Castle and Gardens of Meung-sur-Loire from Orléans

A half-day escape from Orléans to the small Loire town of Meung-sur-Loire, where a bishop’s castle hides underground dungeons beneath an 18th-century façade and over 500 heritage rose varieties bloom in a garden across the river. The Château de Meung-sur-Loire spans six centuries of architecture — from the stern medieval keep where poet François Villon was imprisoned to elegant furnished salons — while the neighbouring Collégiale Saint-Liphard shelters a 6th-century sarcophagus and goldsmith Goudji’s modern chandelier. Between visits, the old town’s lanes follow the Mauves, a network of streams that once powered 38 watermills, past half-timbered houses and the 1629 Porte d’Amont, the last surviving medieval gate. The rose gardens at Roquelin open only from late April to late September, and the château closes on Mondays and Tuesdays outside summer — aim for a Wednesday-to-Sunday window.