2022 is the perfect year to visit the Loire Valley, home to France’s iconic châteaux, incredible gardens and world-renowned wines. This year will include new hotel openings, anniversaries, exhibitions and more throughout the region.
Openings
- Fleur de Loire: This new 5-star Relais & Châteaux hotel and gastronomic restaurant helmed by two-Michelin-starred Chef Christophe Hay is set to open its doors on June 13, 2022. A lifelong project for Hay, the new property aims to offer an oasis of tranquility that promotes the riches and heritage of the Loire region, while also promoting sustainable travel. Housed in a 17th-century building designed by the brother of King Louis XIII, Fleur de Loire will feature 44 rooms (including 11 suites), a gourmet restaurant, bistro, pastry kiosk, swimming pool and state-of-the-art Sisley spa. Hay’s restaurant will showcase the best of the region’s unique terroir, including produce from local farmers, wine from Cheverny and produce from the onsite garden.
- Le Bois des Chambres: This hotel, the first-ever at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, is set to open this spring. Designed by architect Patrick Bouchain, the hotel will feature 39 uniquely designed rooms and suites, as well as a gourmet restaurant, and original artworks on display throughout the property. Rooms are divided between a restored farmhouse and a new build, each of which has a different theme dedicated to the natural surroundings of the hotel.
- Villa Monin: This new exhibition space dedicated to Monin gourmet flavored syrups is set to open its doors this summer. Located in the medieval city of Bourges, the space will offer a cabinet of curiosities around flavors and aromas, an immersive tour of syrup production, cooking classes and workshops, as well as a syrup tasting bar. Local Bourges confectioner Daniel Mercier will also offer a chocolate-themed tour within the space.
Exhibitions
- La Renaissance des Femmes at Château Royal de Blois: A favorite residence of seven kings and ten queens of France, the Chateau is hosting an exhibition dedicated to three of its famous former residents: Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers and Marguerite de Valois. Titled La Renaissance des Femmes (The Renaissance of Women), this exhibition highlights the power—sometimes restrained, marginalized or even forgotten—of these three iconic Renaissance figures.
- Agnès Sorel, L’influenceuse at The Royal City of Loches: This royal city is celebrating the 600th anniversary of the birth of Agnès Sorel, mistress of King Charles VII, who gave her the domain of Loches. To mark the occasion, this exhibition, Agnès Sorel, l’influenceuse (Agnès Sorel, the influencer), aims to offer a better understanding of the role and influence of this “Lady of Beauty” in the kingdom’s politics and society.
The Ideal Garden at Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire: The garden is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the International Garden Festival, which has been a major destination for contemporary creation and landscape design since 1992. This year’s theme is centered around the “ideal garden,” questioning our current relationship with nature due to global warming, urbanization and more. This year, designers were encouraged to showcase their innovative visions by using new materials, plants, techniques and more.
