3 days in the Loire

Azey le Rideau is a lovely little place, with a charming chateau, but is on the far west edge of the usual tourist chateau route. For example it would be almost an hour and a half drive to Chambord to the east. Amboise, (or Tours if you want somewhere larger) is more central, splitting the distance between the eastern and western chateaux. And it has 2 chateaux of its own. No idea how to spend 8 hours in Tours without a car. Perhaps arrange for a private afternoon tour of a couple of wineries?

What are your bags doing for those 8 hours? Why can’t you drop off the car later?

Yeah, for lunch I’d just head into Tours, it’s right next to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and way more fun. Check out Place Plumereau, it’s packed with cafes and bistros; Le Bistrot du Palais and La Deuvalière are both solid picks. After lunch, just wander around the old town, grab a coffee, or walk along the river. It’s a super easy way to kill a few hours without stressing about transport.

Veuzain-sur-Loire ( formerly Onzain ) is a nice centrally located town where I have stayed twice. Convenient to Chaumont ( just across the Loire, visible from my hotel room ), Chenonceaux, Blois, Amboise, Cheverny, Chaumont, all of which I have visited by bicycle frm there.

Hello... You're mistaken about the distances; the touristy part of the Loire Valley is as large as Brittany. Sancerre is very far from Angers, for example.

We used Azay. Le Rideau as a base for our Loire touring several years ago. We visited the local chateau, Villandry and its gardens, a winery and Chinon. It is a lovely village to stroll and enjoy and we found several restaurants that we could walk to for dinner. We stayed at Le Grand Monarque - lovely room, secure parking and a wash, dry, fold laundry special
,

I twice stayed at Le Grand Monarque in Azay as did the previous poster. I remember it as very nice, but I stayed there 40+ years ago!

Changing my car drop off time was the first thing I checked but for some reason it negates being able to have the size car i want?!? Plus I'd have to pay for an extra day.
Is there a place to check luggage at the station, does anyone know?
Thanks for the lunch suggestions. Meandering around town is the best option so far.

If Vannes is the last place you stay in Bretagne and drive from there to the Loire Valley it’s worth looking for a visit to Nantes and Angers. The first is known for Les Machines de l’Île, a gallery of huge mechanical animals like Le Grand Elephant. At set times it goes out for a walk you can join as a passenger. Jules Verne is born in Nantes, there is a museum about him.

https://www.lesmachines-nantes.fr/en/

In Angers is the huge castle worth a visit and has like Bayeux a medival tapestry.

In case you drive from Rennes is worth a stop Vitré and the historic center of Le Mans. (edited) The museum about the 24hours of Le Mans is closed for renovation, but you can visit a temporarily exhibition near the South Gate of the race track..

We just spent a week in Brittany in Port Louis (near L'Orient) and drove from there to the Loire Valley for 5 days. It's not a bad drive and like most drives in France, full of beautiful countryside views. We spent 2 days in Chinon and 3 days in Amboise. We enjoyed both towns - we liked Amboise a little more. Chateau du Clos Luce with its DaVinci Museum and gardens is right in town and Chenonceux is about 20 minutes outside of town. It's not too far beyond Tours, where you are dropping off your car. If you want a fabulous meal, the Chateau de Pray is just down the river from downtown Amboise.

Great suggestions from the last two posts. Nantes had been on my radar. How can you resist a huge mechanical elephant!
It is also good to hear from someone who has been in both Amboise and Bois. I feel good now about using Amboise as a base.
I finally have all my lodging booked and next will move on to dining options so thanks for suggesting Chateau de Pray.