Activities and visits for young and old nearby
Nestled in the heart of Touraine, not far from the Château de Villandry, the caves were used as former quarries of limestone in the Middle Ages.
About 100 million years ago, in the secondary era, a shallow sea covered the region. Masses of chalks were deposited at the bottom. Once in the open air, these formed a dominant rock in the Loire Valley: the limestone “Tuffeau”. This soft stone, but hard enough, was used to build the most elegant Castles of the Loire Valley.
Gradually invaded by water, the quarries were abandoned, giving place to a dark and silent world. The water seeping into cracks relentlessly eroded the limestone and created a privileged world.
A rare curiosity of nature reported by the famous potter Bernard Palissy in 1547.
Over time, the arena of water, highly concentrated with calcium carbonate, has created a wonderful enchantment with all types of limestone concretions: stalactites, stalagmites, wavy and serrated draperies… Sparkling concretions cover the original rock with a palette of colors going from pure white to deep orange.
Real touristic exploitation of this site began with the discovery of a second cave in 1947. Three speleologists, inhabitants of Tours, rushed into a fault and found a huge room. As early as 1966, and after some years of development, the owners opened the cave to the public and gave a new interest to the visit with a greater tour.
This artificial way in the rock allows to reach rooms where traces of ancient exploitation of limestone are more important, and to meet rooms where waterfalls offer to the eyes calcite of admirable purity.
The second cave is also embellished with a striking and disturbing recreation of the prehistoric fauna of the primary and secondary era.
Gabarres à Savonnières
The association “Les Bateliers du Cher” has been recognized for more than twenty years for its expertises in various fields, whose the objective is to make known the historical skyppers of Savonnières.
From May to October discover the wild Cher , aboard traditional boats.
In 1962, a little boy of 10, Louis-Marie CHARDON, began exploring in a fantastic site.
His father, André Chardon, had just acquired this land to expand the family tree cultivation business. Only the land on the hillside was planted with apple trees, and the area situated in the valley was left neglected in a jumble of brambles. That is how, little by little, Louis-Marie discovered the Troglodyte habitations and the idea to renovate the place was born.
In 1982 Louis-Marie inherited the land and began to work on it in his spare time, alongside his profession of arborist, and discovered the 53rd and last underground refuge of Touraine known to this day.
15 years later the site was reborn…
The Troglodyte Valley of the Goupillières began, and Louis-Marie Chardon opened it to the public in 2000.
From the Middle Ages until the last century, Tourangeau peasants lived in these troglodytic farms.
At this time, the peasants’ most valuable resource was their strength, and they used it to dig into the tufa slopes to create their living environment, quarrying this beautiful calcite stone which would be used for centuries in the construction of stately homes and castles of the Loire.
All of the peasants were miners and worked on the quarrying of the tufa in order to build the châteaux.
The site has been preserved by focusing on the peasants’ ingeniousness. The site’s authenticity offers the visitor a touching view of the past. Commonly used objects can be found where they were originally kept, and the farm animals live in their habitual spaces. In Goupillières, life continues like it did long ago.
It’s an excellent way remember that in Touraine, there was a whole population of people living behind the castles!
LA LOIRE A VELO passes by L’Augeonnière in Villandry
(15 minutes by bike from the route)
The Loire à vélo gives you the chance to take your family for a ride on routes which have been designed with safety in mind and where you and your children will be able to take to your bikes at your own pace.
There are some short distance routes to make things a little easier for your little ones.
It’s a moment to enjoy with your family, to get some good fresh air and admire the gorgeous scenery in its natural protected setting.
Located at Joué-Lès-Tours in a pine forest bordered by the Lake Bretonnières, the first born of GADAWI PARK will enchant you with the diversity of its courses and beautiful zip lines over the water.
CAUTION IT CAN WET
No less than 9 courses and over 100 games are waiting for you in this unspoilt and accessible natural area thanks to the south ring road.
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN IN TOURS
(22 minutes by car)
www.tours.fr/services-infos-pratiques/585-jardin-botanique.htm
Since 1843, the botanical garden is a must-see place, filled with charm and memories.
One side, we discover a space dedicated to botany with its greenhouses and plant collections and the other side, a play area with games and animal areas in the middle of remarkable trees.
Flooded with light, the Aquatic Area offers 3 pools for children and adults, with a lot of fun and original sports activities.
Enjoy architecture spanning the centuries within a 2 hectare wooded park and discover the joys of France’s heritage: 41 of the most beautiful Castles of the Loire identically reproduced to a 1:25 scale. Are you ready for an unforgettable trip through history?
From French mountain streams to distant seas, the Grand Aquarium de Touraine is the biggest freshwater aquarium in France.
Discover all the ecosystems in 63 aquariums and 2 million litres of water!
The journey starts at the source of the Loire river where trout and salmon are found. Then you descend this wild river alongside carp, pike, pikeperch to the Silurium, where you are plunged into total darkness. Here you will discover sheatfish measuring over 2 metres.
And don’t forget to dip your hands into the tactile pool, for a touching experience with the Koi carp.
Then head for tropical lands and discover strange but legendary species such as paddlesfish, electric eels and piranhas. You will also meet several generations of caimans…
Then dive into 25°C tropical water to discover the marine biodiversity through the portholes. You can explore the depths of the sea in our submarine: from the coral on the surface down to the depths, where the giant crab will woo you with his pincers. Finally, pass through the 15-metre seawater tunnel where sharks swim amongst a multitude of brightly coloured tropical fish!
Discover a truly leisure park! Visit one of the most famous amusement parks in France and the only one of its kind in Europe! The fantastic park of Futuroscope offers original experiences based on multimedia, dynamic cinemas, a flying cinema, and technologies from 3D to 5D … its futuristic architecture is also worth the detour! Your ticket gives you access to the park for a full day without limit to the number of attractions, and includes the fantastic Cirque du Soleil evening aquaferie. Take your ticket and spend a full day discovering the classic and new multimedia attractions of the park!
Come and admire the 10,000 extraordinary animals in this 40 hectare park. Among 600 species, the ZooParc shelters animals unique in France like the giant pandas (and their baby, YuanMeng!), Koalas or Tasmanian devils.
For almost 40 years, the Delord family has been writing the history of the Beauval ZooParc, an extraordinary zoo mainly focused on the conservation and protection of animal species.
