Blois is located halfway between Olreans and Tours on the north bank of the Loire. From a distance you see the characteric white houses with their red chimneys. The cathedral and the chateau are on seperate hills and dominate the city.

In the 11-th century Blois became the most important town in the region. A stone castle was built to protect the town as well as city walls which followed the contours of the headland on which the castle was erected. At the end of the 14-th century, the county of Blois was sold to Prince Louis of Orleans, son of the king of France Charles V. He lived in the castle for 25 years attracting a small court of scholars and poets. His grandson, Louis XII became king of France in 1498 and decided to move to Blois, in this way, the small town became a royal town and the capital of the Kingdom. Under Louis XII and Francois I the town of Blois grew considerably. But after a disastrous defait in Pavia in Italy in 1525, Francois I never returned to Blois and his successors only paid short visits to the town.

This is the reason why the royal city of Blois is still pretty small. You can explore the centre easily on foot - which will involve climbing a few stairs. The main sights are of course the castle with its staircase by Leonardo da Vinci and the Maison de la Magie dedicated to the famous magicien, scientist and diplomate Houdin, just opposite. Between the two there is a nice square with a few restaurants and terraces where you can sit and relax.

Aix-en-provence
Ajaccio
Alp dHuez
Amboise
Angers
Annecy
Annot
Antibes
Arles
Arras
Avignon
Azay-le-Rideau
Bar-le-Duc
Bastia
Baume-les-Messieurs and Cirque
Bayeux
Bayonne
Berck sur Mer
Bergerac
Biarritz
Blois
Bordeaux
Boulogne
Bourges
Bracieux
Brienne-le-Chateau
Caen
Calvi
Cannes
Carcassone
Carnac
Ceillac
Chalons-sur-Marne
Chambord
Chamonix
Charlesville-Meziers
Chartres
Chartreuse
Chateau de Val
Chaumont
Chenonceau
Cheverny
Chinon
Cirque des Navacelles
Clairvaux
Clermont-Ferrand
Cognac
Colmar
Cons-la-Grandville
Corse
Courthezon
Deauville
Dieppe
Dijon
Dinan
Disneyland Paris
Domme
Dunkerque
Entraygues-sur-Truyère
Epernay
Etretat
Fabulous rivers
Fleville
Fontainebleau
Fontevraud
Fraisse-sur-Agout
Giverny
Gorges-du-tarn
Grenoble
Guilvinec
Hattonchatel
Hautvillers
Honfleur
Huelgoat
Ile dOleron
L'Isle sur la Sorgue
La Rochelle
La Roque Gageac
Langeais
Laval
Le Blanc
Le havre
Le mans
Le Sidobre
Les Andelys
Les Beaux de Provence
Lille
Lisieux
Loches
Lormes
Loue valley
Lourdes
Lyon
Mailly-le-Chateau
Marseille
Menton
Mesnil-Val
Metz
Meung sur Loire
Mirande
Mont Aigoual
Mont-saint-michel
Montpellier
Montpoupon
Montréal
Monts de l'Espinouse
Morbihan
Morvan
Nancy
Nantes
Nice
Nimes
Olhain
Orange
Orleans
Paris
Perigueux
Perpignan
Pezenas
Pic Carlit
Pontgibaud
Provins
Queyras
Quimper
Reims
Rennes
Rochebrune
Roscoff
Rouen
Roussillon
Saint Malo
Saint Remy de Provence
Sainte Croix en Jarez
Salers
Sarlat
Saumur
Sedan
Sixt Fer-à-Cheval
St livrade
St Pons de Thomière
St Tropez
St-Benoit-sur-Loire
St. Aignan
St. Etienne
St. Omer
St.Jean de Luz
Strasbourg
Tarascon-sur-Ariège
Toulouse
Tours
Train des Pignes
Trouville
Troyes
Usse
Uzes
Valencay
Valence
Vannes
Verdun
Vernet les Bains
Versailles
Vezelay
Villandry
Villeneuve-Loubet
Villerville