sightseeing By Auto::
The Château has a very convenient location, being only 3.5 km from an exit from the A85 motorway. This allows you immediate access to the motorway and speeds you to some of the further distance châteaus such as Amboise (less than an hour), Chenonceau (45 minutes), Langeais (15 minutes), Villandry (20 minutes), Chinon (15 minutes), Saumur (25 minutes), Montosreau (15 minutes), Angers, Azay le Rideau….
