DanielleK88

Hi all

I am looking at staying in the Loire Valley for two nights, coming from Paris with my husband and 8 month old son, we really want to make this our 'luxurious 2 night stay' and are looking at staying at one of the following castles: Chateaux de Marcay or the Chateaux to Pray (other recommendations are appreciated, we just don't want to spend more than $800/2 nights).

Coming in from Paris, what is the best option to stay at those locations? Take a train to Tours and rent a car from there? Or is there a better station?

This is last minute as we found some pretty good prices and want to book ASAP.

The main chateaus within the region that we want to see are:Chenonceau, Chambord, Azat-Le-Rideau

Your recommendations are so greatly appreciated. Again, the two days in the Loire Valley are pretty flexible.

Thanks again,

StCirq

Chambord is under renovation all summer.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Take a train from Paris to Tours, the station Saint-Pierre-des-Corps as that is where the car rental places are. Use www.autoeurope.com for car rental info.

Don't know when you're coming but train tickets go on sale about 3 months in advance. Buy them when they go on sale as they are cheapest then and prices rise as your travel date approaches. Last minute tickets are the most expensive. Use www.capitainetrain.com to check train schedules and prices and buy tickets.

Don't know anything about the châteaux you mentioned but if you want to check other options for châteaux accommodations try these sites:

http://www.bienvenueauchateau.com/
http://www.relaischateaux.com/
http://www.symbolesdefrance.com/
http://www.chateauxdemeures.fr/
http://www.chateauxhotels.com/
http://www.au-chateau.com/
http://www.tablethotels.com/


The thread below will have links to all the major tourist office websites in the Loire (and info about maps) so you can learn about what there is to see and do wherever you visit in the Loire:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-de-france.cfm

DanielleK88

Thank you so much for your reply. This information is much appreciated. Again, a million thanks.

FrenchMystiqueTours

You're welcome.

traveller1959

We loved this one:

http://www.tortiniere.com/fr/hotel-t...eaux-loire.php

And its location is excellent. I also recommend the TGV from Paris-Montparnasse to Tours-Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and renting a car there. You will be much faster and avoid the hassle of Paris traffic.

Do not forget that a reservation of seats in the train is mandatory.

nytraveler

I would check the chateaux for info on infants. We stayed in one near Chinon for several nights a couple of years ago and they didn't accept small children (I think for safety reasons).

Obviously an infant is a different proposition but I would double check.

DanielleK88

Traveller1959- Thank you for the response. If I rented the car in Paris ORLY, would there be much traffic? I booked a flight leaving ORLY for Pisa and was going to pick up a car there, drive to Tours/Amboise and drive back in time for the flight. Looking online, they qoute a drive time of 2 hours... is this accurate? Given that we add 30 mins for 'unforeseen circumstances' .

Also, we would arrive in Tours on Sunday (most rental shops are closed-- from what I saw?)

Thanks again,

Christina

Rental car companies are open longer on Sundays at major airports, that's true.

They should be open at the TGV station in Tours-St Pierre, just not in the morning. They open at noon on Sunday (ie, Europcar). Hertz is closed both Sat and Sunday in Tours, go figure. I always rent from Europcar, anyway, in France. If you use www.autoeurope.com , they can find you a rental on the date you want if any are available, and there are. But if you are arriving in Orly, it might be easier just to rent a car there and drive to Amboise, at least it's on the right side of Paris, rather than taking the TGV where you'd have to go into the city, at least to Montparnasse. Now Orly is fairly convenient to Montparnasse, also, and then the train takes an hour, but that still will take up time.

michele_d

We rented our lease car at Orly and drove down to the Loire with no problems at all. No traffic issues at all like I would imagine you would encounter in Paris. Would definitely not hesitate to rent from there again.

FrenchMystiqueTours

If you're arriving at Orly then I think it would make the most sense to rent at the airport rather than going into Paris first to take a train to Tours. Orly is far enough south of Paris that if you are heading south from there you are beyond the zone of major traffic back-ups. Use www.viamichelin.com for driving time estimates and consider the times don't include stops or bad traffic.

DanielleK88

You are all so amazing... Thank you so much!!

I will definitely look at renting a car in orly for our drive down (and stay) in Amboise.

The web page that refers to driving time estimates... Extremely helpful. Thanks again!

PalenQ

Amboise to me is the perfect base - Chenonceaux is just a short drive away - Amboise has its own great castle - a real fortified castle built for defense reasons not just beauty like most and several neat things to see. The Chateau de Pray gets rave reviews from most and is actually in walking distance from the town center.

Don't miss the Pagoda de Chanteloup just outside of Amboise!

http://www.pagode-chanteloup.com/

And the Close Luce where an over-the-hill Leonardo da Vinci was brought here from Renaissance Italy by Francoise I (I I think!) to really bring the Renaissance to France. He lived in this mansion in the center of town - copies of his many eclectic inventions are on show.

And check out the Troglodyte houses - one is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and others you can actually rent out - they are cached away on a side street just behind the Amboise castle.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trog...=1600&bih=1075

http://www.art.com/products/p1843270...nce-europe.htm