How long is it necessary to visit the Loire Valey and where is the best city to stay?<BR>We intend to stay in Tours and to drive around from Nantes to Orleans. Is it useful?

you'll love Tours. It depends on how many chateaux you'd like to visit. Some might say that if you've seen one you've seen em all. But I think each one's a little different and worth seeing. So probably 2 to 3 days ought to cut it.

Eduardo:<BR><BR>How long you stay depends on your level of interest in what the Loire valley has to offer. Some would say a couple of days is adequate; others would say three weeks. <BR><BR>I would opt to stay in Amboise or Blois. Tours has some nice points, but it's a big place with bad traffic and you'll lose precious time getting in and out of it. And the general ambience in Amboise and Blois is far more appealing.

If you're interested in visiting the major chateaux, probably three days would be enough. Amboise is a charming place to base yourself.

I stayed 1 night on my first trip, 6 nights on my second trip and 9 nights on my third trip. Just depends on what you want to do. I like to stay in the little village on Onzain, but if i had to pick a bigger place, I would choose Amboise. I think Tours is too big and the location of Amboisae is slightly better than Blois