If I ever go back to the Loire Valley to do a car trip, I would try Vendome as my base. It’s only 33 km from Blois so easy access to some of the greatest chateaux while at the same time a charming town off the tourist map. Even by in early April when tourists were only just coming back after COVID, both Blois and Amboise had quite a few tourists about and the restaurants were geared to them. Vendome felt quite different and I was a curiosity in the nice restaurant that I chose and probably the only foreigner there.
I should have added that the reason why I was a curiosity in the restaurant was because I was clearly an anglophone North American by the accent of my French but one that could actually speak the language more or less intelligibly.
The Moulin du Loir. It's in the centre of Vendome, situated on one of the town's lovely canals and reached, if I remember correctly, by a walkway rather than road. In warm weather you can eat outside by the canal. It was too cool when I was there to eat outside in the evening. This was one of the best restaurant meals that I had on my journey partly because of both the food and the ambience. By the way it is the LOIR not Loire. The Loir is a tributary of the Loire and flows past and around Vendome. In fact I followed the Loir for long stretches of my walk from Chateaudun to Vendome.
Beautiful sharing new frend
U are right ❤❤❤
Thanks for watching!
You're right. I imagine more tourists know about Place Vendôme in Paris than about the town itself.
If I ever go back to the Loire Valley to do a car trip, I would try Vendome as my base. It’s only 33 km from Blois so easy access to some of the greatest chateaux while at the same time a charming town off the tourist map. Even by in early April when tourists were only just coming back after COVID, both Blois and Amboise had quite a few tourists about and the restaurants were geared to them. Vendome felt quite different and I was a curiosity in the nice restaurant that I chose and probably the only foreigner there.
I should have added that the reason why I was a curiosity in the restaurant was because I was clearly an anglophone North American by the accent of my French but one that could actually speak the language more or less intelligibly.
What a beautiful town - All the French charm without the crowds of tourists! Your dinner looked incredible - can you share the name of the restaurant?
The Moulin du Loir. It's in the centre of Vendome, situated on one of the town's lovely canals and reached, if I remember correctly, by a walkway rather than road. In warm weather you can eat outside by the canal. It was too cool when I was there to eat outside in the evening. This was one of the best restaurant meals that I had on my journey partly because of both the food and the ambience.
By the way it is the LOIR not Loire. The Loir is a tributary of the Loire and flows past and around Vendome. In fact I followed the Loir for long stretches of my walk from Chateaudun to Vendome.
Marvellous lens of marvellous places down The Loire w an interesting narrative
Thanks for your comment!