Le Château de Valmer

Just about 20 minutes north and slightly west of Amboise by car is — or was — the château de Valmer. The château was destroyed by a fire in 1948. But a wine business called Château Valmer adopted the name and you can buy bottles of sparkling Vouvray wine there as well as enjoy walking through the old château's gardens, which have been preserved. The village of Vouvray itself is a 15-minute drive south of Valmer.

The images above show an old farmhouse near Valmer; a view out over the remaining Valmer buildings and the gardens; and some more of the buildings left at Valmer after the château burned down.

In the picture above, looking out over the Brenne river valley, that's the Château de la Côte off in the distance. It's not open to the public.

There's quite a bit of artwork in the Valmer gardens. On the property there's also a rare troglodytic chapel that you can poke around in.