Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud

Just magnificent. Historic site - part church, part art gallery, part museum - truly awesome and got to be worth 2-3 hours of your time to visit. Not ripping off tourists either - so 13 Euro entry is a bargain given how much there is to see and how much a place like this must cost to maintain. Less than 5 Euro for a goats cheese apricot and local honey baguette that was superb and totally fresh. We would have spent longer there but had to leave the dog in the car and even in April the heat was building so be aware it is not doggy friendly, The kitchen roof was something else entirely - never seen that type of structure before - I have a thing for ceilings (not sure where that comes from but we all have our "thang" don't we? But seriously, external and internal it kinda beggars belief - I mean how the heck did they build something so complex back in the days before cherry pickers and scissor lift platforms?

Very large abbey and grounds. Plan at least 4 hours for a visit. More is better because of the rich history and stunning architecture to be immersed in.

Don’t bother with the negative reviews! Just go. This was built by the most powerful woman of the Middle Ages and she knew her stuff. The building is spectacular with spare lines and the stone used is stunning. The building has been repurposed many times and it’s has the feel of living history.

The spectaculair Abbey of Fontevraud is a must visit if you're staying in the Loire region. The building itself is beautiful and well kept. They recently added things like virtual reality animations on your phone that will entertain both young and old. Make sure to take your time for your visit, there's plenty to feast your eyes on.

This place conveys how important the abbey once was. Richard the Lionheart is buried here, who some people might know from legends. The architecture in particular is impressive and artistic. There is much to discover

What an experience 🙌 It’s the best when you stay here at abbé… We stayed here for three nights and explored city as well as the castle leisurely. Best stay in terms of sleep quality in no noise from anywhere and may be to assist that amenities like tea and hot water in rooms aren’t available🥺. You must go to 24 hours available breakfast area to get it. The light and sound show after dinner, late in night with lanterns in hands of several visitors gave that classic novel scene to witnesses😅

Underwhelming - on paper this should have been right up my street but right from arriving in the town (confusing signage to the carpark - there are at least 2) to using the audio self guide (lots of waffle and quite hard to navigate from one item to the next - signage in the Abbé was also not great). There was actually an English speaking tour (same price as the audio one) about to start so it would have been nice to have been told. They were also setting up for a concert or something so there were lots of barriers stacked up and people setting up lights. It was interesting but quite hard to picture how it was. More interesting than the older stuff was the time it spent as a prison.

A beautiful middle age abbey. One of the highlights of the Loire Valley and is well worth a detour.