I am confused about the distances to the various chateaux from Amboise. Looking at the map in the Michelin guide, Chateaux of the Loire, it looks like Villandry is closer to Amboise than Chambord is. (I realize they are in opposite directions, but sheerly distance-wise.) On this message board I have read that Villandry is farther away - about 45 minutes' drive, and Chambord is a shorter trip. Is it an issue of the quality of the roads, or am I just totally off in my map reading skills?

Thanks!

I believe the route to Villandry, on the Loire near Chinon, is more trafficked than the side road to Chambord, thus Chambord may be more quicker to reach. Villandry if you love gardens - Chambord to many is the most monumental of all Loirian castles.

Chambord sits well back from the main road and in fact there is a very lengthy approach road to that chateau..it is out in the middle of nowhere and takes up a lot of that "nowhere" space! Getting there from Amboise mans a drive through basic countryside and through some villages.

From Amboise to Villandry you will have to negotiate a bit more traffic in the built up areas (as you drive around Tours)than you would on the way to Chambord and that may lengthen the drive.

Villandry was one of the last great chateaux to be built and has many furnishings in the interior (as opposed to Chambord). The formal gardens are spectacular in and of themselves.

Time and distance will not match. Several of the chatwaux are in tiny villages located on very narrow local roads with low speed limits, while others can be reached via national roads (not highway/espressway) but a more major road.

(Some of these roads are about 1.5 lanes total with dirt shoulders - so speeds can be really low.)

Hi Travellamb,

Don't forget the very worthwhile Chateau Ambroise! I found it to be one of the most interesting. Be sure to see the tiny and beautiful chapel where Leonardo da Vinci is buried outside the main entrance. Also his last home, Clos du Luce in Ambroise, very charming.

Villandry is a little closer than Chambord. We stayed in Amboise last year (At Le Manoir les Minimes, a recommendation of this site that we really loved). The trip to Villandry was about 45 minutes and the trip to Chambord was just under an hour (actually not that different). We thought Chenonceaux, which is sort of "on the way" was also well worth it. The gardens, though not quote a spectacular as Villandry's were, we stunning. We ate a restaurants just outside both Villandry and Chambord, and would have to give the edge to the restaurant outside Chambord.

Thanks everyone - this is helpful. We will be going to Villandry right from the train station at St. Pierre des Corps and then to Manoir les Minimes and the Amboise chateau (and clos de luce). We will visit Chambord (which I have to see - furnished or not - ever since I saw it in an art history book in high school), Chenonceau and maybe Cheverny another day. On the return trip we will go through Chartres and on to Orly. Thanks everyone again for your help!

Cheverny is famous for its Soupe des Chiens (sp?) - the feeding of the hunting hounds daily. This rather diminuitive castle, as Loire castles go, is stuffed full of hunting trophies and stuffed prey.

Cheverny is very close to Chambord so you may want to twin them on the same day.

I would suggest a detailed map. We went with a rudimentary map and spent the entire morning getting from Amboise to Chenanceaux and Chambord.

Then we spent the afternoon getting lost on the way back, so here I am planning another trip for 3 years later to see some of the places I missed the first time!

We went with the Michelin map of the area and found it extremely simple. It's been recommended on this site as well and its definitely worth the $12 or so it cost us (bought it in Barnes & Noble in NY).