Savonnières Sweet France

Between Tours and Villandry, discover Savonnières – one of the most beautiful stops on the Loire à Vélo cycle route. Cycle along the north bank of the Cher to admire a beautiful, peaceful and bucolic postcard-perfect landscape. ‘Douce France’, as Charles Trenet sang…

Savonnières At the foot of the hill

Looking out over the Cher, take in the row of white houses with slate roofs. It perfectly sets off the pretty church of Saint Gervais Saint Protais, built in the 12th century, whose bell tower stands alongside the tall trees on the hillside. Admire the beautifully designed porch, in the Saintonge Romanesque style. This is the scene that greets the birds, whose flight you can follow skimming the water’s surface as they pass the traditional boats on their way to the dam. They, too, seem to be enjoying the view!

VISIT THE STUNNING CAVES!

Immerse yourself in a fascinating world of limestone formations. A must-see attraction with a temperature of 14°, which is a welcome relief during the summer heatwaves!

Grottes Pétrifiantes de Savonnières-Villandry

Your holiday in Savonnières

Savonnières and the Cher A port, a dam, a bypass river…

The port appears to have existed for 2,200 years. In those days, amphorae of Roman wine were brought here. But over the years, many other goods were transported: sarcophagi, stone, crops, livestock… Although trade eventually dried up, join the enthusiasts who have revived activity at the river wharf and the port: just upstream of the dam,a charming fleet of traditional boats makes you long to escape to somewhere else.

From April to December, treat yourself to a trip lasting an hour or two with the Cher riverboat operators, sometimes complete with tastings! Listen intently to the guide at the helm, who’ll be delighted to tell you about the features of the boats on display (the barge ‘La Pucelle’, the flat-bottomed boat ‘Le Gaillard’…), as well as the different fish species and the bypass river. Recently built, it allows large migratory species such as eels, sea shad and sea lampreys to pass through.

The boatmen of the Cher

In the vicinity

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Loire by bike in Savonnières
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ADT Touraine - JC Coutand

A tourist destination

Hire bikes from the Onlycamp La Confluence campsite and cycle along the ‘La Loire à Vélo’ route towardsTours and the châteaux of Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau, L’Islette and Langeais. As for cycle route no. 14, it will take you all the way to… the end of the world! Yes, that’s the name given to the little beach where the Cher and the Loire meet.

On foot, follow the ‘Sentier des Cent Marches’ walking trail(5.9 km), which will take you up the hillside. For a longer walk, a 13 km discovery trail takes you through the agricultural plateau (meadows, woodland, seed maize fields…), the Boire Futembre (a meander of the Cher), and then the alluvial plain.

And if all this has worked up your appetite, the Maison Tourangelle, the Auberge du Pont, the guinguette ‘A la Soupette à Mémère’ and two bakeries will satisfy your hunger.

COMING UP IN SAVONNIÈRES

The spring walk in April, the water festival in May, the 14 July celebrations, the Grand Marché des Saveurs on the first Thursday in August, an ‘Expo d’Enfer au Paradis’ in early September, the weekly market on Saturday mornings… are all great reasons to come and explore Savonnières!