Between Orléans and Tours, the route follows the Loire like a bright, wide thread through the Valley of Kings. Beyond Beaugency, old bridges, stone walls and flat riverside paths set the tone; in Blois, the château rises straight from town. Farther west, Chaumont-sur-Loire and Amboise feel like deliberate pauses along the water, with castle views, tuffeau stone and tight old streets. In between: sandbanks, poplars, floodplain green and big river light. Tours gives the stage a lively, elegant finish.
