One of the loveliest of all the Loire châteaux, Château d’Azay-le-Rideau rises out of its own reflection in a moat formed by the Indre. Built by Francois I’s treasurer Gilles Berthelot between 1518 and 1527, it combines elements of the Gothic style with graceful early-Renaissance decoration, and the exterior has escaped unaltered down the centuries. Tours visit apartments furnished with 16th-17thC antiques and tapestries, and a portrait gallery lined with a useful Who’s Who of the main players on the Renaissance scene.

In the village, one of the half-dozen or so outdoor cafés on place de la République makes a pleasant place to while away an hour or so over lunch or a drink, but they do get busy in season.