Where to stay in Loire valley to tour the best castles?

I stayed in Blois, which is halfway in between Tours and Orleans. The town is dominated by the Château Royal de Blois, which was the royal residence of several French kings. Every few nights, they do a nice light and music show on the facade of the Château itself.

I personally really liked Château de Villandry which is known for its expansive and colorful gardens. It also has a water garden, with ponds and fountains; an ornamental garden with intricate patterns of different flowers and an enormous vegetable garden. Interestingly the vegetable garden was probably one of the most beautiful parts of the garden.

When you say the "best castles," it really depends on your taste. How many days will you have, and do you plan to rent a car? Most of the chateaux are not accessible by public transport.

We stayed in Azay-le-Rideau at the Hotel Biencourt and absolutely loved it. We were able to visit the Fortress of Chinon and the chateau in Azay-le-Rideau itself one day, then drove to Chenonceaux the next; in addition to touring the chateau and gardens we took the boat trip (La Belandre) that goes under the iconic arched bridge. Our trip was cut short by circumstances beyond our control but we'd love to return and see more of the western end of the Loire region, farther from Paris.

We’ve stayed in Amboise several times and like it very much. My favorite chateaux are Chenonceau and Chambord. I highly recommend getting RS France guide for all the great info that will help you get the most out of your trip.

Will you or will you not have a car?

Without a car, Tours is the only logical choice. With a car the possibilities are numerous. I shouldn't recommend Orléans with or without a car.

Edit: typo error - thanks Kim

I think Tocard meant to say that without a car, Tours is THE ONLY logical choice, and I think that's right, as you'll have better options from there for tours via van out to the various chateaus.

I've usually stayed in Amboise or Chenonceaux village itself, both have their pluses but for a first-time visitor, I think I would recommend Amboise. It's small enough to feel manageable, but big enough to have enough restaurants and services, and you have the Chateau d'Amboise and The Clos Lucé (Leonardo da Vinci's house) right there in town.

Andyou're kind of centrally located between Chambord to the north and Azay-le-Rideau to the south/west, with Chenonceau and Chaumont quite nearby, and Villandry not too far off. Blois I think of as bigger and more boring, but others may have a different opinion.

Also in Amboise you can go for cheap and cheerful for hotel (Le Blason) or go for something nicer (Manoir des Minimes) with lots of other choices as well.

Staying in Orleans would put you outside what many people regard as the "Loire Valley", which as far as the grand chateaux are concerned stretches from about Blois to about Angers.

That means that to have the option to visit the places you have heard of without excess travel each day you need to be somewhere around the centre of the above area. As you're asking about transportation that makes Tours your only option - anywhere else and you will be catching a train or bus to Tours every day unless you book private tours to collect you at your accommodation.

The transportation system in the area is very much geared towards locals rather than tourists: for example, because very few locals travel between Amboise and Chenonceaux getting from one to the other usually means travelling through Tours and takes about 90 minutes even though it's less than 10 miles by car. (You may be lucky and time your trip for what is basically the school bus, but school starts at 8.30...)

Many people on this forum recommend Amboise, Chinon, or Chenonceau. When I went as a group we stayed in Blois and I really like it. When I went by myself I wanted to stay in a smaller town so I stayed in Azay-le-Rideau and I would highly recommend it. The chateau itself is beautiful and the old streets around it are just what you expect of a small intimate town. All of these towns mentioned have their own chateau worth exploring - many would list Chenonceau as their favorite Loire Valley chateau. The nicest part about staying in a town with a chateau is being able to visit it early or late to avoid the crowds and, if you're going in summer, some of them have light shows or at least are lit up at night.

Both Nancy and EPLTD have mentioned staying in Azay le Rideau itself, and I think that's what I'm going to go the next time I go (which will be carless). Take the train there and enjoy a nice hotel and the grounds of the chateau in their spring glory.