I cruised down wild European river lined with medieval villages | Travel News | Travel

Standing behind the captain at the Star Trek-like command deck of the Loire Princesse, screens glowing and controls vibrating, it’s immediately clear this voyage will be far from a languid drift.

The Loire, France’s last wild river, has long resisted modern navigation. With its shifting sandbanks and unpredictable water level, it was deemed unnavigable by modern ships. Until the MS Loire Princesse: the first French vessel engineered specifically for the country’s untamed and longest river.

An innovation award-winner, the Princess, which accommodates up to 96 passengers, is outfitted with a shallow draft and paddlewheels, the captain explains, that allow her to navigate the river. The ship was my home for a five-day CroisiEurope cruise through the Loire Valley — a UNESCO-listed landscape of châteaux, vineyards, and medieval towns and villages.

Paddle wheel cruising has always appealed to the romantic in me, but as I discovered, Loire river cruising is no simple fairytale; it’s an unpredictable adventure!

Our journey began and ended in Nantes. After a 90-minute flight from Gatwick and a 25-minute drive from the airport, we arrived at the city centre dock at midday, with time to wander before setting sail.

After dropping our bags, we headed to La Cigale, Nantes’ most celebrated brasserie, with gilded mirrors and sculpted ceilings setting the scene for a deliciously leisurely lunch. Out on the streets, crêperies selling crêpes and savoury galettes are on almost every corner.

Nantes, once the capital of Brittany, was separated from the region in 1941 – a controversial administrative decision that, as our guide Pablo noted, still stirs resentment today. Yet the city’s Breton soul hasn’t faded and the crêperies are a proud reminder of this heritage.

Pablo, describes Nantes as “culturally between Paris and Brittany.” Walking past its elegant shops, the city certainly carries the refinement of France’s capital – nowhere more so than in the lavish covered shopping arcade Passage Pommeraye, adorned with neoclassical statues, ornamented ceilings, and delicate ironwork which oozes Parisian grandeur.

Other highlights on our walking tour included the imposing Château des Ducs de Bretagne. Surrounded by a moat, Nantes’ grand fortress served as a fitting introduction to the majestic showstoppers that awaited us along our cruise itinerary.

Our tour ended at Les Machines de l’Île. Part inspired by the weird and wonderful imagination of Nantes-born writer Jules Verne, this mechanical playground includes steel birds flapping as well as a huge hand-built elephant that lumbers along the quayside – conveniently just steps away from the dock.

Once we checked in and boarded the ship, I was delighted to discover that my bed faced the river — a thoughtful touch. Watching the Loire glide past from under the duvet quickly became one of the trip’s simplest pleasures. The 48 cabins are compact but well-designed; storage is generous, and I was able to unpack everything neatly, with room to spare.

Following a welcome cocktail and crew introductions, we savoured a three-course French feast. Meals aboard were always delicious. My favourites included salmon steak in the region’s signature white butter sauce, quail filet in a rich port wine sauce, brie filled with mascarpone and a showstopping baked Alaska flambéed in Grand Marnier. The accompanying wines were beautiful — as you’d expect from a region that is celebrated as much for its romantic vineyards as its fairytale châteaux.

Our first stop, however, was Saint-Nazaire — a town renowned for neither. Not at all pretty, it is nonetheless impressive for its formidable shipbuilding heritage that thrives to this day.

We visited the Escal’Atlantic museum, set inside a former submarine base. Its immersive, meticulously recreated spaces, from cabins to standing on a simulated deck at night- with cries of seagulls, waves crashing, and looming icebergs, capture both the romance and the peril of transatlantic travel. Visitors can even end their visit by riding in a lifeboat that’s dramatically lowered to the floor below!

I was happy to return to the present and to the gentler romance aboard my paddle wheel ship. But river cruising is also a wild ride and low water levels prevented us from reaching Ancenis, the next planned stop. Instead, we turned back toward Nantes to tick off the rest of the itinerary by road.

The next morning, after a bountiful breakfast buffet, we headed by coach to ‘Little Tuscany’, Clisson. Devastated in the aftermath of the French Revolution, it was rebuilt by the Cacault brothers, diplomats and art enthusiasts who, after years in Italy, sought to bring the Tuscan landscapes they adored to

Our tour began at the medieval Château de Clisson before continuing to the 15th-century timber-framed market, Les Halles. But it was from the Pont de la Vallée, the stone bridge arching over the Sèvre Nantaise, that Clisson stole my heart — the river glinting below, terracotta rooftops rising above. Here it was easy to see why an 1811 visitor wrote to Lemot, calling it “heaven on earth.”

For refreshments, it was a short ride from Clisson to Château Cassemichère in the heart of the Muscadet region.

Dating back to the early 17th century, we had a tour of Cassemichère’s Bacchus cellars, before quaffing the goods – including one creamy and buttery yet refreshingly crisp Muscadet.

On our final day, we travelled to Chalonnes-sur-Loire and one of the Loire Valley’s crowning jewels: Château de Villandry. Set on the riverbank, it was the last great French Renaissance château built in the region, conceived not as a fortress but as a pleasure palace.

Inside, I picked up some home décor inspiration; a bedroom washed in plaster pink and mint green had me swooning.

Counted among the finest in the world, Villandry’s 17-acre Renaissance gardens genuinely took my breath away and nearly wiped out my phone’s storage. At every turn, there was another picture-perfect scene. We wandered through the famous ornamental vegetable garden, designed for beauty as much as for produce, before tackling the maze, a fun detour that showed just how vast the estate is.

From there, our journey continued to Château d’Azay-le-Rideau. Set on an island in the Indre River, it is celebrated as an icon of early French Renaissance architecture. White stone, storybook turrets, and slate blue roofs give it a gorgeous fairytale quality. Inside, the rooms were just as striking, with carved wood panelling and the château’s incredible spiral staircase.

And with that, our château tour came to an end, and it was time to return to the ship. Back on board for our final night, the lounge filled with music as a Breton striped duo strummed guitars and encouraged a cheerful singalong—a happy farewell to a memorable few days.

After breakfast the next morning, it was time to bid a final au revoir. The Loire’s storybook châteaux, Renaissance gardens, crisp Muscadet, and Tuscan-style scenery delivered every ounce of romance. And the unexpected drama of shipyards and seafaring history left me feeling that this paddle boat cruise through the Loire really does have it all.

BOOK THE HOLIDAY

The five-day Loire Valley cruise from Nantes, St Nazaire, Ancenis, Chalonnes-sur-Loire, then back to Nantes ( water levels permitting) costs from £1,355 per person, including return flights from London Gatwick, overseas transfers, and the cruise with all meals and drinks, the full-day excursion to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley, WiFi, port fees, and repatriation insurance. Call CroisiEurope on 01756 691 269 or visitwww.croisieurope.co.uk For further information about Nantes and the surrounding areas, visit www.levoyageanantes.fr/en