What is good base for visiting the Loire Valley?

Amboise or Blois make a good base for the eastern Loire, and Saumur or Angers make a good base for the western part. Depends on how much time you want to spend in the area.

Amboise IMO is the perfect base - nice old town on a scenic stretch of the Loire and a short enough drive from Chenonceau, Chambord, Blois, Azay-le-Rideau, Vouvray, etc. And it has its own great chateau - hovering high above the Loire. Plus there is Leonardo da Vinci old house - now a museum to his inventions and life and troglodyte houses built into the chalk cliff behind the chateau. If you want you can rent bikes and cycle the 10 miles or so thru a forest to Chenonceau - probably the most well known of all the Loire chateaus
Amboise has many neat hotels, including the famous Chateau de Pray (?), on the Loire just down from the chateau.

hi jahlie,

we've stayed in both Saumur and Amboise and as a centre, and place to stay, we preferred Saumur. it's less touristy, lots of nice restaurants and shops, and has good access to many of the places you'll want to go.

if you're going for a week, you could spend a few days in both and decide for yourselves whether Pal or I are right!

If you're going to be there for more than a few days, think about basing in or around Chinon. It's a terrific town itself, plus it's right in between the well-traveled sites to the east and towns like Saumur and Angers to the west.

Get out a map and you'll see what I mean.

We stayed in a private chateau near Chinon and loved it. A fantastic experience. And driving to the ajor chateaux wasn't much of a chore - distances aren;t great and trvle is esy as long as you have a car.

What about Tours? It looks to be centrally located and is supposed to be a very nice city. There is a lot to see within a day's drive and it's right on the river. Any thoughts?

I would say no on Tours. Too big, too much traffic. In fact you do not want to be driving by enroute to chateaux, that is why most will recommend both an east and west home base.

Amboise and Blois (east-of Tours) make good home bases for visiting Michelin 3 star chateaux Chenonceau, Chambord, Cheverny, and Blois, also 2 star Amboise, Chaumont, and Loches. We have stayed in both and highly recommend Le Vieux Manoir
www.le-vieux-manoir.com in Ambois and Relais des Landes in Ouchamps near Blois http://www.relaisdeslandes.com/hotel-relais-des-landes-english/the-hotel-01.html.

Chinon and Samur (west-of Tours) make good home bases for visiting Michelin 3 star chateaux Azay andVillandry, also 2 star Chinon, Usse, Langeais, Samur, and Fontevaud Abbey. We stayed at Hostellerie Gargantua (but it is not for everyone) http://www.hotel-gargantua.com/mainenglish.html.

What about Tours? It looks to be centrally located and is supposed to be a very nice city. There is a lot to see within a day's drive and it's right on the river. Any thoughts?>

I have driven into and out of Tours many times - and it is often a big bouchon - bottleneck - but it is a really nice largish city with a den or nice restaurants in its old town area.

Chinon to me is the finest town in the Loire Chateau Country - would be a great base as well.

Saumur is a sweet town but it depends on which of the Loire castles you want to see - the most famous and popular ones are Chenonceau and Chambord - also arguable the most impressive (I like Azay-le-Rideau just as much) - so if those two Amboise is much much closer than Saumur - Saumur does have Champignon or mushroom-growing caves to tour - if in the area look for a Champignons sign and stop and you can go into the dark dank cave to see them growing.

WE stayed in Anger and Blois, and visited Anger,Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry,Amboise, Chenonceau, Chambord, Blois.

valtor, do you mean you've stayed in both at different times or both during one visit? On a map Anger looks a bit too far west and I've been to Blois but can't remember the town - only the chateaux. I'll probably only be in the area three nights and would rather see a little in depth than a lot rushed. Thus the search for one good base - someplace with easy access to fast roads, a historical atmosphere but modern enough to have good cafes, restaurants and a pedestrian area to stroll at night.

I love Chartres - the town is just about perfect for three nights, but it's too far from the rest of the Loire Valley sights. Maybe I can find something similar?

I think Saumer is also too far west. I'll look into Ambois and Tours just because of location. I haven't done much research yet and this search might be a good place to start.

In Amboise the Manoir de Minimes is a delightful place to stay.

JulieVikmanis,

Oh, the Manoir de Minimes looks lovely - thanks so much.

Tours is an excellent base for visiting the Loire Valley. Have done so in the past and managed to visit many Chateaux located within 45 minutes or less (Chenonceau, Chambord, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry...)

We stayed in Amboise - we really liked the location.
Manoir de la Maison Blanche is a b&b that we really liked. It is in a park like setting. I know you said you didn't care for b&bs but thought I would mention it.

I would not stay in Tours, especially if you have only three days. The traffic getting into and out of the city can be horrible, cutting into your touring time.

Amboise is best, IMO, and there are lots of good hotel choices. If you give us a budget, we can recommend some.

I 2nd the Chinon region as a base which we did for a week stay before a week in Normandy 4 yrs ago - v nice town and lots to see there plus close to many chateau, gardins, etc to see

stayed at a very historical gite - //lavauguyon.free.fr. 2 different gites, great english speaking host who took us exploring, 10 minutes to Chinon, etc etc.

very enjoyable area - enjoy

I ditto Palenque. Amboise is good and the da Vinci museum is small but very interesting. I stayed in Blois and rode a bike out to Chambord. That one and Chenonceaux are two not to be missed. I recommend the Michelin Green Guide Châteaux of the Loire as a guide.

We stayed in Bois and found it a perfect place to go wherever in the Loire

StCirq, my budget is no more than $200 per night including breakfast. It has to be pretty special for that price and I'd rather spend $125-150 per night. I don't like b&bs because I can't let myself feel free to do whatever I want in someone's home. I have to be polite, considerate and socialize - at least I feel I do. I like hotels with ambience and modern conveniences, clean, good service, and nice public areas. "Charming" is wonderful as long as it isn't a euphemism for dowdy or run down. If we can stay longer a gite might just work.

cigalechanta and spaarne - How long were you out during the day exploring the Loire? Were the roads fast? My experience driving through Provence was that the roads often took longer than expected with a lot of construction, etc. Bike rides would be great though - We'll be there in June so I'll have to consider that as well. Thanks. If you stayed in hotels you liked, what were they?

jahlie: IMO, the best hotel in Amboise is Le Choiseul. You just might be able to get a room there for within your budget. If not, the Manoir des Minimes is a good bet, as is the Best Western Le Vinci (which has room rates being offered at starting at 57 euros right now - a real bargain).

Driving in the Loire is a breeze as it's so flat. Of course, in peak season, the roads are crowded, but June should be fine.

If you only have 3 nights in the area, I withdraw my recommendation of Chinon and agree with others that Amboise is probably best suited for you.

jahlie
http://www.lamaisonblanche-fr.com/b&b%20amboise/indexus.htm
You mentioned you did not like visiting with people in their b&bs. The rooms at this b&b have their own separate entrances and are in a separate building just a walk across the "courtyard". There is a 360 video of the grounds and buildings on their website. The only time you would be in anyone's company would be for breakfast and you could skip that if you wanted to. I liked the location because you are close to the roads that lead to the chateaus and avoid a lot of traffic. The rate shows 80 Euro for one person with a 10% discount from the 3rd night. Annick speaks English.

That's twice in this thread that bratsandbeer has recommended le manoir de la maison blanche. I have booked it now, and if I'm disappointed, I'll be looking for you.

Padraig You won't be disappointed. When you go to Amboise do not drive through the town - take one of the main roads around the town. Check out the map. It is very easy to get there if you follow the map. We walked to the center of Amboise rather than drive as the streets are quite narrow etc. I am not sure if they have rooms in the main home but you can ask for the separate quarters across the courtyard.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187116-d602955-Reviews-Manoir_de_la_Maison_Blanche-Amboise_Loire_Valley_Centre.html

Thanks all for the hotel recommendations and helping me narrow down my home base while in the Loire Valley. I'll let you know how things turn out.

Thanks, bratsandbeer. I had already checked the location, because Herself and I like to order a bottle of wine with dinner, and we wanted to be within walking distance of restaurants.

because Herself and I like to order a bottle of wine with dinner, and we wanted to be within walking distance of restaurants>>

only one, Padraig?

Yes Ann, really. But I do get the big half, as we share it more or less in proportion to body mass, and Herself remains svelte.

Le Choiseul has a lovely restaurant with a river view. The hotel was quite charming.

We had a remarkable lunch right across from the chateau in Amboise, down a little lane. There we discovered an inexpensive wine bottled at the winery at Chenonceau. If you have a chance when you visit Chenonceau, do check to see if the wine shop itself is open. The wine, at least at that time, was only sold there. These little gems are just the most wonderful thing about traveling, aren't they?

Le Choiseul does look interesting. We might give it a try.

Somewhere along the way a few years ago we got some Chenonceau wine. I thought it okay at the price, but not remarkable. Most of our target wines will be from downriver, in the area around Saumur, or upriver at Sancerre or that aire across the river whose name escapes me at the moment.

Most of our target wines will be from downriver, in the area around Saumur, or upriver at Sancerre or that aire across the river whose name escapes me at the moment.>>

our favourites too, Padraig. i like the idea of having the "bigger half".

did you know that Waitrose stocks those lovely elegant Saumur reds?

Waitrose? That's in the UK, and not relevant to me.

But we do like our Saumur reds. Can I add "sinuous" to your "elegant"?

Anyway, I like the idea of going to France to buy wine. There are one or two producers we make a point of visiting, because we particularly like their product.

sorry Padraig - where did I get that idea from? must have been having a senior moment.

you can certainly add "sinuous" to the description of saumur wines, especially the Champigny ones.

let us know how you get on.

Perhaps, Ann, it was a wine-induced moment of inattention. Such things have happened to me.

Yes, I was thinking particularly of Saumur Champigny when I suggested sinuous.

I would say anywhere but Amboise: far too many tourist buses because it's near the Autoroute and convenient, for too few good eating places because they can rely on a new crop of tourists every day and don't have to try build a regular clientel, and just plain not as attractive as most other towns the same size. (Plus the chateau is a bit meh...)

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of villages and towns in the Loire Vally, all of them offering variations on the same theme: most have at least one hotel/restaurant: Loches, Bleré, Chaumont sur Loire, and Montrichard are just a few of the bigger towns within 30 minutes of Amboise, and to my mind all all superior.

Simon
http://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/

Don't know what your budget is like, but I can highly recommend the "Domaine de la Tortinere" as a special place to stay to see the Loire valley. It's about 10 mins south of Tours. Fantastic service and a superb restaurant. See http://www.tortiniere.com/ Magic!

dugi_otok
Just wondering why is hotel gargantua not for everyone? was considering staying there.
Thanks

I'd be interested to know the answer to Schnooks' question. I stayed at the Gargantua and I thought it was great!

We stayed at Chateau du Pray about 14 years ago and really liked it, but we were hoping to find something in the Amboise area close enough to walk to restaurants (we do like our vin rouge at dinner, and we follow those zero tolerance laws). I know Amboise is very touristy, but, what the hell, we're tourists, too, and it looks like the most central base for our first few days there (I am open to other spots, however).

Chateau de la Fleuray looked nice, but it seems like you need to drive into Amboise for dinner, unless you ate at the hotel every night (or we just flip to see who is the designated driver). If nothing in town, a countryside setting for two "refined" couples might have to work for us.

Our last night I think we will stay in Saumur or Angers after a day of touring the chateaus (and Chinon) in that area. We head out for Mont St Michel the next morning. If someone has a suggestion in those two spots, it would be appreciated, too.

We just booked two rooms at Le Chateau de Bellefontaine in Bayeux, so the trip is shaping up nicely. Thanks again for all the suggestions, and, of course, I am sure I will have more.

Tom - we stayed at the Hotel de Londres in Saumur and liked it a lot.

http://www.lelondres.com/

so far as i can see from the website it's been done up a bit since we stayed when it was a typical old-fashioned french hotel, but none the worse for that.

as well as liking the hotel itself, it has a good position which makes getting in and out of town easy, as well as being convenient for exploring the town, AND it has private secure parking.

We stayed in the Hotel de Londres a couple of years ago. Liked it a lot. There is an ongoing programme of refurbishment, and our room was very much to our liking: http://www.lelondres.com/cadrenoir.cfm .

Tom, there are a few bits in my report of my last visit that be useful to you: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/le-val-de-loire.cfm .

Hey Padraig, I just read your report. Coincidentally, we booked Manoir de la Maison Blanche. You didn't say much about it. Is that a bad thing? We were looking for a place we could walk into Amboise. Possible? Any other thoughts on the Manoir de la Maison Blanche? I haven't paid anything yet.

I have found Angers to be a good town to use as a base to visit the western Loire valley. Angers is 30 mins from Saumur by local TER train and 35 mins from Nantes via TGV. Additionally, you can visit the Cointreau distillery in the adjacent town of St. Barthemlemy de Anjou. The #7 Bus which is accessible at the Angers Gare St. Laud station stops right outside the Cointreau distillery.

I liked the Manoir de la Maison Blanche except for its location. It was just a little bit further from the heart of the town than I would have preferred, especially when walking back with wine taken (and with one glass of wine too many, it could be easy to lose your way!). Going on my memory from two years back, I'd say the distance was about 2km that felt like 3km because it was mostly uphill.

"(and with one glass of wine too many, it could be easy to lose your way!)."

Obviously, you must have traveled with us. Fortunately, Tracy and Mary will be our leaders, as Kim and I lost all credibility for directions in Split, Croatia, in 2008. Thanks.