Montargis, located 110km south of Paris, is one of the subprefectures of the Loiret department and the administrative centre of an urban area home to 65,000 people. It provides a whole gamut of services essential to high living standards (2021 Fleur d'Or), ranging from support for businesses, public services, transportation, culture, leisure and sport (4-laurel wreath "Ville active et sportive" rating) to healthcare and education. It is also an open-air cabinet of curiosities, with plenty of waterside streets that will win you over in no time flat. An incredible 131 bridges and footbridges criss-cross the "Venice of Gâtinais", so you can go with the flow of its rivers and canals. Stroll down the streets and take your time to admire gorgeous turreted and half-timbered houses, as well as sublime Renaissance townhouses with ornamented portals. Perched atop a hill, the remains of its royal castle and its renovated gardens, which endure as a memento of the bygone splendour of the time of Renée of France, appear to stand guard over the roofs of the town and the slate spire that crowns the bell tower of Saint Madeleine's Church, one of the monuments in Montargis that sprang from the minds of giants of architecture such as Androuet du Cerceau, Viollet-le-Duc and Eiffel…