View of the city and the Loire River

Viewpoint over the city and the Loire

The Blois audio-guided tour offers you, from the garden of the Évêché, a plunging viewpoint over the Loire. Wide and majestic, this royal river has shaped the history and the identity of the city, which is tiered at its feet.

The memory of the river port

At your feet stretch the tightly packed slate roofs of the old town, witnesses to the time when the city was organised around its château and its river port. Formerly, the quays of Blois knew intense activity: flat-bottomed boats, the famous gabares, docked there to unload salt, wine and goods. The Loire was for a long time the great route of trade and prosperity of the city.

What there is to see

From this belvedere, the gaze takes in the Loire, the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge, the roofs of the old town and the opposite bank. It is one of the finest panoramas of Blois, ideal for grasping in a single glance the link between the city and its river. The green setting of the garden of the Évêché adds to the charm of this elevated stop.

Practical information

This viewpoint can be discovered from the garden of the Évêché, on the heights of the historic centre of Blois, behind the cathedral. Access to the garden is free and on the level during opening hours. The panorama is particularly beautiful at sunset.

What can you see from this viewpoint?

The Loire, the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge, the slate roofs of the old town and the opposite bank, from the garden of the Évêché.

What were the gabares?

Flat-bottomed boats that once docked on the quays of Blois to unload salt, wine and goods on the Loire.