Écoute La Vie

Go hiking and cycling straight from your lodge, or trundle through Loir-et-Cher woodland on the tourist train from Gare de Thoré-la-Rochette (10 minutes’ drive). For a different perspective on the region, see the countryside from above on a hot-air balloon ride (40 minutes). Kids can grab the chance to spy on comical pandas and penguins at ZooParc de Beauval, or spot endangered big cats at Zoo de la Flèche (both about 90 minutes). Horse-mad teens will love the themed dressage shows at Les Ecuries de La Perchais (an hour), and if anyone needs to run off surplus energy, the obstacle courses and rope climbs at Gadawi Park Adventure (an hour) should do the trick nicely. Once the children have had their fun, it’s time to check out a triumvirate of gorgeous châteaux. Begin your exploration at the 15th-century Manoir de la Possonnière (20 minutes), once home to Renaissance poet Pierre de Ronsard. Tour formal gardens and exquisite apartments at moated Château de Chambord (an hour), and admire the richly gilded decor at Château Royal de Blois (50 minutes).