most scenic route through Loire

From Bayeux you'll have to go south about 200 miles (4 hrs +) to get to the Loire Valley. You said castles but maybe you meant chateaus (the plural in French is chateaux)? The Loire Valley is best known for its chateaus, not castles (they're not the same thing). The best known Loire Valley chateaus are in the Loire River valley: Chambord, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Chinon, Chaumont, Amboise, Blois, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, Langeais, and Usse.

There are two main roads that run parallel to each other on either bank of the river. You'll get probably your best view from there. Note, however, that most of the chateaux are not visible from the road. Many of them sit on estates surrounded by gardens or forests. In the portion of the Loire that I've driven, only Chaumont, Amboise, and Blois are visible.

My favorite chateau of all is Chenonceau - I can spend the whole day there.

We enjoyed Chenonceau and Chambord. Chenonceau has furniture so it looks like someone could still live there. The Hotel la Roseraie is a lovely hotel in the town of Chenonceaux. Dinner at the Hotel was very nice. Chambord was just big but I loved the chimneys on the roof. The double staircases are really fun. The grounds around the chateau were also very nice. There are opportunities for shopping, small restaurants, a bookshop, bikes and rowboats. Depending on the time of year, the gardens at Villandry are lovely. We didn't go into the chateau because we spent so much time in the garden. In fact, RS thinks the chateau is "unremarkable" but the gardens are worth either two or three diamonds, especially if you are a gardeners. Depending on when you go, you should check to see if Azay-le-Rideau is open. I think I read something about it being closed for some renovation work. Also, get a list of the French holidays. When we went to Azay-le-Rideau, it was closed because it was May 1st, Labor Day. Enjoy!

I too loved Chenonceau. Probably because it was the first one we visited on our 4 chateaux day tour. It set the bench mark for the others. It was stunning. We also visited Amboise, Chambord and Cheverny. We were 'chateauxed out' by the time we got to Cheverny!!!

A third vote for Chenonceau. My second favorite is Villandry.

okay, thanks for the suggestions. Chenonceau it is. My daughter reminded me she had crafted a replica for a French class project a couple years ago so it will be fun to see it for ourselves. Has anyone done a hot air balloon ride??

When you go to Chenonceau be sure to have enough time to explore the grounds, which, for me, are as enjoyable as the chateau itself. They have a nice cafe right there as well. We really wanted to do a hot air balloon ride but it was super expensive so we sadly missed out on that.

A further endorsement of Chenanceau, including its gardens and stables , I just couldnt get away. Also for Azay-Le-Rideau, small storybook place- wonderful. if you drive along the river you should see many signs directing you to wineries. The absolute best wine is Huet - they still store theirs in caves carved into the hill side

A further endorsement of Chenanceau, including its gardens and stables , I just couldnt get away. Also for Azay-Le-Rideau, small storybook place- wonderful. if you drive along the river you should see many signs directing you to wineries. The absolute best wine is Huet - they still store theirs in caves carved into the hill side

We loved Amboise as well as Chenonceau. Very fun town to spend time in, a great chateau and Leonardo Di
Vinci's home to boot.