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Overview

So exceptional is the Loire Valley, with its enchanting châteaus, religious landmarks, and award-winning wineries, that the entire 310-square-mile region, located between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. Lined with vineyards, orchards, and artichoke fields, it’s known as the Garden of France, but the region is about so much more than agriculture. Come here to sleep in a troglodyte cave, learn more about Joan of Arc, ride a mechanical elephant, and, of course, sample the local Sancerre.

Sébastien Riffault, son of winemaker Étienne Riffault, started his own label in 2002 with a strong belief in biodiversity, biodynamic principles, and natural winemaking. On his almost five acres of vineyards near Sury-en-Vaux, he grows an array of plants, flowers, and grass among his vines to encourage good insects, and uses horses to plow so his soil is carefully tilled. Without the aid of fertilizers or chemicals, he leaves his grapes on the vine extremely late to ensure they’re completely ripe, then ferments them in large, old barrels with wild yeast. The result is unfiltered, completely natural wine that competes with some of the Loire’s best bottles. To learn more about Sébastien’s unique process, visit the vineyard for one of his informal vendage entre amis (grape-picking with friends), then stick around to taste some of his Sancerre.

This is the view inside the Symphonic Sculpture by Gabriel Loire at the Hakone Open Air Museum (彫刻の森 in Japanese) in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The museum opened in 1969 as the first open-air art museum in Japan. The spectacular grounds, set against the backdrop of Mt. Fuji, are the permanent home for hundreds of works by well-known modern and contemporary sculptors and artists, including Picasso, Rodin, Bourdelle, Miro and Moore. There is also a series of installations where children can play, a footbath fed by natural hot springs, and a variety of other facilities including restaurants and shops.

There’s no shortage of boat tours on the Loire River, but for an even more Instagrammable experience, ride a 40-foot mechanical elephant along the water at Les Machines de l’Île in Nantes. Open since 2007 in the town’s old shipyards, this engineering playground boggles the mind with attractions like the Carrousel des Mondes Marines (a massive carousel with sea creatures that move) and the Galeries des Machines (home to a giant mechanical spider and ant). The museum’s newest project, the $45 million Arbre aux Herons with 35 mechanical birds perched in a 115-foot tree, is scheduled to open in 2021.

Only a 40-minute drive from Saumur, the Château d’Ussé is so magical that it served as the inspiration for the castle in Charles Perrault’s The Sleeping Beauty. Originally built as a stronghold in the Middle Ages, it developed over time into a jewel of Renaissance architecture, then became a splendid residential home in the 17th and 18th centuries. The octagonal Knights’ Dungeon plays a key part in Perrault’s fairy tale, but the castle is also home to enchanting cellars, gardens, stables, a chapel, and a tower with spectacular views over the Loire Valley. Spend some time here and you’ll quickly understand why it’s among the most beloved castles.