My wife and I will be in Paris for the first week of September and would like to take a day trip to Loire Valley but not through a tour group just going on our own. We plan on taking the train. Is there a town/chateau that you would recommend to give us a flavor of the region?
Posted by
Ojai, CA
591 posts
For a town with a chateau you can get to by train from Paris, I'd suggest Amboise. It has a chateau, a house where Da Vinci lived, and it's just a nice town to explore.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
A day trip to the Loire by train is tough. I thought of a lot of places I'd like to spend a night (although I have previously characterized the Loire as the San Joaquin Valley with castles) but Amboise is probably as good a suggestions as you'll get.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
We've stayed in Amboise several times and like it a lot but the chateau there is just ok imo. Could you rent a car (pick-up outside Paris) just for the day? You will miss the best ones w/o a car. My favorite is Chenonceau, but there are many great ones.
Posted by
Mentor on the Lake, OH, USA
251 posts
We stayed at Amboise for 3 days in June and enjoyed the town and chateau. Highly recommend the restaurant L'Alliance for fine dining.
Marilyn
Posted by
Bay Area, California, USA
14 posts
I would agree with the other posters that Amboise would be a good choice. We stayed in Amboise for 2 nights in September 2008 and did a minivan tour through Acco-Dispo to a number of the chateaux nearby. Their tour was nice and small as the minivan only held 9 people including the driver. It would be the only way to see the more famous chateaux in that region in a day without a car. I seem to recall from their website that they do pick up people at the train station in Tours for those doing this as a day trip from Paris. Alternatively, you could fill a day in just Amboise walking the streets, touring the chateau and touring da Vinci's house.
Posted by
Jupiter, FL, US
16 posts
Definitely Amboise if you can only do one place. Although Chambord and Chenonceaux are amazing castles, and the gardens of Villandry definitely live up to their reputation. Not sure how the trains run, as we were driving, but there are so many amazing chateau there you almost can't go wrong.
Posted by
san diego, ca, usa
2 posts
I took the train to the Loire Valley and rented a car at the depot. Had a wonderful time driving to Chambord and Chenonceaux. We got lost but enjoyed the smaller towns while being lost. We spent a whole day and had enough time to have dinner at the train depot for our trip back to Paris.