To visit Loire Valley - base out of Tours?

We had difficulty driving in Tours, but it was our first trip to Europe. You may also have to pay to park in Tours. We've stayed in Amboise twice. We like it a lot. Restaurants are convenient and quite good. The first time, we stayed just outside of Amboise at Chateau de Pray.
http://www.chateaudepray.fr/ Much more reasonable than I would have thought. We also ate one night at the Chateau at their Michelin stared restaurant. It was fantastic.

I would head for Saumur or Chinon. Plenty of eating and drinking options plus good wine tasting within walking distance of the town centres. Pretty villages around and pleasant countryside plus chateaux galore.

Of the cities/towns/villages I’ve stayed in the Loire Valley, I like Amboise the best and have stayed there twice. I agree Tours is difficult and frustrating by car.

After much research and reading tons of threads on this site, I picked Amboise.

I agree with the idea to base out of Ambroise. I have also stayed a couple of times in Chenonceaux, and really like that too, but for a first visit and being more central, Amboise is your best bet. Big enough to have some options, small enough to be easier to get in/out of and around. And central.

We loved our stay at Chateau de Pray outside Amboise. I think the furthest we drove was to Chambord in one direction and Azay le Rideau in the other. Both easy drives. Love, love, love the Loire.

We based in Amboise, and would again

Hotel Bellevue
https://hotel-bellevue-amboise.com
Parking was free right across the street along the river, very easy in and out.
We had a huge room ground level- back door opened to alley right into center. Steps from Amboise Castle.

About midway between Tours and Chinon is Azay-le-Rideau, which is a lovely small village with an unexpectedly robust choice of restaurants from casual to high end. We stayed in Hotel Biencourt, recommended in the RS Guide to France the year we went (2015). We would stay there again in a heartbeat. The hosts were the most helpful, nice, cheerful couple you'd ever want to meet. The self-serve breakfast was delicious. The property has a courtyard where you can picnic. It's easy walking distance to the town's own chateau, which isn't among the Loire's famous ones but it's well worth a visit. It's located on a pedestrian cobbled street where you can bring your car only to load & unload luggage -- so if you have mobility issues that could be a drawback, but it's a plus if you don't like traffic noise!

I haven't been to Saumur but would love to. Decades ago I was supposed to spend a week there as a sort of unofficial au pair, but it fell through at the last minute. If you are interested in horses, check out Le Cadre Noir performances.

Epltd- it's so funny that you mention Hotel Biencourt — I was literally just looking at their site today thinking of a trip in a few weekends !

We stayed in Amboise and thought it was a fantastic choice for a base.
We loved our stay at Les Fleurons B&B (great location, great hosts and beautiful accomdodations) and enjoyed the town of Amboise in the evenings after a long day touring the chateaux.

We loved staying at Le Manoir Les Minimes in Amboise, it was a bit expensive but amazing. Below the chateau with views of the chateau and beautiful grounds and interiors.

https://www.google.com/search?q=manoir+les+minimes&client=safari&sxsrf=ALeKk02asBzBUYAtMh87IkLRCbqGxGztQg%3A1623788816144&source=hp&ei=EA3JYNH1Bc7K-gT16Y3gBg&gs_ssp=eJzj4tZP1zcsyUopLCjLM2C0UjWoMDFPS04yNU8xNkhMSU22SLIyqLAwNgQKmZqmmacYpJibW3oJ5Sbm5WcWKeSkFivkZuZl5qYWAwAhGhax&oq=manoir+les+&gs_lcp=ChFtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1ocBABGAAyCwguEMcBEK8BEJMCMgoILhDHARCvARAKMgQILhAKMgoILhDHARCvARAKMgoILhDHARCvARAKMgoILhDHARCvARAKMgoILhDHARCvARAKMgoILhDHARCvARAKOhAILhDHARCvARDqAhAnEJMCOgcIIxDqAhAnOg0ILhDHARCvARDqAhAnOg0ILhDHARCvARAnEJMCOgQIIxAnOgoILhDHARCvARAnOgsILhCxAxDHARCjAjoCCAA6CAguELEDEIMBOgIILjoFCC4QsQM6BQgAELEDOggIABCxAxCDAToLCC4QsQMQgwEQkwI6CAguEMcBEK8BOgsILhCxAxDHARCvAToECAAQCjoHCAAQsQMQClDWC1jTKWCuMWgCcAB4AIAB3wKIAdMOkgEHMi43LjAuMpgBAKABAbABDw&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-hp

Kim -- if you go to Azay and stay at Hotel Biencourt, let us know how you like it!

I should also say that we loved visiting the Fortress of Chinon, about half an hour's drive from Azay on a straight, uncomplicated route. We regretted not having time to do the self-guided walking tour of Chinon's old town, along the river. I'm sure it is charming.

We stayed at Le Manoir Les Minimes in Amboise. It was a great location and we loved it. We had a rental car and it made visiting the chateaus so easy and the countryside was beautiful.

Thank you all so much! This has definitely changed our thoughts.