Loire without Chateaux?

I would not necessarily agree that Normandy, or at least what one typically visits there, is near the Loire Valley. The driver between these two points will take most of a day. Normandy alone can easily consume a week.

Carcassonne and Guédelon are basically recreations of an earlier time. Guédelon dates back to 1997. It's a very long drive to Carcassonne and even if you were to go that far south, there are more interesting locations in my view. As far as fortified castles, Aigues Mortes is much more authentic than is Carcassonne.

Another point I am not clear on is that castles and countryside equal châteaux of the Loire, yet you are not interested in châteaux.

You might consider Tours in the Loire Valley. It has half-timbered village (actually Vieux Tours or Old Tours), a cathedral, restaurants, cafés, and is very close to a number of older châteaux (Loches for example), vineyards, and troglodytes. I recommend the Michelin Green Guide for Châteaux of the Loire which has background information and suggested driving routes.

You could easily spend 4 to 5 days in the Loire Valley or 7 to 10 days exploring the combination of Normandy and Loire Valley.

France is neither Italy nor Germany so keep your expectation realistic and explore to discover, not find more of what you have already found interesting elsewhere.

Guess with castles you mean medieval fortresses like Guédelon.

On the way from Paris to Normandy not to miss to my opinion is Château Gaillard, only ruins but the view over the Seine and nearby Les Andelys is stunning there. The latter has many halftimbered houses. The fortres in Caen is huge, hard to say if it’s worth to visit as I have seen it only from the outside.

In case you visit Le Mont-Saint-Michel on the way to the Loire there is a real nice one in Fougères and the one of Vitré is a bit lesser impressive but certainly worth to see and Vitré has halftimbered houses. Saint-Malo is fortified but not medieval, west of it Fort la Latte stunningly located on a cliff along the coast. Just south of Dinan is Léhon a loveley tiny village with ruins of a medieval fortres.

In the Loire region there are medieval fortresses, but many combined with Renaissance architecture like those in Angers and Chinon. Had not the time to visit Château de Montrieul-Bellay but really lovely from the outside anyway and far from the beaten path.

I am not an expert on this, but others have written about rural and remote Brittany (by rental car) as a vast number of old stone villages, ancient stone dolmen and circles, abandoned or fragmentary churches, and similar things much older than a half-timbered village. You may not have to go as far as the Loire. (Have you been to Strasbourg and Alsace? That sounds like what you are looking for.) Simply going to public chateau (not like in the Loire, I mean) gardens in Normandy, we were GPS directed to many one-lane agricultural and countryside roads. I don't know if Dol de Bretagne and Dinan count as "villages", but like them, most historic zones you want to see will be surrounded by undistinguished, low-rise modern cities. (I get the idea you can escape that in remote parts of Brittany, but I haven't been past Dol de Bretagne.)

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I would suggest that cathedrals and countryside are not closely linked. I agree that you would like Vitre, and maybe Coutances. I haven't been to the Educational Television site of Guedelon, but I thought Dinan was pretty tacky, however authentic. I guess it was the costumed hurdy-gurdy players!

Chinon has the look and feel of a medieval city, only a small portion of the buildings are half-timbered construction. The fortress isn't remodeled as a 17th century palace.

Tours has a fairly big medieval center (including halftimbered buildings) but otherwise it's a busy city with lots of traffic.

I'd recommend going to Brittany. It's right next door to Normandy. Vannes has a huge medieval center - lots of half-timbered buildings plus towers and rampart (and a great marina/port area). Dinan has a nice medieval center too and a newer port area down the hill on the river. Other favorites include Locronan and Auray. Locronan is mostly granite buildings, has a very old feel and has been used as a backdrop for numerous films and TV shows. Auray is like a miniature version of Vannes.

If you really want half-timbered the Lot Valley is a great bet. The Dordogne was a front during the 100 years war so most villages were destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly. The Lot has similar villages with buildings that are centuries older. My favorites in that area are (south to north) Foix, Carcassonne (only went at night), Cordes-sur-Ciel (may be jammed in peak season), Najac (castle and town), Peche Merle caves (real cave paintings not reproductions), Conques (head and shoulders better than Rocamadour), Domme, Sarlat and Saint Emilion.

Normandy alone has all the things you are looking for, so I would not go to the Loire.
In addition to the above suggestions:
- Coming from Paris, Rouen could be an interesting stop for you as well with its half-timbered historical center, its cathedral, and beautiful countryside in the Seine valley.
- West of Rouen, Jumieges ruined Abbey is a majestic sight, extremely atmospheric.

Also Honfleur in Normandy. And Chartres, with one of Europe's greatest cathedrals, isn't far from Normandy or Paris.

Not clear whether Paris is part of your 12-day plan. If it is, then I'd suggest making Normandy your only other "stop." Paris could easily take a week or more, Normandy several days or more. Keep it simple.

You can Google half-timbered villages in the Loire to get ideas.
I do not know anyone said this but castles is the English word for chateaux

What Balso said. Just because Rick emphasizes the Loire in his book doesn’t mean you have to go there (I personally love the Loire but you are not me!). If you’re looking for half-timbered buildings etc stay in Normandy and visit the Pays de l’Auge — for exemple Beuvron-en-Auge. The Normandy of cows, apple trees and Calvados, cream and butter etc etc.

No worries if you aren't into fancy chateaux. Most of the large touristy chateaux are connected to small villages and townes. Often you must drive through or near them to get to the chateaux. Stop in the small villages then rather than looking for the castles.
We started our Loire valley exploration by rental car in Tours and headed towards Nantes.
We picked up a free Loire Chateau tour map from the rental car in Tours, followed their route and enjoyed our peek into those beautiful little villages. The small highways that meander through this area are so beautiful, a destination in itself.

I agree Brittany would be a nice option since it is so close to Normandy. There are countless options for medieval type towns in Brittany. Dinan is wonderful, St. Malo has been rebuilt and is more “touristy“ than the other places, but it’s interesting. We used Cancale as a homebase for a portion of our trip which worked well. Fougeres in my opinion is just as interesting as Carcassonne, but more authentic. Further south west in Brittany are the towns of Quimper with lots of half timbered homes and a wonderful cathedral, Locronan, Pont- Aven, the port town of Concarneau and Auray —- all excellent options.

If you really would like to see a portion of the Loire, I agree with a stab in the old town Tours, which we really enjoy it, then heading to Saumur area and Chinon. All of these are wonderful options and have the things that you were seeking.

Good luck, and have a great trip
BT

I'm not sure I'd go to Loire if I wan't that interested in Chateaux although the suggestion of Chinon is good and Saumur, close to Chinon, has a chateaux that is so old, it felt it more castle like. We enjoyed charming villages in Brittany-- Locranon, St. Malo, Dinan, Dinard, lots of cute villages! Also in Normandy, it sounds like you'd like Honfluer if that is not on your list. I use RS suggestions as a starting point. Often I agree with how he prioritizes things, but sometimes not. Watch his tv shows and do some research and see what appeals. 12 days is a bit short for Normandy and Brittany unless you are only spending 3-4 days in Paris (which for some people is absolutely fine, IMO)