Getting around the Loire Valley
 

Hello,
I was going to tour around the Loire Valley for 2 1/2 days in mid-September and was wondering if it is better to rent a car. The guidebooks seem to indicate that it is easy to get around the region by the TGV train or to take a bus tour.
I appreciate any help.
Thanks

I don't have personal experience, but I recently posted some questions about the Loire Valley without a car, so you may want to check here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34519959

I'd suspect that if you can rent one and prefer it, then you should. Some of the castles are not really very accessible via the train. In high season you may have to use a train + bus option. If your time is limited, it's probably not the best thing to do. Tour groups are more efficient.

Yes, get a car. A good place to pick it up is Tours... take the train there from Paris and pick up the car at the train station.

We found a lovely chateau b&b on the outskirts of Chinon--a great midieval fotress city, I'd have to dig it up to remember the name of where we stayed...

but from there in 2-3 nights we saw quite a few of the chateaux and the longest distance we drove in any day was about an hour one way, to get to Chenonceau. But we saw Villandry and also took time to just wander the little towns along the way, We also did a little wine tasting at a nearby winery (near our b&b) and found a great Michelin restaurant called Au Plaisir Gourmand... http://tourisme.chinon.com/gb/heberg...sir%20Gourmand that had one of the best salade composees I've ever eaten!

We also ate at a fun place called Les Annees Trentes... http://www.lesannees30.com/

Driving in this part of France was also very easy for my husband, though keep in mind if you haven't rented in Europe you most likely will get standard transmission and I let him do all the driving.

Definitely rent a car. That way you are not tied to train/bus schedules (and getting to some of the chateaux can be complicated and time consuking) or to the vagaries of other tour group members. The driving is easy and the countryside delightful - with lots of cute little towns to stop in for lunch or a drink.

And with a car you will be able to stay in one of the privately owned chateaux in the countryside - rather than having to stay in a hotel in one of the larger towns. (We stayed in one near Chinon and loved it - also quire inexpensive.)

Ooops, somehow I hit post too soon.

I was going to say that it looks like our B&B is no longer running (it was just a family in their house).

But here's a website for Chinon itself with things to do and see... http://tourisme.chinon.com/indexgb.php

I absolutely love the trains in Europe but there's no way I could have or would have seen the Loire Valley that way.

Good luck,
Kat

I don't know about bus tours - I'm sure there are plenty of them - but you can't "get around" the Loire Valley on the TVG, you can only get TO it. Once you've arrived, you'll need transportation to get to the castles and other sites. Unless you have some strong objection, the best way to get around is in a car. You'll be able to see much more than on a tour and will have the flexibility to plan your own schedule.

Thanks alot for the feedback and extra info. You folks are great!

I wantd to add... I found a website for the place we stayed in, so it looks like she's still in business. Chateau de la Poiteviniere,
http://perso.club-internet.fr/pesquet/Index.htm

I did a number of the chateaux by train and bicycle. A car would probably be less challenging, but not more interesting.

For a guidebook get the Michelin Green <i>Ch&acirc;teaux of the Loire</i>.