mcbread87

My husband and I are going to France for eight days this coming March and are spending four days in Paris, but we aren’t quite sure where to stay for the other four days. I am a medieval history nerd so I was drawn to the Loire Valley (Chinon/Amboise specifically) for the Angevin Empire history, but I’m worried there isn’t enough to do there outside tour wineries and we’re not big into that.
We want to stay somewhere historical and quaint that we can walk easily and find cool restaurants and bars in the evenings. All I can seem to find to do in these areas is to tour wineries or see a thousand different chateaux.
Now I’m wondering if we’d be better off going somewhere totally different like Lyon or even Brittany.
Suggestions???

PalenQ

Loire Valley has lots besides wineries - not its forte really - chateaux galore yes but all are different - base in Amboise and rent a car -Chinon - Azay-le-Rideau - Amboise Clos Luce and chateau - Chambord - not best weather but a good 4-day stint. Take train to St-Pierre-des-Corps and rent car and return say in Blois and take train back to Paris. Book trains far in advance for discounts at www.oui.sncf - great info trains and where to go also BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Burgundy is mainly wine towns and wineries. Lyon nice large city for 4 days too much but would not need car there. and could do day trips too.

Maybe take a train to Avignon and rent a car and have nice weather and visit lots of varied places - Pont du Gard, Arles, Avignon, Les Baux - research that as may be nicest at that time of year.

mcbread87

Thank you! So would you say that Amboise is a better place to stay than Chinon?
We were considering Brittany, not Burgundy, but I think I read that the weather in Brittany will be terrible in March.

PalenQ

Well for visiting Chambord and Chenonceaux, Amboise is a great base and for Chinon too. Chinon a bit farther east but with car would be a good base too. Looking for a chateau to stay in? Chateau de Pray right outside Amboise gets great reviews. Or, can stay in troglodyte houses

https://www.experienceloire.com/troglodytes.htm

Amboise' chateau is also really neat - looming high above one of most picturesque stretches of Loire.

kja

I'm glad I visited the Loire, but I must admit that 2 days were more than enough for me -- chateaux just aren't really my thing. OTOH, I know many people find a week insufficient for the Loire -- it really depends on your interests!

I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of Brittany that I saw, but you would need to be very selective, as it's a very large area.

I wonder how you are deciding to allocate your time? Assuming you do have 8 full days (not counting travel days), I think many people would want at least 5 or 6 in Paris, or -- with an interest in medieval history -- would, perhaps, travel into Normandy for Rouen, Chateau Gaillard, some of the medieval abbeys in the area, maybe Honfleur....

If you haven't already consulted them, I would strongly recommend the Michelin Green Guides for these areas.

Hope that helps!

PalenQ

Amboise also has a weird thing near it the Pagoda of Chanteoup - a Chinese pagoda built in late 1700s reflecting that time's infatuation with Chinese things - as part of a lavish chateau which sadly was pulled down by some king after owners defaulted on taxes or something and carted away but the pagoda remains:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pago...w=1267&bih=613

Amboise also has the Clos Luce - where an aged Leonardo da Vinci was enticed to come from Italy by Francois I as a symbolic bringing the Renaissance to France - the stately mansion and garden now showcase many Leonardo inventions - copies of mainly but really neat. So Amboise has more than its lovely chateau.

Christina

History actually occurred in the Loire Valley, also. I find it puzzling that Pal says the Loire is not really good for wineries, given they are one of the most famous wine regions in France, if not the world (eg, Muscadet, Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre). I personally have zero interest in visiting wineries, I never understand that pastime unless you are a wine buyer, but they certainly have good wine there.

When you say there isn't enough 'to do", what exactly do you want? Of course there isn't a lot to do if you choose to stay in some tiny town/village like Chinon. Lyon is one of the largest cities in France, so that's comparing apples and oranges, you just have to decide what your goal is. If it is to visit a major city, no, you don't go to the Loire River Valley. Lyon has a few major museums, sure, if that's what you mean. Tours has a couple nice museums but the city itself isn't that enticing, probably, but Angers has several nice places to visit, also. I always like visiting homes of people I'm interested in, and there are some of those in the Loire, but of course, you may not be remotely interested in those people or that activity (eg, Balzac, Georges Sand). Saumur is probably more happening than Chinon, even if it isn't at all large also, but I found a couple of their small museums interesting (like the tank one). Not that you'd want to spend days touring Saumur itself, it's just not a bad base. And of course there is the Abbaye Fontevraud near there, the final resting place of the Plantagenets, which I gather you are aware of since you know about the Angevin dynasty.

IN short, I certainly think there is enough to do in the Loire for 4 days, but it's totally up to you, I'm just not clear on what you are really looking for. If you want a big city, Lyon sounds like a reasonable choice.

PalenQ

Well yes Loire is good for wineries but they are not all concentrated like in Burgundy or Bordeaux and in the relatively small area most tourists go to -n Amboise area just a few but I was remiss in saying not good for wineries - Chinon of course is one - Vouvray is another nice wine town and caves to tour. So yes if wineries good - March however is not great for the Loire in general - cool and damp (having lived there off and on in past during that time) - I'd go further south like to Avignon area.

mcbread87

Yes, we have 8 full days not counting travel days. I originally chose the Amboise/Chinon area because my medieval history focus is on the Plantagenet/Angevin Empire and I wanted to see the Chinon Fortress, Fontevrault Abbey, Chateau d'Angers, etc. As I said, we're not big into touring wineries (don't get me wrong - I love drinking wine, but touring vineyards...not so much). But most of the activities that I saw to do in these areas are winery tours or outdoor activities like biking, boating, etc., and it'll be too cold for that. I couldn't really find anything else other than the dozens of chateaux.
I guess my biggest fear is that we'll get there, find out that the 4-5 sites that I knew I wanted to see will only take one day, and then we'd be stuck in a tiny town with not a lot happening. We love wandering old towns, finding cool little restaurants/bars, and definitely taking our time in places, but I just don't want to find that we've knocked out everything I wanted to see in one day and then there not be a lot to do otherwise.
But it sounds like the small towns surrounding Amboise (like Saumur and Chinon) have quaint downtown areas that can keep us busy. Is that an accurate assessment?

mcbread87

We really have been considering just staying in Paris and taking day trips to a lot of these places you mentioned (Bayeux, Harfleur, Rouen, Chateau Gaillard, etc.) Are these too far, though, to rely on day trips from Paris?

PalenQ

Yes not too far but too far - a couple of hours each way to Bayeux and Honfleur - hour or so to Rouen - Loire an hour to Tours where you could hook up with minibus tours from station to a couple of chateaux.

kja

I wouldn't try day-tripping to them, but then, I hate backtracking. I meant that you might consider a few days in Normandy instead of the Loire. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time whichever you choose.

PalenQ

Neither Loire nor Normandy are likely to have really nice weather and many attractions are outside - even with chateaux - their lovely gardens and parks. Lyon would have better weather being further south and a few days there and a few day trips could be sweet.

thibaut

[QUOTE=Christina;16797384]History actually occurred in the Loire Valley, also. I find it puzzling that Pal says the Loire is not really good for wineries, given they are one of the most famous wine regions in France, if not the world (eg, Muscadet, Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre). I personally have zero interest in visiting wineries, I never understand that pastime unless you are a wine buyer, but they certainly have good wine there.'


Pal in actually spot on and so are you, albeit it shows that you not a wine amateur !
Loire is known for its muscadet (a white known for being served in troquets, but not worth of being stored in your wine cellar) the Pouilly Fumé and the Sancerre (also great in red, served chilled) and that is it. Add Vouvray for good measure (liquoreux and sparkling).

Bourgogne, Côtes du Rhône and even côtes de Provence have much more to offer in dviersity and ware much more renowned.

On top of the scenery, the castles and the convents and abbeys there is a fantastic military museum in Saumur (home to the ecole de cavalerie).

PalenQ

Why not do a series of day trips from Paris to close places like Reims, Chartres, Fontainebleau, etc. And a day trip to Bayeux for D-Day sites but not a series of long day trips like to Honfleur, Bayeux, MSM, etc.

PalenQ

London is just 2 hours away by Chunnel train - fly into Paris and out of London - neat at that time of year as flowers blooming in gardens and of course lots indoor attractions. Think out of France box?

bilboburgler

I regularly buy wine in Europe and just had a week on the Loire staying in Chinon. The Loire is definatly more than Muscadet/Sancerre and Vouvray as it is a far more interesting wine region than that (I could go on, but since this is not your interest why waste your time). Chinon is a good stop, lots of excellent restaurants, I ate in the 4 of the top six based on tripadvisor and was pleasantly surprised. The castle at the top (a proper English castle not a chateau) is awe-inspiring with fine views along the river. I think, with your interests I might stay at Fontevraud abbey as well, the restaurant is not bad (there are better in the village) but staying overnight in the cloisters is exceptional, even in March. Saumer and Anger offer some medievel tapestry musuems to while away some time.

Amboise is not really that interesting and with your interests I would find somewhere more central for stays, I would also try a visit a series of "bastide" towns (there are more than 200 of them) many along the Loire but also more to the south. WIne tasting may not interest you but the stories of the caves and the wine making processes may be of interest (just leave the wine) and buy a few gifts for friends at home to make it worth the vignerons time.

You could also travel north to Le Mans (with some Roman walls) and end up in Normandy at Bayeux for the tapistry.

I like Brittany but in March I'd not send my bitterest enemy there, cold, fog, and wet even in these days of climate change,

PalenQ

Biblo - ever heard of Gris d'Orleans? Orleans has lots of vineyards near it but traditional was a vinegar capital - now closed but never had many decent wines - Gris d'Orleans I love the name.

kja

If you do go to the Loire, I agree with the recommendation to stay at Fontevraud Abbey. Guests can roam the grounds 24/7, long after the gates close to those visiting only during the day.

bilboburgler

P, thanks I've heard of the Gris d'Orleans, have you had Fer from the source of the Loire, one seriously tough red wine?