Visit Beauval Zoo and stay in a Loire Valley château

Visiting ZooParc de Beauval deserves a full day. The size of the park, the variety of its animals and the time spent in different areas all encourage you to slow down rather than rush to see everything.

Beauval fits naturally into a longer stay in Touraine. A day at the zoo becomes an experience in its own right, quite different from the châteaux, villages and landscapes that fill the other days of a visit to the Loire Valley.

Some encounters hold your attention longer than others. Animals appear, disappear and move about; part of the visit escapes any planned itinerary and simply invites you to stop and watch.

Returning to La Corroirie in the evening brings a complete change of setting: the moat, the old stone buildings, the trees and the silence after the movement of the zoo.

ZooParc de Beauval is around 25 to 30 minutes from La Corroirie. We usually drive there via Nouans-les-Fontaines. This route leads directly towards the car park at the south entrance and can avoid much of the traffic encountered at the busiest times.

Everyone has their favourites. Ours include the manatees, whose almost unreal slowness and gentle movements through the water are particularly captivating. They seem far removed from the spectacular image sometimes associated with Beauval, which may be one reason we return to see them.

There is no need to follow a rigid route. Some visitors explore as much of the zoo as possible; others prefer to linger in a few areas, return to places they have enjoyed and observe the animals for longer.

Animals appear, disappear and move. Nothing happens entirely according to plan. That is part of what makes a visit worthwhile.

Gradually, the day takes on its own pace. Ordinary routines fade into a succession of observations, quiet pauses and movement.

After a busy day at Beauval, staying at La Corroirie brings a different rhythm. The moat, the old stone, the gardens and the evening light take the place of the movement and activity of the zoo.

Each of the five rooms at La Corroirie has its own relationship with the historic buildings and the surrounding landscape.

Coming back is more than simply ending the day. Over a stay of several nights, La Corroirie gradually becomes familiar, a place to return to and to let the impressions of the day settle.

From the rooms, the view returns to the water, the trees and the sky. Beauval and La Corroirie may feel worlds apart, yet both can be part of the same day.

Returning from Beauval means rediscovering the quiet of the estate: the old stone buildings, the moat and the familiar landscape of La Corroirie.

The day does not simply end at the gates. Its impressions settle gradually while the trees, water and evening sky take on a different presence.

It is this contrast between a day devoted to wildlife and the calm of an inhabited château-monastery that makes Beauval a natural part of a longer stay in Touraine.

Some visitors combine Beauval with nearby places such as Montrésor or Loches. Others include it among the major sights of the Loire Valley, staying in the same place for several nights.

Château de Chenonceau is often one of those visits. Further afield, Amboise opens onto the Loire and the history of the Renaissance, while Chambord can easily become a day out in its own right.

La Corroirie makes it possible to explore the region without changing accommodation every night or following a fixed itinerary. You might visit Beauval, Chenonceau, Amboise or Chambord, then alternate those longer excursions with Montrésor, the royal town of Loches or the places brought together along the Treasure Route.

Each day can be different, while the place you return to remains the same: the moat, the historic buildings and the landscapes of La Corroirie.