Just outside of Paris sits France’s Loire Valley. Home to some of the most beautiful castles in Europe, Loire Valley is a must-see for anyone traveling to France.
I recommend spending at least 3 days exploring the area, but it is possible to take a day trip to the Loire Valley from Paris if you are short on time.
The main reason people travel to the area is to drink wine at the local vineyards and explore the many fairytale castles.
Whether you are a solo traveler, a family, or looking for a romantic getaway, there are a vast amount of tours and attractions for you to explore.
This Loire Valley travel guide I’ve focuses on the top châteaux and vineyards in the area, main towns, day tour from Paris. It also includes some other fun excursions for you to try.
Sample 3 Day Loire Valley Itinerary
If you decide to stay in the Loire Valley, the easiest way to get around is by renting a car. Planning a trip to the Loire Valley can be a little tricky as everything is very spread apart.
To plan your trip most efficiently, it is best to try and create your itinerary based on the proximity of everything from each other.
To make it a little easier, I have come up with the perfect 3-day itinerary for exploring the Loire. All the attractions are in close proximity so that you are able to see more each day.
Day 1: Châteaux around Blois
- Morning Châteaux Tours – Visit Château de Chambord and Château de Blois.
- Lunch – There are many restaurants to choose from in the City of Blois. La Grolle, Les Banquettes Rouges, and Poivre et Sel are all great mid-priced options.
- Afternoon Château Tour – Visit Château de Cheverny
- Optional Activities: Wine tastings at Domaine du Croc du Merle or Domaine du Vardet Vineyards.
Day 2: Châteaux around Amboise
- Morning Châteaux Tours – Visit Château de Chenonceau (optional wine tasting at the castles’ cellars) and Château du Clos Lucé.
- Lunch – There are many restaurants to choose from in the City of Amboise. Le Parvis, L’Epicerie, and are some popular options. Chenonceau also has a wonderful restaurant and Bistrot on the property. I personally recommend picnicking at Chenonceau’s many picnic areas.
- Afternoon Château Tour – Visit Château d’Amboise
- Optional Activities: Wine tasting at Les Caves du Père Auguste Vineyards.
Day 3: Châteaux and Wine Tasting
- Morning Châteaux Tours – Château d’Azay-le-Rideau and Château d’Ussé.
- Lunch – Some great options are La Cabane à Matelo or L’Entrepotes (near Ussé), and Restaurant Cote Cour or La Credence (near d’Azay-le-Rideau).
- Afternoon Wine Tasting – Château du Petit Thouars
- Optional Activities: Second wine tasting at either Bouvet Ladubay or Château des Vaults.
Day Tours from Paris
Full-Day Castle Tour – Discover three magical castles, Chenonceau, Chambord, and Amboise. This small-group tour picks you up and drops you back off from Paris. It also includes free admission to the castles and audio guides if requested. This is a good option if you want to explore more castles instead of an afternoon winetasting.
Wine Tours France – This company offers tours for all different regions of France. Their packages combine wine tastings and visits to several castles. They also provide private and custom tours with a variety of locations to visit.
Chambord Wine Tasting & Lunch – This tour picks you up from Paris, and is very similar to the one I experienced. However, you visit one castle and two vineyards. This tour includes entrance and audioguide to Château de Chambord and wine tastings at two local vineyards. Enjoy lunch during one of the tastings.
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting – This is a very intimate tour with a total of 12 people per group. You will visit a family-owned Vouvray Vineyard (my favorite white wine!) in the Loire Valley. The experience includes a tour of the vines, cellar, and winery. They will teach you all about the winemaking process. Best of all, they offer finger foods during your tasting.
Popular Tour Companies
There are so many amazing things to do in the Loire Valley, that it is hard to narrow down. If you are interested in exploring more options, I recommend the following sites to help plan your trip to the Loire Valley.
Each of these sites offers competitive prices, a wide range of activities, and customer reviews to better help you pick the perfect trip.
- TripAdvisor – This is one of the most popular travel sites since it offers a little bit of everything. You can book flights, hotels, rental cars, tours, and research popular restaurants and attractions when planning your trip. I recommend this site as a go-to when planning your Loire Valley trip.
- GetYourGuide – Get Your Guide is a great resource for booking your tours. It also allows you to buy entry tickets for different attractions if you would like to visit them on your own. To me, this is very convenient as you don’t have to go to separate websites to book all your tickets. What I also like about this site is that you can customize your search by length and type of tour.
- Viator – Includes information on popular destinations, 1-3 day itinerary recommendations, and a list of available tours. This site also organizes tours by interest, which makes it very easy to navigate.
The Main Loire Valley Towns
The region of the Loire Valley is scattered with historic cities. I’ve focused on four of the larger cities which are located in the center of the Loire Valley. All of these are great base cities to help plan your trip to the Loire Valley.
Tours
The largest city in the Loire Valley, Tours is home to over 150,000 residents. It is a popular tourist city due to its central location to many top attractions and excursions.
The town also offers many wonderful cafés and restaurants for you to enjoy after a long day of exploring the beautiful countryside.
- Attractions: Château de Candé, Cathédral St-Gatien, Place Plumereau (Old Town), Musée des Beaux-Arts, Les Halles de Tours (Market).
- Restaurants: L’Atelier Gourmand, Le Petit Patrimoine, L’Embellie, Casse-Cailloux.
Amboise
Only 15 miles from Tours is the city of Amboise. It is Leonardo da Vinci’s final home in the Château du Clos Lucé.
Amboise is also a great base for many Loire Valley tours and excursions. This is another great city that is located close to many top attractions and hotels.
- Attractions: Château d’Amboise, Château du Clos Lucé, Chapel of Saint-Hubert, Château Gaillard, Caves Duhard, Bigot Chocolate factory.
- Restaurants: Les Arpents, Pâtisserie Bigot, La Breche Restaurant, Restaurant l’Ilot.
Orléans
The capital city of the Loire Valley, Orléans is known for its beauty. It has a devastating history, having faced destruction during WWII. Since then, the city has been fully restored and enjoined by tourists and locals.
- Attractions: Maison de Jeanne d’Arc, Cathédrale Ste-Croix, Orléans Cathedral, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Parc Floral de la Source.
- Restaurants: La Parenthese, De Sel et d’Ardoise , Le Lift.
Blois
Blois is a picturesque city on top of a hill that has panoramic views of the Loire Valley. It is a fairy tale city with beautiful winding streets and timbered houses. Blois is a great place to find some of the most delicious restaurants in the area.
- Attractions: Château de Blois, Maison de la Magie, Les Jardins de l’Ancien Évêché, Place Louis XII (Market),
- Restaurants: Le Médicis, Restaurant La Maison d’a Cote, ASSA, L’Orangerie du chateau a Blois, La Creusille, Poivre et Sel.
Top Loire Valley Castles
The French countryside of the Loire is a popular tourist attraction because it is home to the most beautiful and historic castles in France.
Most people know about only a couple Loire Valley castles, but there are actually over 40 châteaux that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To narrow it down, here is a list of the most popular and my opinion beautiful châteaux in the area.
Château de Chenonceau
This beautiful chateau was built over the river Cher. It is known for its beautiful gardens and many influential women who lived here since its construction in 1513. Chenonceau’s main website.
Château de Chambord
Known as “Beauty and the Beasts” castle, it is one of the most visited and famous castles in France. It was commissioned by King François I and remains an architectural mystery to this day. Chambord’s main website.
Château de Sully-sur-Loire
The medieval fortress was owned by the Duke of Sully, a famous French minister during the reign of King Henri IV. Many other well-known figures such as Joan of Arc and Voltaire were welcomed, guests. Now, the château is a tourist attraction and venue for numerous local music festivals. Château of Sully-sur-Loire’s website.
Château d’Amboise
The Château d’Amboise is a beautiful gothic castle in the city of Amboise. It linked to many historical figures such as King Charles III, Catherine de’ Medici, Leonardo da Vinci, and Kind Louis-Philippe. Château d’Amboise’s main website.
Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
One of the most beautiful castles, the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau on an island in the Indre River. The château is a beautiful blend of French and Italian archtecutre. Château d’Azay-le-Rideau’s main website.
Château de Blois
The Château de Blois is in the heart of the city of Blois. It was built in 1608 and home to 17 Kings in Queens of the years. It is currently a museum that stores over 35,000 works of art. Blois’s main website.
Château de Cheverny
The castle was built in the early 1600s and has belonged to the Huraults family for the last six centuries. Cheverny offers an assortment of tours and activities during your visit. Château de Cheverny’s website.
Château du Clos Lucé
One of the older castles, Château du Clos Lucé was built in 1106. It is mostly known for its connection with one of the most influential painters and greatest minds of the Renaissance period, Leonardo da Vinci. Château du Clos Lucé’s website.
Château de Villandry
Villandry is one of the last castles built during the Renaissance. It was built by King Francis I’s Finance Minister Jean Le Breton. Villandry is widely-known for its beautifully manicured gardens. Château de Villandry website.
Château d’Ussé
Known as “Sleeping Beauty’s castle”, Château d’Ussé was the inspiration behind Charles Perrault’s timeless fairytale. Originally a fortress, it was reconstructed into the castle people know and love today. Château d’Ussé’s website.
Top Loire Valley Vineyards
Château des Vaults
Château des Vaults is not only beautiful, but it produces some high-quality wines. What drew me to this vineyard is that is also a conservation area. The vineyard offers a range of self-guided and guided tours.
There are different levels of tours offered, each with its own unique experiences. Whatever option you choose, you will be well taken care of. For a list and description of all their tasting experiences visit their website.
Château du Petit Thouarsis
Château du Petit Thouars is not only a wonderful winery but a historical site. It was built back in the 15th century and used primarily as a hunting lodge. It is now recognized as one of the top vineyards in the area and has won numerous awards over the year.
The Winery offers five different wine tours and tastings including cellar and vineyard tours, wine pairings, and even a boat tour and tasting through the Loire.
The “Picnic in the Vines” tour includes a wine tasting followed by a romantic picnic on the estate with lunch and a bottle of wine. The Château also has overnight accommodations.
Les Caves du Père Auguste
Les Caves du Père Auguste offers a range of tours and tastings. The tours range from a simple wine tasting to a full vineyard and cellar tour.
The vineyard also offers a Bed and Breakfast and guest houses for visitors. This is a great option if you are planning on staying in the Loire Valley overnight, as it is very close to Château Chenonceau
Château de Minière
Minière is an organically certified vineyard. The vineyard offers tours seven days a week. You can choose from a variety of tour options, including a self-tour with wine tasting.
They also offer wedding and business event packages. You can also rent out the château and the entire estate! Château de Minière is a great option for your Loire Valley adventures.
Château de Nitray
I know I talked about this earlier, but I loved this cozy little vineyard. The Château was built in 1807 and has been home to seventeen families. Now it is the home of a family of winemakers.
During our tour, we got to meet the family which was very hospitable. They’re the main reason I would go back to visit. Their wines are delicious too, and extremely affordable.
The vineyard grows 6 varieties of grapes. My absolute favorite is their côt wine. I highly recommend you try it! Château de Nitray offers several tasting packages and tour options. Each tour ends with a visit to the shop where you can purchase some bottles of wine.
Bouvet Ladubay
Located in the Saumur region of the Loire Valley, this winery should be on anyone’s itinerary. It is one of the best wineries in the area and has over 500 awards to prove it. Bouvet Ladubay offers a variety of tours.
Their traditional guided tour includes a tour of their caves, followed by a wine tasting. They even offer a bicycle wine tour!
For anyone who wants to learn more about wine, they also offer wine tasting schools where you learn more about the wine-making process, types of wine, and teach you how to better taste wines.
Other Loire Valley Activities
Hot-Air Balloon Ride
For a romantic experience, you can take a 3-hour balloon ride over the Loire Valley. You will also get an aerial view of Château Chenonceau, and local villages and landscapes. You can choose between a sunrise and a sunset tour.
Cycling Through the Area
The Loire Valley has over 600km of trails called the Loire à Vélo. Many of the hotels in the area offer bike rentals for their guests to use. There are also many bike rental areas along the route. Make sure to look at the main Loire à Vélo website for all the information on routes, rental locations, and nearby attractions.
Horseback Riding
This a such an amazing way to get up close to the beautiful landscape of the Loire Valley. Touraine Cheval and The Stables of Pray are two great companies that offer a range of options. What I really like about these two companies is they have packages designated for children as well as adults.
Picnic in the Vines Experience
You will first take a tour of Château du Petit Thouars chateau and winery, followed by a wine tasting. This tour comes with a complimentary bottle of wine for you to enjoy while you picnic on the estate overlooking the vineyard. Lunch includes a selection of meats, cheeses, salads, and local desserts. They also offer vegetarian options on request.
Where to Stay in the Loire Valley
After spending a few days exploring the beautiful castles of the Loire Valley, why wouldn’t you want to stay in one yourself? The Loire Valley is full of historic castles that have been converted into hotels for you to enjoy after a long day of exploring the area.
The one thing you want to consider when booking a hotel is its location to the places you want to visit. To help you get started, I’ve created a list of some of the most beautiful hotels in the area.
Conclusion
The Loire Valley is full of stunning countryside, exquisite castles, and delicious vineyards. Whether you are visiting for the day or plan to stay for the weekend, I hope this Loire Valley travel guide will help you plan your trip. Have a question about things to do in the Loire Valley? I’d be happy to help!
Enjoyed this post? Here are some other French destinations!
South Of France
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Paris
- The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Trip to Paris
- Ultimate 5 Days in Paris Itinerary & Day Trip Ideas
- Top 20 Best Things to Do in Paris
- Visiting the Palace of Versailles: First Timer’s Guide
- The Most Charming Cities Near Paris
- 20 of the Prettiest Streets in Paris
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