I would like to do a short tour of Chenonceaux and maybe one other Loire chateaux. I have found that Quart de Tours has excursions to only one chateaux, but their web site is a little sparse and I'm afraid to give them a call to ask questions. I was wondering if anyone has used this company, and if so, where you have to go in Tours for the excursion. Also, apparently a company named Saint Elole Excursions does short tours, too, but I haven't been able to find a web site. Does anyone know anything about them?

For Chenonceaux, I've seen beautiful pictures of the chateaux on the water. It looks like the pictures were taken from the back somewhere. Is it possible to see this view without going inside? I'm afraid I have a short attention span, and I'm not too interested in opulent interiors! I'm also short on funds, so I'd rather just walk around rather than going inside.


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Hi, Ruth:

Sorry, but I'm a little confused as I thought you asked this same question on May 11th: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...d-chambord.cfm

A couple of people responded in that thread to tell you that you could get the picturesque view without paying admission, but I suppose maybe that didn't answer all your questions and that's why you posted again.

Also, you say in your first paragraph above that you want to do a short tour of Chenonceaux and then in your second you indicate that you would rather not. Are you still in the process of deciding that?

Hopefully, someone has used those tour companies and can tell you more about them. It sounds like you're not renting a car, right?

You'll find details on the various minibus tour options on the main Tours tourism website:

http://www.ligeris.com/excursions_en.php?id=4

The minibus tours generally depart from the tourism office, across the street from the train station.

Hi sap and Lutetia! Sorry to be so confusing. I meant that I would probably only want to walk around the outside, not go inside! However, I was trying to figure out just how much you can see by walking around, and since the chateau crosses the river, was afraid my views would be limited if I don't go in!

The info on tours from Tours is helpful and more than I had found to date; thanks!

France, Loire Valley, Tours, chateaux, castels, guide, Minivan ...
Located in the Loire Valley, ACCO-DISPO organizes pre-guided tours, to discover the chateaux country and other regions of France, in air conditioned ...
www.accodispo-tours.com/index-uk.html

this is one company that has been around for years - I interviewed the then young couple who started it once for an article and they seemed to be decent folk.

If you're planning to pay to take a tour, how are you going to avoid paying for and going inside? I don't get the concept of paying for a tour company to take you there and just walking around when you get there.

ACCO-DISPO at least i believe just provides mini-bus transport to the chateaux and you pay your own admission fee - not sure but that's how they used to operate. So you could just wonder around Chenonceaux i guess.

Just to clarify, Chenonceau<u>x</u> - with the <b>x</b> - is the name of a small village. The Chateau de Chenonceau - <b>no x</b> - is located just outside the village of Chenonceau<b>x</b>.

Yes and even though i know that i can never remember which one has the x and which one does not

and why or why is this so - that i would like to know

I, too, know that but can never remember which is which.

Explanation is here, though:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Chenonceau

Chenonceau is one of the smaller chateaux and a visit would not take long. IMHO, if you are there, I'd go in. The interior walkway over the small river is very nice. It is one of the nicest ones that I visited.

Claude's wife is said to be the one who changed the spelling of the Château (from Chenonceaux to Chenonceau) to please the villagers during the French Revolution. She dropped the "x" at the end of the Château's name to differentiate what was a symbol of royalty from the Republic. Although no official sources have been found to support this legend, the Château has been since referred to and accepted as Chenonceau.>

thanks St Cirq for the link - though it could be an urban, or in the case of Chenonceau - a rural legend it seems.

now chateaux has an x but one castle would be chateau

perhaps there were more than one village called Chenonceau and collectively they became known as Chenonceaux?

There are rules...and then the exceptions

I stayed at a fabulous inn in Chenonceaux...