Tipi Bivouac

Determined to cross several châteaux off the list during stays? That should be royally easy hereabouts: the site’s in reach of several prime examples, starting with the spectacular Château de la Bussière and Château de Fontainebleau, both within 45 minutes’ drive of base. If that’s only whet appetites for oh-so-French castles and palaces, there are more a little further afield – the Castle of Saint Brisson sur Loire, Château de Sully-sur-Loire and Blandy-les-Tours are all about an hour away. Otherwise, stick to nature-filled days by exploring the gardens at Vaux le Vicomte Castle (an hour from base), or start circling back to the site with stops at Arboretum National des Barres (40 minutes) and Les Jardins du Grand Courtoiseau (in the grounds of a 17th-century manor 20 minutes from Tipi Bivouac). Plenty of museums within an hour handle everything from famed artists to les gendarmerie, but if turning away from the past is more enticing, opt for urban days instead. The wildlife park and orangerie of Sens are half an hour away, and the city of Orléans – and its gardens, waterpark, châteaux and cathedral – are an hour and 15 minutes from the site. For a more classic city experience, the avenues and arrondissements of Paris are about an hour and 40 minutes away, making day trips full of decadent patisseries, famed portraits and towers, and stunning palaces fully possible.