Raynor19

Hello! I am thinking of booking a day trip to the Loire Valley during my time in Paris and wondered if anyone had gone with France Tourisme on this trip or another and if they were well run day trips? I can't seem to find any customer reviews on the topic.

I found basically the same tour with Viator, which I have toured with before in Rome and absolutely loved, but it is double the price and just wondered if anyone had thoughts on the matter.

Thanks!

millie2112

i will be in Paris in August and I plan to do a day trip to the Loire Valley too.
HOwever I have not heard of France Toruisme

I am going to book with Tours tourism:http://www.tours-tourisme.fr/index_en.php
I will take a train from Paris to Tours and do one of the tours - listed under excursions.

Thought I would give you another option to compare

FrenchMystiqueTours

I agree with millie2112 about taking the train to Tours and picking up a tour from the tourist office. The TGV will get you to Tours in about an hour whereas a bus will take almost 3 hours to get from Paris to the Loire. That gives you almost 4 hours extra to spend visiting the Loire that would otherwise be spent sitting on a bus.

If you take the TGV to Tours you should know that you need to book that train ticket up to 3 months in advance to get the cheapest ticket prices. The ticket prices increase as your travel date approaches.

If you take the TGV to Tours you want to arrive in Tours Centre, not the train station Saint-Pierre-des-Corps. The tourist office is right across from the train station and that is where you'll pick-up your tour. Here is the weblink for the Tours tourist office. Click the tab on the left that says "Excursions" and you'll find all the info you need.

http://www.tours-tourisme.fr/index_en.php

If you decide on this you'll need to use the TGV website to buy/reserve your tickets. For info on these trains use the website www.tgv-europe.com for schedules and prices. Don't forget to uncheck the box marked "Direct Trains" to see all possible options. If the TGV site redirects you to the RailEurope website then try again and enter Great Britain or Antarctic as your ticket collection country. Other countries may also work but just try to find a country that doesn't get you redirected to RailEurope. The RailEurope website often doesn't show all the trains and generally has higher prices but you can check just to compare. For trains that require reservations you can buy tickets up to 3 months or more in advance and the earlier you buy them the cheaper they will be. The discounted tickets are known as PREM tickets but these are non-refundable and can't be exchanged.

Here is a website that will tell you how to navigate the TGV website:

http://www.nickbooth.id.au/Tips/FrenchTrain.htm

Langcraft

Angers is a great town for a day trip, only 90 minutes from Paris on the TGV from Gare Montparnasse. The Chateau d' Angers is an easy 10 minute walk from the Gare St. Laud train station. Plenty to see and do for a day out of Paris.

Raynor19

Thank you so much! FrenchMystiqueTours all of that information is great and I will definitely be looking into it!

FrenchMystiqueTours

Have a great time Raynor19.