On the Streets of Touraine — rue du Chateau in Crissay-sur-Manse.

Crissay-sur-Manse is regularly included among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France , a distinction reserved for villages with exceptional heritage and carefully preserved character. 

The village has fewer than 100 permanent residents, yet its 15th and 16th-century tuffeau stone houses and the ruins of its medieval château have earned it national recognition as one of France's most beautiful villages,you will have to visit yourself to see if this is deserved.

“The streets here don’t hurry. They simply invite you to walk, to notice, to belong.”

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Part of the “On the Streets of the Loire” Series

Each Saturday, we stroll through the lanes and cobbles of Loire towns and villages — places where every step feels like a story.

See more from Experience Loire

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Apremont-sur-Allier in Centre-Val de Loire.

Apremont-sur-Allier sits at the far south-eastern edge of the Cher department, almost where the Centre-Val de Loire region gives way to Burgundy. It's a place that many visitors pass by without realising they've reached one of the Loire Valley's most distinctive villages.

The quiet streets are lined with warm local stone, steeply pitched roofs and carefully restored houses that create a remarkably harmonious streetscape. It's an easy village to explore on foot, with each turn revealing another attractive corner.

Although Apremont-sur-Allier has medieval origins, much of the village's remarkably consistent appearance is the result of a restoration programme led by Eugène Schneider during the early 20th century. Rather than allowing the village to develop piecemeal, he carefully restored and remodelled many of the buildings to create the unified character visitors enjoy today. 

 The village also has enchanting floral gardens.

Although often associated with neighbouring Burgundy, Apremont-sur-Allier actually lies within the Cher department, just inside the Centre-Val de Loire region. It sits on the region's south-eastern edge, making it one of the last villages before crossing into Burgundy.

Check out all previous blogposts on this village here.

Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Series

Exploring the towns and villages of the Loire Valley — their streets, stories, and quiet beauty.

Browse the full series

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Towns & Villages of the Centre - Val de Loire – Gargilesse-Dampierre.

Perched above the Creuse valley, Gargilesse-Dampierre is one of those villages that seems to appear quietly, stone houses rising along the hillside and narrow lanes winding between old walls and gardens. It is listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, and it is easy to see why.

The village became closely linked with the writer George Sand, who spent many summers here in the 19th century and helped bring its quiet beauty to wider attention. Artists followed, drawn by the soft light and peaceful landscape, giving Gargilesse a long creative history that still lingers today.

Its Romanesque church, old château remains, and views across the valley make it a place where time seems to slow down. Unlike the grand châteaux of the Loire, Gargilesse-Dampierre charms through simplicity, a village shaped by stone, river, and centuries of quiet life.

Towns & Villages of the Loire Valley celebrates these places where history is found not only in monuments but in the streets themselves.

“The streets here don’t hurry. They simply invite you to walk, to notice, to belong.”

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Part of the “On the Streets of the Loire” Series

Each Saturday, we stroll through the lanes and cobbles of Loire towns and villages — places where every step feels like a story.

See more from Experience Loire

© Experience Loire — On the Streets of the Loire · Back to Home

Tuesday for towns in the Loire Valley - Crissay-sur-Manse

Crissay-sur-Manse in Touraine listed as one of the 'Les-Plus-Beaux-Villages-de-France' 

Tuesday for towns - beautiful Montressor

See more on Montresor here.

Tuesday for towns in the Loire Valley -Candes-Saint-Martin

Today we feature Candes-Saint-Martin one of 'Les-Plus-Beaux-Villages-de-France'.

You can read more.

Tuesday for towns in the Loire Valley - Crissay-sur-Manse

Crissay-sur-Manse listed as one of the 'Les-Plus-Beaux-Villages-de-France'? Deserving of its listing,have you visited, what do you think?

Monday's Loire Valley chateau - Laverdin

Well, more accurately 'Loir Valley chateau' (without the e) The Chateau de Lavardin was built on a rocky headland 45 m above the River Loir in the village of Lavardin in Loir-et-Cher. Today the ruins of the  fortress dominate the valley and the village, which is listed as one of 'Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'