Hello, we will be visiting the Loire Valley in late July. Is it necessary to prebook all of the chateau tickets we want to visit? Does it help save time waiting in line?
I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that several museum tickets in Paris were all booking 2-3 weeks out from today! Luckily my trip is further out than that, but I am very glad I found out today.
Perhaps things have changed, but we visited five châteaux in the Loire Valley in 2022 (including the most popular ones) and didn't have to book any in advance. This was in July so would have been high season.
In late May-early June 2023, we booked Chenonceau in advance based on forum advice. Doubt that it was necessary that particular day.
Did NOT pre-book Chaumont, Clos de Luce, Amboise, Villandry, d’Usse, or Chinon. Only Chaumont had many visitors, though no line to speak of for food at lunch.
BTW, if you plan to indulge in any wine tasting in the Loire (or elsewhere in wine making regions in France), you should make reservations in advance.
