Vieux Chinon (Old Town)

Chinon is a town of the Touraine, on the river Vienne, and its old quarter sits on a narrow strip of land between the water and the rock that carries the royal fortress. The look of the old town comes from its building stone, tuffeau, the soft white limestone of the Loire valley, which weathers to a creamy tone and contrasts with the dark blue-grey of the slate roofs. The narrow lanes, the medieval houses with their timber frames and the cobbled slopes that climb toward the castle make Chinon one of the best-preserved medieval towns of the region.

The fortress, which looks down on the old town from the ridge, is the main attraction. It was founded in the tenth century by the counts of Blois, and it passed to the counts of Anjou and then to the Plantagenet family. Henry II of England, who ruled a large empire that stretched from Scotland to the Pyrenees, died at Chinon in 1189, and Richard the Lionheart also died as a result of a wound received nearby in 1199. The château passed to the French crown in 1205, and it became a royal residence in the fifteenth century. In March 1429 Joan of Arc came to Chinon to meet the future Charles VII, who was hiding here in a time of crisis, and she recognised him among the courtiers, an event that is one of the best-known scenes in French history. In 1308 the Templar knights were imprisoned in the castle during the trial of the order, and graffiti survive in the Tour du Coudray.

The visit to the fortress is made of three separate enclosures, divided by moats, with ruined towers, ramparts, residential buildings and a restored royal apartment, and it takes about two hours. There is an admission fee, and the views over the valley and the town are among the best in the Loire. Tickets can be bought on site or online.

The old town is best explored on foot. The Rue Voltaire, the main street, is lined with fine houses from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, with carved doorways, and the Grand Carroi, the old crossroads at its centre, is surrounded by timber-framed houses. The Tour de l'Horloge, a medieval clock tower, stands in the street leading to the castle. The Collégiale Saint-Mexme, an early church with Romanesque parts, the Musée de Chinon, the Musée de la Résistance and the many wine cellars carved in the rock are other sights. Chinon was the home of the writer François Rabelais, who was born nearby, and it is also famous for its red wine, made from the Cabernet Franc grape, which is one of the best of the Loire.

The old town is free to walk and always open, and the best time is the morning, when the light is soft on the stone. Many of the caves de Chinon offer tastings, and the Parc de la Loire and the old bridge across the Vienne are good for a stroll. The town suits history lovers, wine drinkers and families.