Châteauroux, garden city

Located 2h30 from Paris, in the south of the Center-Val de Loire region, in the heart of the historic province of Berry, formed by the Indre and the Cher, Châteauroux is an unusual destination that leaves no one indifferent.

From yesterday to today, our heritage is an open page on History. Medieval city, industrial center, American base or garden city, Châteauroux has a thousand and one faces inviting you to escape and to contemplate. Whether it is strolling through our parks, strolling through our old town or tasting our famous dishes, with us, you have to take the time to look and savor.

The Ebbes Valley: from one bank to the other

A real town in the countryside, Châteauroux is bordered by the river of the same name as its department. Because without L'Indre, Châteauroux would not exist. The one which, within the city, winds from Déols to Saint-Maur under the enchanting name of Vallée d'Ebbes, offers you invaluable walks over nearly ten kilometers, between old stones and hundred-year-old trees, on foot like on a bicycle.

At the heart of unspoiled nature, the river thus makes Châteauroux the innate capital of the L'Indre à Vélo route which runs from one bank to the other, from the historic center of Châteauroux to the gates of our national forest!

Perfect ambassador of a Berry countryside which does not lack style, Châteauroux is the city of the Center-Val de Loire region which offers the greatest number of square meters of green space per inhabitant, thus seducing by its multiple parks and gardens , lovers of a plural nature. Public garden or garden of the senses, bamboo grove or English-style park of Balsan castles, Chènevières ecopark or medieval garden of Déols ... So many green settings and small natural treasures that flourish here and are waiting for you .

An unexpected city-break

Over the seasons, aromatic plants and colorful flowers bloom along our alleys and our little cobbled streets. Get drunk on these subtle fragrances while appreciating the beauty and serenity of a preserved historic district that will lead you from the old medieval doors to the mansions of the 2016th and XNUMXth centuries. One of them now houses our Bertrand museum, named after its most famous owner, Henri-Gatien Bertrand. General of the Empire, Grand Marshal of the Palace, this close friend of Napoleon I accompanied the Emperor to his last home, on the island of Saint Helena. This friendship, which death itself could not break - the general's loyalty having remained acquired to Napoleon long after his death - still defines the history of Châteauroux today, which in XNUMX joined the network of Imperial Cities.

Below the small classical garden of the Bertrand museum, the Cordeliers convent will tell you about its incredible fate, that of one of the first and most important foundations of the Franciscan order in France in the XNUMXth century and which has known a thousand lives over the years. time. At the foot of its imposing walls stretch lush terraced gardens well known to Castelroussins. By browsing them, you will enjoy all the tranquility and privacy of an enchanted walk along the Indre and the old wash houses along the bathing path. An invitation for a timeless moment between city and garden.

Not far from there, on the peaceful banks of the river, the Balsan park hides between its hundred-year-old trees two surprising little castles, vibrant vestiges of an industrial revolution as rich as it is hectic. With its neo-Gothic architecture and its round tower from the Renaissance period, the graceful Château Tour proudly stands up to the most emblematic monument of our city: the Château Raoul. Its shadow rises above the ramparts, the supreme emblem of a city to which it gave its name. Proudly overlooking the Indre valley with its powerful volumes characteristic of reworked Gothic architecture, Château Raoul has never ceased to contemplate its reflection in the waters of L'Indre since the XNUMXth century.

The essence of a thousand-year-old forest

With us, nature is tinged with history. It follows you beyond the city walls, to the heart of the national forest of Châteauroux, the largest oak grove in France. The one which mainly extends over the communes of Ardentes and Poinçonnet over nearly five thousand hectares hides many secrets between its remarkable trees. Silent witnesses of an almost forgotten past, the oaks and beeches watch over the ruins of the residence of the princes of Deols and so many other treasures which only ask to be revealed to your charmed eyes.

The main thing is here

Châteauroux is a bit of all of this: a life-size urban destination where medieval and modern treasures come together, imperial legend, nostalgia for American memory - Châteauroux hosted a NATO base between 1951 and 1967 - and spaces greens as charming as they are diverse. With us, parks and gardens are part of the urban space, sublimating its volumes and revealing all the poetry of a city rich in its generous nature.

Around Châteauroux, landscapes as diverse as they are surprising; to the north and east: the northern Boischaut, a large expanse of agricultural plains, to the south: the southern Boischaut, a bocage country, border between the Oc and Oil countries, and to the west: the Park natural region of Brenne, land of a thousand ponds, home to a remarkable reserve of flora and fauna.

In all seasons, Châteauroux welcomes you in an exceptional natural setting. With family, friends, solo or in duo, Châteauroux is a promise for all: The essential is here.