Hello! My husband and I will spend a week in France this June. We’ve spent time in Paris, but this will be our first time elsewhere in the country. We’ll start in Bordeaux, where we will stay one night; the plan, from there, is to spend two nights in Saint-Emilion, two nights in Tours, then three nights in Paris. I’m eager to see a part of southwestern France, and I’ve always wanted to visit the Loire Valley. But I worry that we’ll be bored Saint-E and/or that there’s a more enjoyable “base” in the Loire. Thoughts?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7265 posts
No idea whether you might be bored, since I dont know what activities you enjoy. Are you going to have a car?
Given the travel time between Saint-Emillion and Tours, 2 nights will only give you at most one full day and a few hours of a part day to visit the Loire. So pick your top sites wisely.
Posted by
Macon, GA Historic Central Georgia
1569 posts
Bordeaux is fantastic with excellent food and some great museums. Saint-Emilion is often a day trip for people but I think you could use this time as a sort of zen, quiet part of your trip to enjoy a slower pace. It is beautiful. Tours is fabulous as well but in 1.5 days (at the very most) you won't be able to see too much. There are some chateaux nearby (try one of the guided tours that leaves from the train station to see Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau, etc. Villandry is easily accessible via public bus. The city of Tours itself is lovely with a few great museums, churches, and some amazing food as well. I think Tours is the perfect base. The good thing about Tours is that you have bigger city amenities are won't get bored.
Posted by
Louisiana, USA
505 posts
We stayed in Amboise when we visited the Loire Valley. It has a castle and Leonardo da Vinci's home, Chateau du Clos Luce. We visited Chenonceau which was within easy driving distance.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5820 posts
With all the driving you'll be doing I don't think you'll have time to be bored when it comes to the siteseeing. We loved St Emilion and wished we'd had an extra day. There's a tour we'd have loved to have taken but we arrived too late one day and had to leave too early the next day. Bordeaux is worthy of extra time as well. Of your three destinations, We found the Loire to be the most underwhelming.
Posted by
19 posts
I know you didn’t ask about this, but I just wanted to suggest that you reconsider including Tours on the trip. Perhaps stay the three nights in Bordeaux and see St Emilion as a day trip? We visited it as a day trip from our rented house near Cadouin, in the Dordogne, and it worked out fine. It’s a small town crowded with tourists, and I didn’t feel cheated.
Given the distance between the Bordeaux area and Tours (well over four hours, effectively taking most of a day when you factor in dealing with traffic, hotel checkout and checkin, and local driving), you’re going to be seeing a lot of the inside of your car. Perhaps spend more time in Bordeaux, then ditch the car and take the train to Paris?
We stayed in the village of Montlouis when we visited the Loire chateaux and spent a half day in Tours, centered in the picturesque historic core around the place Plumereau. As I understand your plan, you’d have one full day in the Tours area, allowing you to visit maybe two chateaux. I don’t know whether this would be enough for you. If it were me, I’d defer the Loire for another time and maybe visit Bergerac or somewhere else near Bordeaux and then head to Paris rather than kill so much time driving.