Loire Valley in late September

The hotel landscape in the Loire Valley ( and many other places in France) has changed vastly in the past 10 years, and the changes are accelerating*. Many small towns and villages have lost their family run hotels, and the market is flooded with chain places - the Ibis, Mercure type, usually in the larger regional towns. These cater for all budgets but tend to be a bit soulless.

In September the main tourists in the area will be foreign visitors, whereas in July and August they tend to be French families. The foreign visitors need hotel rooms, the French families tend to stay in the family home. September is our busiest month by far, so much so that even though we are in the tour business we can take our holidays in July and August because there is no demand.

If you want to stay at places with character but at the reasonably priced end of the market you probably need to book, otherwise you could find yourself in a cookie cutter box on the edge of an industrial estate. These aren't necessarily a bad choice (indeed we use them when we're working) but they are functional rather than interesting.

*10 years ago our village had two good family run hotels. Not expensive, but clean and very friendly. Both are now shut and for sale.

*10 years ago our village had two good family run hotels. Not expensive, but clean and very friendly. Both are now shut and for sale.

Those are exactly the kind of places we used to stay in before we started to rent gites by the week. They're very rare in the US, but used to exist all over France (and elsewhere in Europe). While they still exist, there seem to be far fewer now.

Late September will be a perfect time to visit. I went by myself and booked a private Airbnb room in someone's home walking distance from the center. Most people wouldn't like that option but I enjoyed it.

The Loire Valley is a big place, and if you're going there to visit certain chateaux (as most visitors are) then it will be important to sleep in locations not too far from those chateaux. You don't want to spend hours "commuting" to and from your lodging. With that, and the fact that September is a very popular time in the Loire, I would advise booking ahead.

I agree with Simon! I spent a week in the Loire late last Sept. 2019, and was very grateful I had made previous reservations. I found the loveliest B and B in the most convenient centralized location to visit many Chateau. We were only 10 minutes from Château Chenonceau, my personal favorite, but no more than 20 to 30 minutes from many others. The village where we stayed is Saint Georges sur Cher, a 25 minute drive from the main train station of Tours, St. Pierre des Corps, and the car rental agencies are right there, next to the station. I was able to get a very reasonably priced car as I booked it well in advance. The B & B in St Georges, Le Clos de la Chesneraie, was charming, and welcoming, AND the hosts most helpful in navigating the region as they grew up there and wherever we went and locals we met asked where we were staying, they all seemed to know them. I also appreciated the fact that the grounds were lovely and there was a large vegetable garden that our hosts obviously utilized to make many of the items they used at their delicious breakfast table. This region is so very special with all the restaurants specializing in dishes of the “terroir”, ingredients raised and grown within the immediate area. The history of this region is extremely interesting as well and should be explored, Da Vinci spent his final years in Amboise, historical troglodyte caves carved into the tufa limestone hillsides are now homes, hotels, wineries, mushroom farms and restaurants. So book in advance and lose a few pounds before you go as you’ll quickly find them again!