Places to visit around Château de Villandry... Loches? Chinon?

Brought up Chateau de Villandry on Map. There are 2 Pizza Parlors nearby for lunch! Tours is pretty close and probably your best bet for more then that! You are in the Valley of the Kings, so you have an abundance of things to choose to enjoy! Bon Voyage!

The Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau, in the town of the same name, is only a few minutes drive from Villandry. Its a charming little chateau, and there is a better choice of places to eat than in Villandry.

We spent a night in Chinon a couple decades ago and enjoyed it. We visited the castle there where many Knights Templars were imprisoned.

Hi The Château de Brézé is well worth a visit, and it's very different from other castles. https://www.chateaudebreze.com/castle-france-loire-saumur.html

So, you have teenagers with you, per one of your other posts. Any daughters?

The castle at Chinon shows/tells the story of Jeanne d’Arc persuading Charles VII to allow her to lead an army to defeat the English during the Hundred Years’ War in the 1300s

Further back in history in the 1100s, Ailenor d’Acquitane - Duchess of Acquitane - married Louis VII of France, went with him on the Crusades where she was probably more of a leader than he - and then she got the Pope to annul the marriage on grounds on consanguinity so she could marry Henry II of England. Her children included the rascal King John and Richard the Lionhearted. Ailenor, Henry II and Richard Coeur de Lion are entombed side by side at Fontevraud Abbey, near Chinon. The unity of her Duchy and Henry’s domain in England and northern France established England’s power in much of France and the conditions that led to the Hundred Years War and St. Joan’s leadership to defeat the English. (King John ended up signing the Magna Carta to ease rebellion from his lords in England.).

Anyway, that history is pretty exciting and significant to the French.

And speaking of remarkable women, Catherine de Medici married Henry II of France in the 16th C. After his death, she effectively ruled France as regent for her sons, Charles IX and Francis II for a number of years in the late 1500s. Many significant events of her life played out at the chateaux at Blois, Chaumont and Chenonceau. The latter two chateaux are interesting not just for their beauty and gardens and settings, but also for the story of the personal rivalry and power struggles between Catherine de Medici and her husband’s (Henry II) mistress, Diane de Poitiers.

Back to your question about sights west of Tours, Chateau d’Usse is charming and the sleeping beauty story is told, there. But after Villandry it may be redundant and the sleeping beauty story is better for younger kids.

Tours itself and the medieval part of the city might be fun.

In Amboise, hopefully you have time for Clos Luce, Leonardo da Vinci’s home in his late years. Great for history and with a garden full of his inventions. The house offers insight into his life and writings. Between Chenonceau, Chaumont and Clos Luce, you will have a couple of great days based in Amboise.

Oh Fred! What great suggestions, especially if there are girl travelers. An awesome intro to strong women! I was quite moved when I went to Fontevraud Abbey a couple of years ago and saw Alienor's burial location.

We liked the Petrified Caves which are very close to the castle

I agree. What great suggestions fred. And what well-written summations.
An additional 37 miles further than Villandry is the Fontvraud Abbey, where Eleanor, Henry II and their son Richard are buried. (Not exactly, because their remain were scattered during the French Revolution, but their effigy tombs are there.) We found this Abbey a fascinating place to visit.
On the other hand, if you turn south on A 10, you can visit the church, at St Catherine de Fierbois, where Joan d'Arc found the sword that she had been told would be there by St Michael.
We built lots of female inspiration into one trip with our granddaughters. The eldest was so taken with Joan d'Arc that she has become a French teacher and has done considerable research about St. Joan.

Month of travel? I ask because Villandry is famous for its gardens. While we liked Villandry, it is possible to spend more time exploring Fontevraud Abbey than Villandry. Chinon is a good place for dinner, as well as an historic, ruined fortress, and a surprisingly visible nuclear power plant.

I agree with bergoula that Brézé is a gem, an early medieval protective, underground chateau. It has a (palace) chateau built later above it at ground level, but what is underground is the most impressive. https://www.chateaudebreze.com/ I have never seen anyone else recommend it, but it deserves a shout out. It's unlike any other chateau I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot from all periods. Thanks bergoula.

One of our most remarkable dining experiences was right next to the Villandry chateau at Le Gosier Sec, a restaurant in a cave. It was very warm outside, so the coolness of the cave was welcome.
https://restaurant-le-gosier-sec.eatbu.com/?lang=fr

FYI: this part of the Loire Valley has very soft tufa stone, so homes, farm buildings, churches, were dug underground or into the sides of hills. In fact, until the 20th century, 95% of the people lived in troglodytes, homes built into the earth. Need to enlarge your home? Just dig another room out of the hillside!

And the Château de Brézé is the only castle where children can run, shout, touch the walls, or climb on the (very rudimentary 😄) furniture in the underground part!

In addition to the many excellent suggestions a very different experience, about a one hour drive away, is the Troglodyte Museum in Rochemenier. https://www.ot-saumur.fr/en/troglodytes-to-visit/rochemenier-troglodyte-village-troglodyte-museum-5374518/

Hi Erica,
We were just there this past fall. Would recco Chateau Gaillard. Its just beyond Clos de Luce at the terminus of the same wonderful semi-rural road in Amboise. Not as crowded. That chateau is citrus-central: they have long grown their own. Et donc, lunch at their cute cave-like cafe is unique. Fresh multi-flavored presse juices, salads plus their peerless orange cake. Bonus: their citrus jams, which come in multiple flavors. We bought several jars as gifts. Not one made it home to Canada (licks lips).

We based first in Loches and then at a splurge in Tours. Loches and smaller Montresor were the highlights and in the next month I'll post another of our photo-dense, quirky TRs about all that (I go by 'zebec' over on Fodors). *Montresor has a killer riverside walk (go on a sunny day) plus one of the best restaurants in the region: the newish 'Ecole des Gourmandes', with its weird hours.
Also, in Azay one could eat at Odettes creperie.

My final Principal-boss (I'm a retired teacher) is a younger guy and certified Francophile. He once attended the Sorbonne, taught in Corsica and his Nice-born partner heads the French dept at the uni of Toronto. Point is: they've forgotten more about France than we'll ever know. His big tip for this recent Loire voyage of ours was to eat at Sache village's *Auberge du 12eme .
Good luck.
I am done. the TRist

Loches is as mentioned before worth visiting. Upstream from Chenonceaux, Montrichard and Saint-Aignan are both lovely places along the Cher river. The first the most lively of the two, the latter to my opinion the most beautiful.

You can visit Montrésor on the way between Loches and Saint-Aignan. Loches was once the home of Agnes Sorèl, another strong women in French history. You can find her tomb in the collegiate church of the castle there.