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In Biarritz with 15 yr. old son. Need ideas for Loire valley,

Hi! My 1st go-around with R Steves on-line. I have 4 RS books with me /a 4 country Eurrail pass (France/Switzerland/Italy/Austria.). After 1 1/2 weeks in carcassone and studying French in Biarritz with my 15 year old son --- only NOW planning to stop in tours, France 2 nights. Need a hotel recommendation and chateaux tours! In English, by bus, small or large, include meal possibly or ability to get meal on tour from Tours, France.
I have RS books on Venice, Switzerland and Austria but took old michelene guide for France.

To sum up: recommendations on hotel near train station in tours France 2-3 nights
Recommendation on bus tours of chateaus in Loire valley 1-2 days from Tours, France!
Thanking any and all in RS community for guidance.

RS fan! -rosemary from west hartford Ct.

Posted by
885 posts

Rosemary, don't panic. You can do this. You can find helpful reviews on sites such as tripadvisor. You can search on line for hotels. It's only for a few nights, so the accommodation doesn't have to be perfect. Usually, I find the hotel to be about what I expected from on-line reading.

As far as tours go, the tourist office in Tours ought to be able to help you.

One more thought, are you sure you want to stay in Tours? It has been many years since I have stayed there, but it is a bigger place. I would think a smaller town would be more pleasant. Amboise is very popular with RS readers. You can get there by train.

Another thought...could you rent bikes to tour some chateaux?

Posted by
5510 posts

Staying near train stations is always a bad idea in my opinion. Often the worst neighborhoods in the city. Bite the bullet and stay nearer to tourist sites. I'd much rather spend a bit more effort taking my suitcases a bit further one time rather than schlep back and forth from sites to the train station area everyday.