Loire Valley vs. Versailles

Plenty to see from outside. I would tour Chenonceau and Chambord

The Loire chateaus are all accessible by car, with parking. That's the easiest way to see them. The roads are also scenic for the most part. You don't need a guided tour, though a good guide is always a bonus. But you can't necessarily get a good view of a chateau from the road. For example, Chenonceau involves a walk through some woods from the parking lot, as I recall. And of course the admission gate is by the parking lot.

Versailles is certainly "the most impressive," maybe in all of Europe. You can see the front from the street, but the better view, the one on the postcards, is from the gardens on the other side, behind the paywall. If I had to choose between a day at Versailles and a day split between, say, Chenonceau and Chambord, I'd take the latter. YMMV.

As the previous comment says, you can't get a good view of many Loire chateaux from the road. If you're looking to save the entry fee, some have a pay gate at the car park entrance while at others you can walk around outdoors free of charge, paying only to enter the building(s). Once inside, many of them are self-guided so you can go through as quickly or as slowly as you like. At some (e.g., Villandry, Chenonceau) the gardens are spectacular. The Loire region as a whole, apart from chateaux, is dotted with charming villages. I haven't been to the further western end of the region but would like to. I can highly recommend Azay-le-Rideau as a base; the Hotel de Biencourt was excellent. Chinon is also lovely.

I get the impression from the way you phrased your question that your husband's interests and yours aren't quite on the same page when it comes to chateaux. You might do some negotiating so that he gets what he prefers on some other days of your trip and you get what you prefer in the Loire?

As for Versailles, it is a royal palace with an incredibly rich art collection as well as world-famous architectural detail and history. And the massive grounds have so much more to see (Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, etc.). If I ever get to go back, I swear I'm going to plan three whole days for Versailles (stay two nights in hotel) because each time I've been there hasn't been enough time to do more than scratch the surface. If you don't like being in crowds, basically the interior of the palace is not for you. But very few of the huge number of tourists venture out into the grounds. Also, a guided tour (visite guidee) will give you a small group, relatively uncrowded space, and a knowledgeable guide who speaks fluent English. Although your husband is apparently not a fan of tours, this is one instance where I highly recommend taking one.

If picking just one option, I’d say go with the Loire. Do go inside at least one chateau. Compared with everyday American homes, any palace is stunning.

Part of my inclination is based on the last trip to Versailles. It was so mobbed with crowds that we opted to tour the outside, and tour the gardens and surrounding grounds by bicycle, rather than joining the gang of other tourists inside.

At the right time, Versailles is unquestionably the most impressive, but with places in the Loire Valley, you could go with quantity, instead of “quality.”

You can park and walk up to see Chambord without paying anything.

You can not see Chenonceau without paying and entering. You can park, but the Chateau is after the ticket booths and way away down a long allée and not visible.

Conversely, you can see Chenonceau from the outside if you take a boat along the river Cher with the “Le Belandre” company, which is a very pleasant experience.

The Loire is a pretty area to drive around for a few days even if you don’t see any chateaux. (Plural of chateau is chateaux).

The baroque style of Versailles leaves me cold - far too much 17th century bling, but the gardens are fantastic.

My vote would go to the Loire. I stayed in Saumur and found meandering along the river to Chinon a pleasant way to spend a day. There are good wine caves in Saumur with tastingsin English - I went to Langlois-Chateau.

Versailles didn't do much for me, and far too much acreage indoors and out, and way too many people.

I could spend weeks wandering around the Loire chateaux. There really is everything there, and they are all different from each other. I personally love everything about Chenonceau, including the gardens with so many espaliered fruit trees, and the restaurant food was excellent, very French, reasonable prices and good portion sizes. The inside fabulous, and the river spectacular. Nothing else like Chenonceau.

But I could wax lyrical about another half dozen at least, and there are more.

There are a very few that you could see the outside of from a car but that is the exception.

Sometimes (in high season) you may have to park across the road and down the street from a chateau, and maybe on grass instead of asphalt. The access roads can be barely two lanes, with little room to stop for a look without blocking traffic. I agree that a park and visit without entry is very worthwhile for virtually all chateaux. You don't make clear if money is a factor.

Partly because it's so accessible without a car, I don't consider Versailles to be comparable. But it's also a matter of scale and finish. It's like comparing Buckingham Palace and a few nice manors in the countryside. I wonder if timed tickets are a post-Covid factor?

I've only been to Chenonceau and much preferred it to Versailles. Beautiful location. We went around 3 pm in the summer and had it almost to ourselves. There was an ice cream stand. Seeing more of the chateaux is one of my top priorities on my next trip to France. Driving from Paris was easy but lots of toll booths that required coins-hopefully they're more capable of taking US credit cards now-this was in summer of 2015.

You can take the RER to Versailles and see it in a day.
The Loire Valley requires at least a couple of days and is a bit far for a day trip from Paris.

For beauty and grandeur Versailles is tough to beat and only a couple of hours drive from the Loire châteaux area. With a car and two days you have time to do both if you don't spend more than a half day at Versailles. Get there early and you may avoid some of the crowd.

Apples and Oranges. Versailles can be done in a day (2 if you are obsessed) and the Loire valley needs several days to do it right. While Versailles is impressive, I find it exhausting with all of the tourists.

I love Versailles, but I would pick the Loire Valley. We really enjoy driving the 2 lane roads to explore, it’s easy driving. As others have said, charming towns and lesser known chateaux you can see from the road.
We were just there and I have a hard time walking these days. Chenonceau had exactly 3 wheelchairs when they opened a week ago Sunday. If you can push a wheelchair that’s a good option, because, as Kim said, it’s a long walk down a gorgeous tree-lined “road” to get to the Chateau. We used the wheelchair inside but had to get out and walk/climb stairs to see the fascinating kitchens and higher floors.
Chambord has a long walk to the chateau, but they rent golf carts which are well worth the money. Bit of a walk to get them though.
Versailles also has golf carts (so does Vaux-le-Vicomte which I also love, but again, a long walk to get to them.
You can Google for websites of different chateaux to see if they have info on wheelchairs/golf carts. Also could email tourist offices for handicap access to chateaux list and info.

You used to be able to see Chambord from the road but, perhaps as an effort to promote ticket sales, that is no longer possible. I am not sure where you can park for free and walk up to see it.

Chenonceau is not visible from the road, nor is much of Cheverny. Amboise is visible from the roadway which is really all one needs to see. A bit of Château Blois is visible from the street.

The crowds at Versailles really detract from the overall experience. Near Paris, I prefer Vaux le Vicomte over Versailles which has fewer people and it shares virtually the same architectural team that designed Versailles.

Any Loire chateaux I've ever visited has not required a "tour". You buy a ticket and see as much or as little as you like. Two a day is about all you'd want to do.

The Loire is very easy to get around and the roads well marked. With GPS these days it's pretty much impossible to get lost.

I have been to Versailles twice over the years. The first time in 1972, the second in 1986. In 72, I was in the Hall of Mirrors with maybe a dozen other people. From all the photos I've seen these days and everything I've read, the place is far too crowded. I wouldn't go near it, especially during a pandemic. If you want to try a sumptuous palace that's not in the Loire I'd recommend Fontainebleau. Or the Napoleon III apartments in the Louvre.

Whatever you chose, hope you have a great time!

I have photos of us at Versailles, in the Hall of Mirrors, when it was not crowded at all from 2017, 2018 and 2019. It isn’t always crowded. It fluctuates depending on day of the week, time of day, time of year. In Feb 2017 we walked right into the Palace, no line whatsoever. Had the HoM to ourselves. In June of this year my son was there with his gf, again, no line to get into the Palace and not crowded at all inside.

Thanks for all the input. It is not a matter of paying for entrance and we can walk. It's just that my H gets burned-out quickly in visits to cathedrals, castles, (1 or 2 at most) which I've learned from our trips to Italy and Spain. The boat trip suggested will appeal to him and wine tasting. Sounds like the Loire is charming without visiting all the chateuaX and I don't like hordes of people which might be the case with Versailles.