Montrésor: The ‘Beau village’ in the Loire Valley
With a population of less than 500 people, Montrésor is a sleepy little village in the center of France. The name “Montrésor” translates in English to “my treasure”. And it is certainly a name that the village of Montrésor lives up to.
Located in the heart of the Loire Valley, it is a small haven of peace. It is so lovely, that it has famously been named one of the “plus beaux villages de France”, meaning “most beautiful villages in France”.
It is near several famous châteaux in the area like Château de Chenonceau, Château de Blois, Château de Chaumont, Château de Chambord, and Château de Cheverny, near the cities of Blois and Amboise. It is about 3 hours away from Paris, making it ideal for a day trip from the city.
Indeed, the small village has become so popular, it has visitors flocking to it in the summer months. So let’s have a look at what there is to see and do in Montrésor, shall we? Allons-y!
Things to do
Château de Montrésor
Built beginning in the start of the 10th century, the Château de Montrésor sits in the center of the village. There is an older fortress along with a “newer” 15th-century castle that was built during the height of the Renaissance.
The medieval fortress was built here at the height of the Val de l’Indrois to prevent access to the plateaus between the towns of Loches, Montrichard and Amboise.
The renaissance château was built later in the 15th century by Imbert de Bastarnay at the same time as the other grand châteaux in the Loire. He was adviser to four kings of France (Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII, and François Ier).
In 1849, Count Branicki, a Polish political exile, bought the Château de Montrésor and restored it. Inside you can see the paintings and furnishings of this era, along with beautiful views of the countryside.
Balcons de L’Indrois
The village of Montrésor is famous for a walking path that goes around the village called the balade de Balcons de L’Indrois.
It starts at the château, goes past the village church and then across the banks of the Indrois to the nearby countryside. There is a shorter walking path that is about 1km and a longer path that is about 8.5km.
The shorter walking path has small boards of information about the plant life and history of the area. The longer walking path takes about 2h30 and goes far into the shores of the L’Indrois.
Collégiale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
The Collégiale Saint-Jean-Baptiste church was constructed around the same time as the renaissance portion of the Château de Montrésor by the same Imbert de Bastarnay.
It is a small village church that was listed as a historic monument in 1840 and is open everyday to visitors.
How to get to Montrésor?
The village of Montrésor is quite accessible from Paris by car and by train. It takes approximately 2h45 to drive from Paris depending on traffic.
By train, you can take a TGV high speed train from Paris’s Montparnasse station to Tours and then change trains to Montrésor. The trip is approximately 3 hours.
How many days should you spend?
It takes about a day to explore Montrésor, so you can easily visit the village as a day trip from one of the larger cities nearby like Orléans, Tours, Amboise, or Blois. From here you can also visit the nearby towns of Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher and Montrichard.
Where should you stay?
The village of Montrésor is about a 45 minute drive away from the town of Amboise, so I recommend staying there. Amboise is a larger town with plenty of restaurants and shops open in the evening and makes an excellent base to visit all the châteaux of the Loire Valley.
You can also choose to stay in the town of Blois which is about an hour away.
In Amboise:
In Blois:
- €€€ – ibis Blois Centre Château
- €€€€ – Hotel Mercure Blois Centre (with pool)
- €€€€€ – Fleur de Loire (on the quai across from the old city center of Blois)