Loire Valley-3 days in Chinon-must see Chateau, etc

SJS,
You will love the beautiful Loire Valley. When last there we visited Chenonceaux (always a winner!) and Chambord. Chambord is one of my favorites because of all its chimneys and the twisty staircase inside, as well as its gardens. It is east of Chenonceaux, so on your way to Orleans you could visit Chambord. I mention this because after visiting it, we stayed at a Gite in Chambord, called "L'Oiseau de Paradis." It is a lovely place run by Mme. Michele Beunier-Sanglier, who also live there. We loved the charm, the delicious breakfast, and the good company provided by M. and Mme/ Beunier-Sanglier. One delightful part of our stay there was dinner. We opted to have dinner there (it was 25 Euro pp, payable in cash in 2017) and was a bargain. We had aperitifs, amuses-bouches, and a delicious home-cooked dinner, with dessert and wine included. The couple ate with us and we spent about 3 hours conversing as if we were old friends. It was a highlight of three weeks in France, introducing first-time visitors to "La Belle France."

I don't know if they are still with Gites de France, but if not, or if you want to contact them, her email is (was) [email protected]. Bonne chance et bon voyage!

P.S. Another favorite chateau is Azay-le-Rideau. And we drove from Brittany to the Loire, so stayed in Saumur, another nice town with options for wine tasting and also visiting mushroom caves!

Thank you Judy. We have d’Azay-le-Rideau on our list, so happy to hear it’s a favorite. And mushroom caves! Okay. Sounds unique for sure. Will go on the list.

I’ve read a lot on Chambord-seems to be love it or not so much. The winding staircase and chimneys sound like fun.

Azay le-Rideau and Chenonceau were my favorite chateaux. Chambord I could take or leave; it's largely empty inside. We did rent bikes at Chambord and enjoyed pedaling around the grounds. Chenonceau has beautiful gardens. If you'll be near Amboise consider a splurge dinner at Chateau du Pray; try to sit outside.

We were in Amboise a few days ago (mid May). Chambord still had scaffolding on the bell towers and was very crowded. In hindsight I would have skipped to do two others within that time frame.

Visit anyway the historic centre of Le Mans on the way from Bayeux to Chinon, very charming. The huge fortress of William the Conqueror in Falaise is worth a stop, the entrance is free but for the donjon you have to pay (was the case 3 years ago), nevertheless nice views from the ramparts.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/normandy-brittany-thoughts

Note that the Loire is mentioned within this link.

@whmscll-Thank you for the restaurant idea. Not sure we will be able to have a dinner in Amboise, but will put Chateau du Pray in our folder just in case.

@SOTL-thank you for update on Chambord. We haven’t put it high on the list, but one never knows…….

@Wil- Both Falaise and Le Mans will fit well into our drive, so go into the hopper for that day. Thank you. Our worst enemy is ourselves as it can be difficult to get up and get driving as early as needed to make all three stops!

@Tim-looked briefly at your post and will return to study more closely as you mentioned some Chateau I’ve not heard of-always worth investigating. Thank you.

Our two favorites were Chenonceaux and Villandry (I also loved Azay-le-Rideau.) Chambord was amazing as well, but comparatively grandiose and crowded versus the others. We enjoyed it a little less.

Villandry and Azay are near enough to Chinon that I would try to see them both. Chenonceaux on the way to Orleans, but if possible you might want play Chambord by ear. Two chateau per day is kind of the max, and that’s a longish day already to Orleans.

I enjoyed Chenonceau (the history was fascinating), Villandry (specifically for the gardens) and Azay-le-Rideau. On our tour last year, we ate at Au Chapeau Rouge and I thought dinner was fantastic. I had fish (sea bream, I think) in a saffron sauce and it was wonderful. The rest of the meal was really lovely too.

@awrzesinski- Since viamichelin has the drive at 1:48 or 2:20, I figure two stops are definitely doable. But, we may stop in Amboise for the Leonardo experience too. That is more likely. However, Chambord is still accessible in the afternoon. Our time limit is the car return by 5 in Orleans on a Friday. Car return is closed Sat/Sun, so our best choice.

@Meg- yes to Villandry-thank you. It will be early October so I realize the gardens will not be in their prime, but structure can be just as amazing. Au Chapeau Rouge is the style of restaurant we like. It will be a yes. Must make a note to obtain a reservation!

I would agree with recommendations to visit both Azay-Le-Rideau and Villandry. I believe you could easily do both in one day and they are fairly close to Chinon. We had a fabulous dinner at Les Grottes in Azay-Le-Rideau

Mary-thank you. Will check in on Les Grottes.

SJS, if you haven't already, do check out the videos on Facebook by RS tour guide Vero (France with Vero.)
She lives in Tours and has visited and filmed many of the chateaus in the Loire Valley.
She also offers walking tours of her town of Tours when she's not on the road for Rick and I can personally recommend her.
I've stayed twice in Chinon and it's a lovely small town right on the river.
It's been too many years ago for me to remember any particular restaurants but I do recall that the local red wine was really nice!