Le Clos Luce in one day?
 

My husband and I will be visiting Paris the first week of June. We would like to take a day trip to see Le Clos Luce prob. by train. Should we get our tickets before we arrive? Would a tour group be better? Thanks for any information you can give me. Lindsey

This trip can be done in one day from Paris although I don't recommend it unless you have seen most of Paris already. <BR>Take the TGV from Paris to Tours then rent a car and drive to Amboise. It is approx 50 kms east of Tours and easily accesible by car, there are good roads even an autoroute if you want to drive 150 km per hour. There is a chateau in Amboise also and there are nearby two of the famous Loire valley chateau. ( Chaumont sur Loire and Chenonceau). If you could see all these in one day that would be a trip! Maybe it could be done and then take the TGV back, posibly sleeping for the hour or so it takes.<BR> All of this can be booked via the net but it doesn't have to be , you coud organize this trip when you are in Paris. Have fun!

Lindsey,<BR> You could actually get Le Clos Luce without renting a car in Tours. There are fairly frequent local trains to Amboise that take about 20 minutes. Any taxi at the Amboise station could run you over there. It's really not terribly far so you could walk if you felt like it. This would be a very pleasant day trip from Paris.

I would do the Clos-Luce as a train day trip from Paris. It's only two hours from the Gare Austerlitz to Amboise. Some of the trains change in Orleans, some in Blois, some in Tours. There was even a direct one in the morning when I checked on www.sncf.com. <BR><BR>I wouldn't do a tour group. You'll pay a lot more and not have nearly as much time or freedom to get about the town. The Clos-Luce is no more than a mile from the train station. It's slightly uphill to the Clos-Luce so you could cab up and walk back if you wanted.<BR><BR>Besides the Clos-Luce there is the castle which is interesting to see. There is also the Enchanted House, a quirky, privately owned museum. It's a little tricky to find. You go in through a courtyard that looks like an abandoned parking lot. It has several rooms that are overflowing with toys, mechanical toys, dolls, puppets and anything else you might think of in that vein. They've tried to put a bit of a theme to each room, some worked, some didn't. It was a fascinating collection.<BR><BR>Generally speaking you might get cheaper roundtrip tickets if you book 30 or 8 days in advance. But J30 &amp; J8 fares are not always available. It depends upon days and routes. Unless you are traveling on a really major holiday, you should be able to walk up and buy a ticket. Or if you're in Paris for a few days, set your minds at ease and buy a few days in advance. Honestly, for day trips like this, I like to pay full price and buy the day of. That way you have more control over the weather. I'd much rather stay in the Louvre on a rainy day than day trip to Amboise.

Be sure to stop at Madame Bigot's patisserie/caf&eacute; at the foot of the cobblestone lane that leads up to the ch&acirc;teau. She's been there for decades, and what used to be a pastry shop is now a nice little caf&eacute; - but the pastries are still divine.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful information. You are very kind.