This guide divides the Loire Valley into touring areas - one per chapter. The best of the Loire Valley is offered, from its glorious chateaux to its quiet backwaters, from the Orleans of Joan of Arc to the Usse of Sleeping Beauty, and from the vineyards of Sancerre to the Gothic masterpiece of Chartres. Major cultural centres or cities from chapters in their own right. Each chapter contains enough attractions to provide at least a day's worth of activities - often more - and has an introduction that sums up the main attractions and a ratings box. It is then divided into an alphabetical gazetteer and a suggested tour. In every chapter you will find lodging and eating recommendations for individual towns, or for the area as a whole. The tours include: a drive through the South Touraine, a region of ancient fortifications and excellent wines; the sights of historic Orleans; and the windmills, wheat fields and undulating forests of Eure-et-Loir and a tour of Chinon-Saumur, with its limestone caves and castles. No touring holiday is complete without one of these essential guides. A great combination of guidbooks and route map, they contain everything the self-drive traveller needs en route. Their features include: unique guidbookss for fly-drive travellers; road safety information for drivers; descriptive instruction setting the scene for the route ahead; rules of the road explained for each destination; full-colour detailed maps with major destinations and places of interest along the route clearly pinpointed; and select accommodation, dining and shopping options.