rmoore926

Hello,

We are a family of 4 (girls 19 and 16) traveling to Europe this summer. We are planning on spending 3 nights (2 full days) in the Loire to visit the chateau there. That's the main reason we're making that stop. We will be arriving from Bruges so won't get there until later in the day. The plan was to rent a car, spend 3 nights, and tour a few of the chateau on our own. To be honest, I'm not too excited about renting a car and figuring out the logistics of visiting the chateau on our own.

Now I'm kind of rethinking that plan. Wanted to get your thoughts (especially if you've done what I propose) on this alternative plan. My new thought is adding a different stop (maybe Normandy) or add days to Paris and take a guided tour of three castles instead of staying there and renting a car. I found this tour as an option:

https://9974.partner.viator.com/tour...EEPLINK_156708

Your thoughts? I appreciate the help and expertise. Thank you
~Robert

bigtyke

Car would be the best, unless you want to bicycle as I did. If you are nervous about driving, there are lots of small roads ( white on a Micheln 1:200,000 scale map ) with virtually no traffic

Michael

A car would allow you to add to your choices, or change in mid-stream, which ;can't be done with a tour. For example, if gardens interest you, Chaumont has an annual garden competition which can be interesting. The year we saw it, the theme of the competition was chaos.

https://flic.kr/p/8mqaKH
or one might want to visit Villandry with its recreations of Renaissance and Medieval garden

https://flic.kr/p/8mtmPS

StuDudley

We've spent around 8 weeks in the Loire chateaux area - all by car.

Deal-breaker for me would be meeting somewhere in Paris at 7AM (good grief - you're on vacation!!), and back at 7PM - (how do I fit in dinner?). Then only 3 chateaux - mid day when everyone else is there.

And wine tasting???? I would be dragging by the time I finished the second chateau. I have my wine with dinner - not while I am visiting the remarkable sites in France.

We visited Chenonceau as soon as it opened - and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Took lots of pictures of the gardens & exterior of the chateau with no people in them (this was mid-September). Then we visited the inside (more crowded). We had a nice lunch at the outside cafe there, and then took more pictures of the exterior with a completely different sun perspective. We departed around 3PM.

At the gardens of Villandry, my wife & I first toured the gardens kinda quickly. Then I departed to have lunch at one of the cafe's just outside the entrance, while my wife continued to take pictures of the gardens for a photobook she had planned.

Same early visit to Chambord - without the mobs.

We visit the "major" chateaux on a 1 per day schedule, so that we could take our time & not get overloaded. Smaller ones - 2 per day.

Your are missing some of our favorites!!!

Stu Dudley

shelemm

What about renting a car and figuring out the the logistics is unappealing to you? If you were to travel in the countryside where you live, would you have the same feelings? The reality is that travel in the countryside does usually involve, on some level, private transportation.

bilboburgler

Like Tyke I'd do it by bicycle
This article might interest you https://www.raileurope.com/en-gb/blo...alley-by-train there are others on google

You might look at Saumur and Fontevraud. Fontevraud monestry is a fantastic hotel to stay in (why not stay in a chateau) and if you don't like the restaurant the village of Fontevraud sustains a few more eateries. Taxis are available in France and Suamur is good shoping in a semi-medievel centre with a wine-tasting facility in tourist information on the river front.

Savings on car hire and fuel will pay for taxis, while traveling in a train is just so much nicer than a rental car with no air, confusion, danger etc etc

margo_oz

The Tourist Office in Tours was able to recommend local transport to get to the chateaux, as we did not drive.

kerouac

You should obviously rent a car.

mjs

I too would rent a car. It is not difficult to drive around the area with GPS. You would also need a car to get around Normandy. If you get tired of castles there is a very nice Zoo nearby, Zooparc de Beauval.

Sue_xx_yy

Hi Robert.

Like Stu we found that Chenonceau could easily take an entire day.

Look, people do take those speedy chateau tours from Paris and enjoy them - but I would not, I'd rather do less, longer.
We used Amboise as a base, as it happens to feature public transit connections to Chenonceau and also has Leonardo da Vinci's last home, Le Clos Luce, right in the small village/town of Amboise. His house is NOT a castle but is very lovely and intimate, with lots of models of his inventions to admire in the garden. There is even a castle in Amboise but it is lesser known.

You have 3 nights but arrive late in the evening prior to the first one, so 2 full days.
We had but 2 nights but came directly from Paris to Amboise by train (TGV, fast change at Saint Pierre des Corps - this is the TGV station serving Tours - and hopped on a i/C going, yes, back the way we came - but we got off at Amboise where we spent 2 nights, giving us 1.5 days.

We spent the balance of the first day at Le Clos Luce.

To get to Chenonceau from Amboise by train is a bit cumbersome as it involves a change at Saint Pierre but it is reliable and there are several per day. We didn't want to get up and rush breakfast, to say nothing of the walk to the Amboise train station (it's a pleasant walk but takes at least 20 minutes from the village.) So we took the single bus that runs outbound to the chateau, it definitely runs weekdays, not sure about weekends and at the time we went (2017) it left Amboise 10:10 or so arriving by 10:30 (so very quick). We took the 13:00ish train back to Amboise, it was an awkward time and so the journey took 2 hours, but we were able to grab a sandwich for lunch in the Saint Pierre des C station during the layover. We could have lunched at Chenonceau and taken a later train back leaving 17 or 18:00 arriving back early evening in about an hour (and so a faster journey_. As Stu says, there is a lot to see. You know best what would suit you - a quickie look over or a more leisurely stroll.

My guess (and that is what it is since we didn't do this) is that many hotels in the Loire region will arrange taxi transportation for you if they have some advance notice, if you have the budget and you don't want to do the public transit thing.

rmoore926

Thanks for the replies. Looks like renting a car is going to be best for us. Any suggestions on which rental agencies might be best or your favorites? We are interested in seeing Chenonceau and Chambord for sure. We will have 2 full days to see them and any others. Where would you recommend as a base?

shelemm - I've never rented a car outside the US and it just seems different and a little intimidating. To be honest I don't really like renting a car here either. Just a little paranoid I guess. To be honest, I haven't done any research on how to reserve tickets to the chateau we might want to see. Think I've been putting it off since this is probably the stop on our trip I am least excited about.

Thanks for the help. I realize I need to do a little more research, but your help/answers help steer me in the right direction.

StuDudley

We have been vacationing in Europe (mainly France) twice a year for one month each, since 1999. We always rent cars from AutoEurope/Kemwel. They are brokers in the US (Portland Maine). Play around with their web site - but do not hesitate to call them if you have questions. You could take the train to St Pierre des Corps (Tours) and pick up & return the car there. Rental offices are next to the station.

https://www.autoeurope.com/
https://www.kemwel.com/

They are the same company (don't ask why).

I have a small write-up about visiting the Chateaux in the Loire. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at my Fodors name at AOL. Specify that you want the Loire itinerary - I have about 10 others for different regions in France.

Stu Dudley

aliced

Right across the street from Chenonceau is the lovely Auberge du Bon Laboureur -- base there, it's lovely and soooo convenient w lots of parking, and you literally walk across the street without moving your car. Chambord was just down the road, so you're definitely good for both. Lovely lodging and restaurant. And, yes, rent a car!

StuDudley

I'll second Bon Laboureur.

We stayed there on our first trip to Europe in 1977. Also several times after that. We dined at the restaurant (was a Michelin 1 star) three times when we rented gites near Blois and Loches for 2 weeks each. Perfect location to visit Chenonceau as soon as it open in in the morning.

Stu Dudley

rosiecaro

I have to agree with the “car contingent”, Don’t rent the car in central Paris and the driving is no more difficult than in the US…. earn a few driving related words, like the words for entrances, exit,…., and study the signs ( we always have a copy handy and a website to look up the obscure ones). It is really not hard and you miss the good stuff sometimes if you don’t have a car.

bilboburgler

Auto Europe is the right route
As a Brit the only thing that worries me is French roundabouts and any remaining Priorite a Droit. Not sure how many are left https://www.drive-france.com/faqs/ge...orities-right/

AlessandraZoe

We HATE renting a car in Europe. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
That said, if I were you, I'd rent a car once I hit the train station in the Loire Valley. The tour you found just won't do the job. When you're done, get rid of it.

Our experience with our girls:
We were able to do some of the chateaux and other sites just by cycling with a tour group that stayed in Amboise at Hotel Le Choiseul for three days of the 7-day tour. After the tour, we picked up a rental car and settled into Hôtel la Tonnellerie in Beaugency for a few days to see some more. Yes, the chateaux become a blur. We'd do it again, but we'd get rid of the car far sooner.
AZ

shelemm

Being a little nervous is normal, but if you are so nervous that it prevents you from doing what you want, then I hope you realize that everything will be ok. Yes, there are language barriers and different things to learn, but still it is a relatively simple adventure to master, not something that should master you. As always in travel, it's best to adopt a sense of humor about the pitfalls. So many people rent cars in Europe and elsewhere, you can do it too. You got this!

rmoore926

AZ - Thanks, I guess I need to bite the bullet and resign myself it'll be the best way for our family to visit the Loire Valley.

shelemm- Thanks for the support. My nervousness isn't preventing me from enjoying the planning or execution of our trip, just something that's bugging me. With everyone here saying how easy it should be, I'm feeling better about it. As I looked at the map, I see that Tours isn't all that far from places we want to see. Like stududley said once before on one of my posts (something to the effect of) "if I can drive southern California traffic France will be a breeze".

AlessandraZoe

"Resign myself"
That sounds exactly like my husband. And I know that I sure was not volunteering to drive.

A big plus--You don't have to drive on the left.
Of course, if you are from a country that drives on the left, I guess that isn't a plus.

We still only used the car while we had it to get to chateaux. We made sure our accommodations were walkable to dinner, etc, so that we weren't on the road in less-alert status.
AZ