Question about Chateau de Chenonceau

Does RIck say that the Chateau has rental canoes? Or does he say that there are rental companies in the vicinity of the Chateau?

Hi,
He says: "In summer, the chateau has rental rowboats (7 euros/30 minutes)" He does not mention the company. If you have the France 2019 guidebook pg 397, he does not mention the company.

Thanks!

I asked because I did not see any canoe rental on site when I was there in 2018.

I have seen small boats on the Cher river but I have never seen a boat rental location at Château Chenonceau itself and the official website never mentions one.

There are companies which rent canoes allowing you the sail past Château Chenonceau. One such company is the Canoe Company with a route starting at Chissay, passing the château, and ending at Civray.

The train runs every day to the gates of Chenonceau from Tours. The station in Tours is opposite the Tourist office. The hours are here https://www.horairetrain.fr/horaires-tours-chenonceaux.html

Chenonceau's own website (the best place for this sort of information ) doesn't mention canoes, although I have seen canoes there. There are a couple of places (both up- and down-stream) where you can hire canoes, and Chenonceau does have a security guy stationed by the chateau to stop people landing and entering without paying.

This won’t answer rental company names or most other specifics, but for what this is worth:

1) Soynds like you’re staying in Tours. We stayed in Amboise, and rented bicycles there, and rode out to Chenonceau and back that day. Really a pleasant experience, with a little exercise, too. This was in early June, back in 2003, and was likely cooler weather than you’ll have in August, when pedaling might not be something you’d even consider.

2) I’m no expert by any means, but depending on the boat, rowboats typically have just one person doing the rowing, using 2 oars to propel and steer the boat. On Lake Bled in Slovenia, despite trying to move both oars consistently, our boat veered left or right, but not straight. We made it to the destination island in the middle of the lake, but zigzagging meant we rowed twice as long as the boats that went straight.

3) Then there are canoes, a craft originally designed by Native American people to track straight in shallow water, but one or two people in a canoe each have a single paddle. Paddling also is more efficient if the right stroke is used, especially in moving river water, and corrective strokes might be needed if you get off course. Rowing and paddling can both be fun and get you where you want to go, but getting some pointers might help minimize frustration and/or exhaustion, whichever type of boat is used.

4) There are occasional log cabins around, and nothing even suggesting a regal chateau, but a canoe trip thru some of the Boundary Waters in Minnesota would immerse you in a real canoe lifestyle. Have extra mosquito repellent and sunscreen, though!

I've been to Chenonceau twice -- both times in the summer -- and never say any boats available for rent on the property. I am not sure that Rick is right about this one. That being said, canoeing for the first time in August in the Loire Valley might be a bit more than you think it will be. Cyn is giving you some good advice in the last two sentences of paragraph three of that response.

We rented a rowboat at Chenonceaux in the summer of 2014. There's a ramp down to the river off to the left of the chateau (as you're facing it). The guy who was renting the rowboats was right there with his little fleet. I don't remember the fee, but we didn't get back exactly on time (after an hour? a half hour?) and he was fine with that. No extra charge.

I don't know if that's still available. There's a trip advisor review on 6/11/16 which says that they also rented rowboats at the Chateau, but I haven't found anything more recent. You could always contact the Chateau by email or by phone to inquire.

There is a canoe rental place not far away http://www.canoe-company.fr. You would paddle upstream to the chateau then an easy downstream float back. The river is slow moving so upstream does not require a huge effort.

Both rowboats and canoes require a little knowledge to operate. It's not brain surgery but if you don't know how to row/paddle, you will have a bit of a struggle to actually get somewhere. Canoes carry the added possibility of tipping over.

Having said all that, it was a wonderful experience. Seeing the chateau from water level, right on the line where it's reflected in water is beautiful. By going through the arches, we discovered the loading dock where supplies would be brought into the chateau by water. I'd definitely recommend doing it.

The boats from La Belandre may be what Rick was thinking of. Their dock is 2 kilometers (about 1 - 1/4 mile) upstream from the chateau, not really walking distance.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1079444-d12550687-Reviews-La_Belandre-Chisseaux_Indre_et_Loire_Centre_Val_de_Loire.html

We were at Chenonceaux in 2015. We went on a La Belandre cruise in a larger boat, accommodating about 20 passengers, with a live guide and a narration handout in multiple languages. The cruise boat passes under the iconic arched bridge. We loved it!
http://www.labelandre.com/

One thing to consider - with the water levels at the moment (we have only had 3% of our average rainfall this summer) the boat probably isnt operating

Yes, MathRobot, they still rent rowboats at Chateau de Cheonceaux. Here's the response I got from the Chateau.

Sir,
The boats are open every day in Chenonceau from Saturday, June 29th until September 1st included.
7.00 € rent for a period of 30 minutes and can go up to 6 people.
There is no reservation, the pier is at the foot of the castle.

The schedules of the boats:

11:00 - 13:30
12:45 last departure

14:30 - 19:00
18h15 last departure

I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself.

Thank you guys for your response.