The Roman Pile is a Gallo-Roman monument and has been classified as a historic monument of France (Monument historique) since 1840. It stands about one kilometre upstream from the centre of Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, at the foot of the slope. The solid, square brick tower is 30 metres high and has a base width of 5 metres on each side.
Those who choose Cinq-Mars-la-Pile for their stay may wish to rent a holiday apartment there.
Culture
The Château de Cinq-Mars preserves two round towers from the 12th and 13th centuries, a fortified bridge and moats from the 16th century. The towers and moats can be visited in the romantic park. The Château de Cinq-Mars has been closed since the end of June 2026 due to significant damage.
The parish church of Saint-Médard in Cinq-Mars-la-Pile is a building from the 11th and 12th centuries; it was dedicated to Saint-Médard in 1901. Its square bell tower has two round-arched openings on each side and is crowned by an octagonal stone spire built in the 15th century, with four corner turrets.
The Moulin de La Gouspillère was initially a tanning and fulling mill, then became a flour mill at the beginning of the 19th century. It houses a mill powered by a turbine, dating from the first half of the 20th century, which can still be operated occasionally.
One of the six memorial stones of Terre sacrée is located in Cinq-Mars-la-Pile. The memorial stones are dedicated to the French and Allied fallen of the First World War.
Nature and Activities
The pond at Bertellerie offers 5 hectares of fishing opportunities. The municipality maintains the car parks, access paths and surrounding area. The fishing pond in Cinq-Mars-la-Pile is accessible to holders of a departmental or inter-federation fishing permit.
La Pile en Marche organises public walks on the first Sunday of each month from October to June. The start is at 9 a.m. from the car park near the Cinq-Mars campsite, except in December, January and February, when it is at 2 p.m.
A 114-kilometre hiking route from Chinon railway station to Tours TGV station is signposted throughout. It passes through municipalities associated with the history, worship or legends surrounding Saint Martin and is designed to be completed over four hiking days.
Local
In Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, a local producers’ market takes place on the Place des Meuliers on the last Friday of every month from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. At this market, La Cave des Figuiers, offering organic mushrooms, and Le rucher des terres chaudes are listed as vendors based in Cinq-Mars-la-Pile; Le rucher des terres chaudes is a honey producer.
Getting There
To travel by car, follow the D952 to Cinq-Mars-la-Pile; a TGV connection via Tours or Saint-Pierre-des-Corps then provides a connection to Cinq-Mars-la-Pile railway station.
