The Loire Valley might be the ideal addition to your travels through France if you admire vineyards, châteaux, and relaxation. Traveling in and out of Paris leaves you well aligned to include a number of side trips. For a one week itinerary, adding the Loire Valley can easily be accomplished and not feel rushed. In a matter of days, you can readily visit breathtaking châteaux and enjoy your share of wine in the region. Not only that, there are lovely towns scattered for you to hop from place to place rather easily. Let me help you plan your Loire Valley itinerary for the perfect one week or longer traveling through France.
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More About the Loire Valley
Consider adding the Loire Valley to your itinerary to take you outside the big city and see more of France. One advantage is you will not spend too much time traveling to this destination. The Loire Valley offers charming cities scattered along the river known for having breathtaking châteaux and lovely wine. For a one week itinerary, I focused my visit around Amboise and Blois. There is just the right amount of things to see and do in these cities for a shorter trip. If you are spending longer, you could add Orléans, Saumur, Loches and even further cities to your Loire Valley itinerary.
Arrival to the Loire Valley
The Loire Valley is best accessed by traveling via train from Paris to Tours (Saint Pierre Des Corps). If you travel into Charles De Gaulle airport, you can travel direct from the train station in the airport to Tours Saint Pierre Des Corps. You can also travel direct to Tours from stations in Paris. I traveled from Paris Montparnasse station to Tours with the travel time being just over 1 hour and 30 minutes.
If you do not want to dedicate several days to the Loire Valley, consider a day itinerary that allows you to check off those bucket list items like visiting gorgeous châteax while leaving Paris as your home base. Here are a few Loire Valley tours that start from Paris. This Loire Valley Castles Day Trip with Wine Tastinghits all the highlights visiting two well known châteaux, allows for wine tasting, and gives you some free time in Blois. Another option from Paris is this small group tour that includes a slightly different itinerary also covering the highlights.
Getting Around / Transportation
My recommendation for getting around the Loire Valley would be to rent a car. If you are hesitant to drive in a foreign country, I completely understand those sentiments. After renting cars in a number of countries throughout Europe, I don’t feel that this driving situation was difficult. The Loire Valley offers so much to see and do that really is limited without your own transportation.
The Saint Pierre Des Corps train station in Tours is about 4km outside the city center. All of the major rental car companies are easily accessed right outside the doors of the station. Kayak allows you to compare prices for all of the major rental car companies. Parking at all of the hotels mentioned below was without difficulty. For driving to and visiting all of the attractions listed below, there was adequate parking at all of the Loire Valley chateaux and wineries. Blois was the only city that I felt it was slightly more difficult to find a place to park.
Where to Stay
After much research, I narrowed my field to three hotels in the Loire Valley. These hotels left me close to the attractions that I was interested in visiting. I stayed at two of the hotels below and also visited the third. Without hesitation, I would recommend all three of these hotels for your stay in the Loire Valley.
1. Château Louise de la Vallière. This french château near Amboise will literally take you back in time with the staff dressing in period pieces. Start your stay by indulging in a glass of sparkling Vouvray by the fireplace inside their main property. The ambiance by the fireplace still conjures up fond memories of my trip. This main building also houses their restaurant with decor that is nothing short of lavishly opulent and ornate with elaborate wall decorations and the perfect china and glassware on the tables.
This Relais and Chateaux property has spacious, well appointed suites with plenty of space to spread out. Their rooms are housed in different buildings on the property. They have a separate building for their spa as well. A stay here leaves you just over 15 minutes from Amboise and about 30 minutes from the Château de Chenonceau, all of which will be described in more detail below. If you do not want to leave the hotel in the evening, a drink at their bar or dinner in the restaurant will not leave you disappointed. The atmosphere alone is reason to stay not to mention the exceedingly good food and drink.
2. Fleur de Loire. This property in Blois is conveniently located on the left bank of the river making travel in and out more seamless. You are still close enough to Blois to walk across the bridge and into town for dinner, but it is much easier for driving and parking. It is also at a very reasonable price point per night, particularly in off season. This 17th century building is a former hospice now fitted with a modern interior. You are welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine and hotel tour while hearing more about the property then escorted to your room.
There are a few things that are worth mentioning. Fleur de Loire provided exceptional concierge services prior to the trip in order to help with planning. They proposed an itinerary after I emailed with my interests. Their team provided lunch options, châteaux to visit, and wineries to consider. After making my decisions, they booked all needed reservations. They also had a babysitter that they worked with regularly, which made me feel comfortable to leave our young daughter. The concierge personally escorted the babysitter to our room and provided introductions. The service here was exceptional.
They are wonderful food options on site. The Christophe Hay restaurant features a tasting menu from their Michelin starred chef. Keep in mind this restaurant is not open seven days a week. I tried their restaurant Amour Blanc and was very pleasantly surprised with everything presented. There is also a pastry kiosk and a cocktail bar located in the hotel. The bar is a great way to unwind after dinner and has small snacks along with their cocktail menu.
3.Les Sources de Chevery. The Les Sources hotels are starting to make their way through France. With more locations slated to open, this outpost in the Loire Valley combines a beautiful location, wine, and relaxation together. Their vineyard hotels offer a 5 star experience in incredible areas of France. When searching, their property in Bordeaux was one that I had come across previously. This location was just as beautiful and also at a great price point when traveling in off season.
I had lunch at their restaurant, and it was an amazing experience. Whether you decide to stay here or not, it is worth making a reservation to dine here at lunch or dinner. If you are visiting other destinations in France, I encourage you to look for a Les Sources hotel near your travels.
Some other hotel considerations include Les Hauts de Loire that is conveniently located almost an equal distance between Amboise and Blois. This is a Relais & Chateaux property with Michelin starred cuisine and a beautiful setting. The location would be ideal.
If you want the full château experience, you can stay at Relais de Chambord. This property is a member of small luxury hotels of the world and allows you to stay on the Chateau de Chambord private estate, which was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1981.
Things to Do in the Loire Valley
If only two words could be used to describe the Loire Valley, they would have to be wine and châteaux. A few days here will definitely allow you to experience your fair share of both. I centered my visit around the towns of Amboise and Blois. Here is a sampling of things to consider for your visit.
1. Visit impressive châteaux in the area. There are some awe inspiring châteaux throughout the Loire Valley each unique in their own right. My recommendation is to visit 2-4 during your travels. I visited four during my one week trip. Most were famous and well known; however, I did visit the less well known Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, which was thought to be the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle. This property had minimal crowds and it sometimes felt we had the property nearly to ourselves. It also had some modern art inside and on the grounds adding interest to such a historic place.
In my sample itinerary below, I outlined all the the châteaux visited during my Loire Valley itinerary.
2. Drink wine and visit vineyards. The Romorantin grape is native to the Loire Valley region and found here almost exclusively. Visiting the Loire Valley and the small towns that line the Loire River allow you to sample many new wines. I discovered that I loved Vouvray, which is made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes. If you enjoy wine, you will not be disappointed with your visit to the Loire Valley.
If you prefer a guided tour, this Loire Valley Wine Tour allows you to tour two wine estates trying varietals from the Touraine region all while being escorted around in a small group via Mercedes van.
3. Learn more about Leonardo Da Vinci. The brilliant Da Vinci had his final home Clos Lucé in the town of Amboise. A visit here allows you to explore all of his forward thinking inventions and gain more insight into his life. The home and grounds are lovely.
Reserve your tickets to visit Clos Lucé here.
4. Hop around the small towns that make up the Loire Valley. There are many quaint towns filled with charm. Amboise was my personal favorite on our trip and should definitely be included on your Loire Valley tour.
Sample Five Day Loire Valley Itinerary
Day one: Arrive to Tours via train and travel to Amboise via car. Stay at Château Louise de la Vallière. Spend the remainder of the day and evening at the hotel relaxing and enjoying dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Day two: Start your day with breakfast at the hotel then travel to Caves Ambacia for a tour followed by wine tasting. As an alternative, consider visiting the winery Mont Domaine. After the tasting, drive to Le Clos Lucé. This is the last home of Leonardo da Vinci. Tour the property with museum and allow at minimum a couple of hours here.
Following this, make your way to the main street in Amboise and window shop. They do have a small French pharmacy here great for picking up all those wonderful French products. Spend the remainder of the day at the Chateau d’Amboise. Here you will find the remains of Leonardo da Vinci.
Day three: Start your day traveling to the Chateau Chenonceau and enjoy the entire morning wandering this beautiful property. Even in winter, there are beautiful gardens and landscaping to explore outside.
Spend the afternoon at Chaumont Sur Loire. This chateau was quieter than others with less visitors, perhaps why I enjoyed it so much. The inside and gardens featured many modern art pieces, which I found to be a lovely surprise. After your visit, travel to your hotel in Blois. If you stay at Fleur de Loire, perhaps spend a few minutes relaxing by their indoor pool then enjoy dinner at one of the restaurants on property.
Day four: Spend your morning traveling to Chateau Chambord to explore. This chateau is the most palatial and impressive from a sheer size perspective. After spending a few hours, spend the remainder of the day having lunch at Les Sources de Chevery, exploring the town of Blois, and consider a tour/tasting at Domaine Le Portail. Domaine Le Portail allows you to try varietals that contain the more rare Romorantin grapes found almost exclusively in the Loire Valley. If you want an amazing dinner option, consider Bro’s restaurant in Blois.
Day five: Spend this day traveling back to Tours prior to taking your train back to Paris or surrounding areas. I allotted a short amount of time to wander Tours prior to returning our rental car and meeting our train.
Final Thoughts
A road trip through the Loire Valley can be the ideal addition to your trip through France. This Loire Valley itinerary allows you to see the highlights of what the area can offer and easily fits into a one week travel plan. Renting a car is surprisingly stress free and a great way to explore the area spread out along the river. Two cities that I highly recommend visiting are Amboise and Blois. They are a great home base for setting out to explore the Loire Valley France. I hope this post guides you in curating your Loire Valley vacation itinerary.
