We are very excited about our upcoming trip to the Loire in July - and I have done masses of research and have decided which chateaux we should see....... but I wonder if 6 days of chateaux-hopping may see us just a little jaded. I know there are a lot of other things to see, Leonardo's house at Amboise being just one of those, etc, but have some of the regulars to this forum got any tips about special spots in the Loire that aren't chateaux? Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. <BR><BR>Also, I am now worried that we are going at the ABSOLUTE BUSIEST tourist time to go - are the roads and chateaux literally crowded all the time, will it be so crowded that it may spoil the experience?

I agree 6 full days of seeing 2-3 chateaux a day can get you a little jaded. They all start to look alike. We did 4 nights, which is 3 full days. While it was great fun we were ready to move on. If you are going to be there 6 days then break up you chateaux sightseeing with some of the great old cities along the Loire.

don't forget the wineries!<BR><BR>and this is a lovely area to rent bikes, too. biking along the Loire, stopping for a picnic with a bottle of the local wine - BLISS.<BR><BR>

I was there in July and the crowds weren't unbearable to me. I am especially interested in French architectural history, but I would never want to spend 6 days touring chateaux, myself. Some of them are not that interesting and aren't furnished much, anyway, and I just would want more variety. It's hard to know what would appeal to you and you didn't say where you were staying or if you would have a car. So, I will assume for my suggestions that you will have a car and are staying around Tours. If it were me, I would want to spend a half to one day seeing Tours as I like cities, and it has a few things of interest (cathedral, old town, etc). I might go to Angers, also, to see the chateau there which is more medieval than many of the other chateaux and has a famous tapesty, and some other buildings to see of interest (a medical or pharmacy museum, something like that as I think I've read and maybe an abbey). I am especially fond of touring famous peoples' homes, espec if they have some of the persons' artifacts and furniture about and have it set up as a little museum, and are of more modest size than a huge castle; I love Chopin's music and Balzac's works, so would visit the Balzac museum in Sache where he lived at one time (so did Calder, the sculptor), and I would visit Nohant, the home of George Sand where Chopin stayed at times, it has recently been restored nicely, I've heard (http://accueil.sache.free.fr is the town website). Sache is not that far from that general area; I'm not sure how far Nohant is, it is in the Indre dept. to SE of Tours, I think not beyond a reasonable drive. For modern variety and a real change of pace, I would visit Futoroscope in Poitiers, a French audio-visual themepark (http://www.futuroscope.fr). Poitiers is about 100 km from Tours; I might consider taking the train there from Tours as it is not that expensive and it would be quicker. I'm not interested in wineries, so that isn't on my fantasy trip itinerary but could be on yours, as well as some general sports stuff. Finally, I would suggest you buy a Michelin Green Guide book for the Loire Valley and peruse it, you might find lots of things of particular interest to you. For some general sites with touristic information and interests (incl some of my suggestions), try these URLs, if you haven't already found lots of stuff:<BR>http://www.tourism-touraine.com<BR>http://www.loirevalleytourism.com<BR>http://www.loirevalley.org<BR>http://www.lvo.com

My husband and I visited the Loire valley last April and spent a week visiting chateaus. My favorites were Chambord and Chenonceau. I was disappointed and felt cheated by Usse -- they hardly showed you anything. Crowds definitely make the experience less enjoyable; try to go early in the day. I'd add some time in the small villages and the countryside. The area is beautiful. We saw two and sometimes three chateau per day. We loved it, but were exhausted. Take time to 'smell the roses' !!!<BR>

near Villandry there is an active limestone cave that you can tour. The owners put objects in the cave and they soon become coated in limestone. I thought it was quite iteresting, altho it has kind of a 'tourist trap' atmosphere about it.

to the top, for Nerida<BR>

Thanks so much for the responses - Christina thank you for those web addresses and your suggestions - most helpful. I really appreciate it. By the way, we will be staying at Amboise and will have a car.

Nerida - a few more suggestions: the food and restaurants of course. Hanging around the rivers - especially the Cher (on which Chenonceaux is situated) - boating and so on. Also, there are wine cellars throughout the region - the Chinon is famous as well as Saumur where there are chalky caves and cellars. If you are interested in Joan of Arc then Orleans is a must - the cathedral, also festival (sorry - can't remember the date!). Hope this helps. <BR><BR>I am sure your research has shown that one or two chateaux a day is probably enough and get there early. The first time we went we tried to squeeze in two a day which is not a good idea for places like Chenonceaux which I hated because it was so crowded. But when we went again in April it was a joy as everywhere was SO much quieter you could really appreciate the interiors. So I think 6 days is fine if you mix things up a bit and keep mornings for chateaux. If you get really bored with it all, you could always try a day trip to Poitiers (about 150km south?) or preferably an overnight stay to see the ultra modern Futuroscope park (though I think the US is better for this type of thing!).

definetely do Chambord, at night - the music and lights are one of the most amazing experiences we had in France last summer! Stay at the chateau if possible. Chenenceau also has a light show at night - as does Versailles on Sat nights - not to be missed. <BR> <BR>Leonardo's house is good for an hour or so - not more. Drive around the country-side, stop in some local wineries (in caves)- don't try to do too much- it's too beautiful to be stressed.