The Loire Valley contains historic towns like Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, as well as many castles, the biggest and most well-known Château de Chambord.
The Loire Valley has been an important region since prehistoric times, in Roman times it was an important region with settlements and roads.
Tours became an important pilgrimage place in the early Middle Ages due to Saint Martin. From the 10th century onwards many fortified residences were built along the Valley. With the end of the Hundred Years War in 1453 and during the Renaissance, the medieval fortresses were reconstructed into palaces.