Loire: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

The Loire connects the Roannais-Bocage, the Forez Plain, the Madeleine and Forez Mountains, the hills of Beaujolais and Lyonnais, the Pilat Massif and the Rhône Valley. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Loire can then continue their search for accommodation.

Nature

Loire includes 626 designated sensitive natural areas. Most of the highlighted natural areas have car parks, secure access and regularly maintained and signposted paths for public access. Some of Loire’s natural areas are open for exploring wetlands and heathlands and for observing bird migration; these include, among others, red kites and storks.

The Gorges de la Loire form a 4,000-hectare area of history and biodiversity with contrasting natural environments. The Grangent section is protected by its status as a classified and registered landscape, by Natura 2000 and by a regional nature reserve along part of its right bank. Activities associated with the Gorges de la Loire include water sports, varied hikes, visits to typical villages and medieval hillside locations, swimming at Saint-Victor and nature programmes at the Maison de la Réserve.

Culture

The Le Corbusier Site in Firminy comprises a Maison de la Culture, a Unité d’habitation, a stadium, a swimming pool and a church. Pedestrian signs and ground markings lead from Firminy station to the starting point for visits to the Le Corbusier Site.

The Maison des Tresses et des Lacets is located in a former textile factory and offers guided tours of its hydraulic system and working braiding machines. The Benedictine Abbey of Charlieu has a Romanesque main portal from the 12th century, a cloister from the late 15th century and a chapter house from the 15th century.

Getting around

The section of the Via Fluvia from Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue (Les Chavannes) to the Bénévis car park above Bourg-Argental is 11.1 kilometres long; 6.9 kilometres of it run on shared roads and 4.2 kilometres on a greenway. The Véloire crosses Loire from Iguerande to Montrond-les-Bains, with 25 kilometres on a dedicated path and 78 kilometres on shared roads.

The Train Touristique du Haut-Forez runs from Estivareilles in Loire to La Chaise-Dieu in Haute-Loire via Craponne-sur-Arzon and stops at the Viaduc de Pontempeyrat. In the wider regional area, the route crosses forests along the borders of Loire, Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme and provides access to hiking and mountain-bike trails. A Vélorail ride leads to Lac de Villerest along a former railway line used by Loire’s tourist train.

Themed GRP routes range from 9 to 82 kilometres and are accompanied by brochures describing history, curiosities and visitor attractions. Water activities associated with Loire include canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, pedal boating, rafting, electric boating and rowing.

Food and drink

Fourme de Montbrison AOP is made from the milk of Montbéliarde, Abondance and Aubrac cows that graze on the Hautes-Chaumes, which rise to 1,634 metres. Loire specialities also include the AOP cheeses Fourme de Montbrison and Rigotte de Condrieu, Praluline and râpée forézienne, the Côtes du Forez and Côtes du Roannais wines, and Badoit mineral water.

Loire’s cuisine can be explored through restaurants, markets, farm visits and culinary workshops. The Route des Vins Forez-Roannais en Loire Volcanique covers almost 400 hectares of vineyards planted predominantly with Gamay and bears the Vignobles & Découvertes label. Loire’s wine route is represented by the AOP Côtes du Forez and Côte Roannaise, described as the first appellations upstream along the Loire.

The selection of locations includes Arthun, Aveizieux, Chuyer, Doizieux, Le Crozet, Marcoux, Maringes, Merle-Leignec, Mizérieux, Renaison, Saint-Bonnet-Le-Courreau, Saint-Didier-Sur-Rochefort, Saint-Nizier-De-Fornas, Saint-Polgues, Saint-Romain-D'urfé, Sauvain, St. Alban Les Eaux, Veranne, Saint-Priest-La-Vêtre, Jas, Saint-Haon-Le-Vieux, Juré, Saint-Bonnet-Des-Quarts, Saint-Marcellin-En-Forez, Saint-Romain-La-Motte, Saint-Galmier, Saint-Étienne, Saint-Chamond, Roanne, Perreux, Montbrison, Mably, Le Coteau, Saint-Cyprien, Usson-En-Forez, Les Noës, Neulise, Saint-Rirand, La Pacaudière, Dancé, Veauche, Andrézieux-Bouthéon, Saint-Nizier-Sous-Charlieu, Villars, Saint-Priest-En-Jarez, Fontanès, Amions, Savigneux, La Terrasse-Sur-Dorlay, La Tuilière, Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel, Saint-Julien-D'oddes, Verrières-En-Forez, Aboën, Luré, Saint-Germain-Lespinasse, Le Bessat, Montrond-Les-Bains, Villerest, Saint-Bonnet-Le-Château, Noirétable, Saint-Jean-La-Vêtre, Charlieu, La Ricamarie, Violay, Pélussin, Ouches, Chalmazel, Saint-Laurent-Rochefort, Grézieux-Le-Fromental, Feurs, Rozier-Côtes-D'aurec, Saint-Priest-La-Prugne, Saint-Just-En-Chevalet, La Valla-En-Gier, L'etrat, L'horme, Saint-Cyr-Les-Vignes, Saint-Germain-Laval, Saint-Marcel D'urfé, Chambœuf, Briennon, Champoly, Sail-Sous-Couzan, Commelle-Vernay, Saint-Sauveur-En-Rue, Marcenod, Les Salles, Bonson, Rive-De-Gier, Montverdun, Cordelle, Estivareilles, Notre-Dame-De-Boisset, Thélis-La-Combe, Ambierle, Villemontais, Noailly, La Fouillouse, L'hôpital-Sous-Rochefort, Firminy, Saint-Marcel-De-Félines, Mars, Belmont-De-La-Loire, Malleval, Cellieu, Neaux, Le Chambon-Feugerolles, Bessey, Marlhes, Pommiers, Chavanay, Chandon, Saint-Pierre-De-Bœuf, Sury-Le-Comtal, Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette, Saint-Régis-Du-Coin, Changy, Bourg-Argental, Cuinzier, Nervieux, Coutouvre, Unieux, Balbigny, Pralong, Riorges, Champdieu, Saint-Michel-Sur-Rhône, Bellegarde-en-Forez, Saint-Médard-en-Forez, La Talaudière, La Grand-Croix, Épercieux-Saint-Paul, Saint-Symphorien-de-Lay, Bussy-Albieux, Lorette, Vendranges, Roisey, Pouilly-sous-Charlieu, Bussières, Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert, Saint-Romain-le-Puy, La Valla-sur-Rochefort, Chambles, Régny, Saint-Martin-la-Sauveté, La Tourette, Le Cergne, Fourneaux, Burdignes, Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire, Cherier, Planfoy, Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, Sainte-Colombe-sur-Gand, Palogneux, Saint-Georges-de-Baroille, Cleppé, L'Hôpital-le-Grand, Chevrières. To continue your search, you can open one of the locations mentioned.

To the higher-level travel overview: Rhône-Alpes.