Langeais: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Langeais is a village of a few thousand people that grew at the foot of its château, and it is quiet once the visitors leave. Around it is a thousand years of fortification, from the Roman tower of Cinq-Mars to the stone keeps of the counts of Anjou. This short loop stays on the north bank and then crosses to the two great châteaux of the Cher and the Indre. Langeais itself takes a morning.
A short history of Langeais
At Langeais Count Fulk Nerra built, around 994, one of the first stone keeps in Europe, and its remains still stand in the park. The present château was built in the 1460s on the orders of Louis XI. On 6 December 1491 Charles VIII married Anne of Brittany here, and through this marriage Brittany was joined to France. Langeais is a small town on the Loire, and its château has changed little since the Middle Ages.
The ten best sights in Langeais
1Château de LangeaisThe château with a working drawbridge right in the village street; the furnished rooms are the reason to go in
2Église Saint-Jean-BaptisteThe village church with a Romanesque bell tower, a minute from the château
3Château de Cinq-Mars-la-PileTwo medieval towers left standing in a romantic park, 5 km east
4Château de VillandryThe great vegetable gardens, 8 km east across the Cher
5Château d'Azay-le-RideauThe château on the Indre, 8 km south
6Château d'UsséThe fairy-tale château of turrets at the forest edge, 12 km south-west
7Forteresse royale de ChinonThe royal fortress on its ridge above the Vienne, 21 km away
8Abbaye royale de FontevraudThe great abbey with the Plantagenet tombs, 31 km west
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9Pont de Langeais
Cross for the view of the château over the rooftops
10Pile RomaineA mysterious Roman brick tower on the hillside above the road
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Langeais →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Langeais:
Free walking tours in Langeais
Fortresses of the Loire bank
Langeais is a village of a few thousand people that grew at the foot of its château, and it is quiet once the visitors leave. Around it is a thousand years of fortification, from the Roman tower of Cinq-Mars to the stone keeps of the counts of Anjou. This short loop stays on the north bank and then crosses to the two great châteaux of the Cher and the Indre. Langeais itself takes a morning.
- Château de Langeais · In the park behind the château stand the ruins of a keep built by Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, around 994. It is one of the oldest stone keeps in France.
- Pile Romaine · The brick tower is about 30 metres high and was built by the Romans in the 2nd century. Nobody knows for sure what it was for; the most common view is that it was a funerary monument.
- Château de Cinq-Mars-la-Pile · The Marquis de Cinq-Mars, the young favourite of Louis XIII, was beheaded in 1642 for plotting against Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu then had his castle cut down, leaving only the stumps of the towers.
- Château de Luynes · The fortress has belonged to the dukes of Luynes since 1619, when Louis XIII made his favourite Charles d'Albert a duke. Below it, the old village houses are partly cut into the tufa.
- Château de Villandry · Joachim Carvallo, a Spanish doctor, bought Villandry in 1906 and spent his life recreating its gardens from old plans. His descendants still own and run the château.
- Château d'Azay-le-Rideau · Azay was built on an island in the Indre from 1518 for Gilles Berthelot, a royal treasurer. When his cousin was accused of fraud, Berthelot fled, and François I seized the unfinished château.
Royal Chinon and Rabelais country
South-west of Langeais the Loire meets the Vienne, and the country between them is full of history. Here Joan of Arc met the Dauphin, the Plantagenet kings of England were buried, and Rabelais was born. The route crosses the forest to the turrets of Ussé, then follows the Vienne to Chinon and on to the abbey of Fontevraud. It ends where Saint Martin died.
- Forêt domaniale de Chinon · The forest of Chinon was a royal hunting ground and still covers thousands of hectares between the Indre and the Vienne. Its old oaks are managed for fine timber, and deer and wild boar live among them.
- Château d'Ussé · Ussé is said to have inspired Charles Perrault's Sleeping Beauty, and wax figures of the tale fill one of its towers. The château's white turrets rise straight out of the forest.
- Forteresse royale de Chinon · In March 1429 Joan of Arc came to Chinon and, the story goes, picked out the Dauphin Charles though he had hidden among his courtiers. In 1308 Templar knights were held in the Coudray tower here, and their graffiti still mark the walls.
- Musée Rabelais, Maison La Devinière · François Rabelais was born at this farm around 1494. The fields below it became the battlefield of the Picrocholine War in Gargantua, and the villages of the comic war are real places you can see from the house.
- Abbaye royale de Fontevraud · The abbey church holds the painted effigies of Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lionheart. From 1804 to 1963 the abbey served as one of the harshest prisons in France.
- Collégiale Saint-Martin · Saint Martin died in Candes in 397. The monks of Tours took his body by night and rowed it up the Loire, and legend says flowers bloomed along the banks in November as it passed.
Bourgueil wine country
West of Langeais, on the north bank, the vineyards of Bourgueil climb the slopes behind the river. This is red-wine country, almost all Cabernet Franc, aged in cellars cut into the hill. The route goes from the village bridge to the old abbey of Bourgueil and back through the woods by two lesser-known châteaux. Drink little, drive slowly.
- Pont de Langeais · The Loire here is wide and braided with sandbanks, and the bridge is the only crossing for some distance either way. From the middle you see the château standing over the village roofs.
- Abbaye bénédictine de Saint-Pierre de Bourgueil · The Benedictine abbey was founded at the end of the 10th century, and its monks are credited with spreading the vine around Bourgueil. Tradition says they brought Cabernet Franc here, which the locals still call 'Breton'.
- Maison des Vins de Bourgueil · Bourgueil became a protected appellation in 1937 and makes almost only red. The wines from the gravel near the river are light and drunk young; those from the tufa slopes can age for years.
- Cave de la Dive Bouteille · The cave takes its name from Rabelais: in his fifth book the heroes travel to consult the Oracle of the Holy Bottle, whose one-word answer is 'Drink'. Inside, old wine presses stand in the cool tufa galleries.
- Château de Gizeux · Gizeux keeps two long galleries painted in the 17th century, one of them decorated with views of royal châteaux such as Chambord and Versailles. It is still a family home.
- Château de Langeais · On 6 December 1491 Charles VIII married Anne of Brittany in the château, a wedding that joined Brittany to France. In 1886 Jacques Siegfried bought Langeais, furnished it with tapestries and in 1904 gave it to the Institut de France.
Getting to Langeais and getting around
- Gare de Langeais · A small station on the Tours–Saumur line, five minutes' walk from the château
- Gare de Tours · The nearest city station, 25 km east, for wider connections
Cheap eats in Langeais
Langeais is a small village, so lunch is simple: a bakery, a tea room facing the château and a few cafés. The food of the area is Touraine's: goat's cheese, rillettes, river fish and mushrooms from the tufa caves. To the west the slopes of Bourgueil make the red wine that goes with all of it. Many places close one or two days a week out of season.
- Boulangerie de l'Église · Bread and sandwiches by the church, about €2-6
- Le palais gourmand · Pastries and cakes, about €2-5
- Maison de Rabelais · Tea room facing the château; coffee and cake about €5-8
- Café du Château · Simple lunch plates near the château, about €12-16
- Bar du Marché · Village bar; a coffee about €2
- La fringale · Quick bites near the station, about €8-12
Museums in Langeais
- Château de Langeais · Tapestries and a wax-figure wedding
- Château d'Ussé · Sleeping Beauty in the tower
- Forteresse royale de Chinon · Walk the ramparts; multimedia rooms on Joan
- Musée Rabelais, Maison La Devinière · A farmhouse museum among vines
- Abbaye royale de Fontevraud · Allow two hours; see the Romanesque kitchen
Holy places in Langeais
- Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste · A quick look on the way to the château
- Collégiale Saint-Martin · A fortified church where the Vienne meets the Loire
- Abbaye royale de Fontevraud · The Plantagenet tombs in the nave
- Abbaye bénédictine de Saint-Pierre de Bourgueil · Remains of the abbey among the vines
- Forteresse royale de Chinon · The Templar graffiti in the Coudray tower
Nature and day trips near Langeais
- Forêt domaniale de Chinon · Shady oak forest with marked trails
- Pont de Langeais · Watch the birds on the Loire sandbanks
- Château de Villandry · Gardens in terraces, best from the keep
- Pile Romaine · A short walk up to the tower with a view of the valley
- Château de Cinq-Mars-la-Pile · A labyrinth garden around the ruined towers
Where to eat in Langeais
- Les Agapes · French dinner facing the château
- La Blanche Hermine · Crêpes and galettes in the village centre
- Le Médiéval · Simple local menus near the château
- L'Atelier Gourmand · Small, modern French plates
- Café Restaurant de l'église · Village bistro by the church
Frequently asked questions about Langeais
What is there to see in Langeais?
The top sights in Langeais are Château de Langeais, Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Château de Cinq-Mars-la-Pile. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Langeais?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Langeais without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Langeais?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Langeais, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Fortresses of the Loire bank.
How do you get to Langeais and get around?
The main ways are Gare de Langeais and Gare de Tours. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Langeais, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Langeais that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Langeais for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.