ShawnRodgers

We will be driving from Bayeux to Amboise and then to Dijon with our 10 year old in late August. We are spending each night in a Chateux Hotel with a pool. Any suggestions on sites in either of these regions would be great. Burgundy is a region to taste wine. Fun for mom and dad. Not so much for our 10 year old. We have read that Amboise can be somewhat of a tourist trap. Is this true? In the Loire Valley, there are a number of Chateux. We would like to visit one or two and would like to avoid crowds. Is this possible during August? Any suggestions of sites or things to do in either region would be of great help. Thank you.

BigRuss

<<We have read that Amboise can be somewhat of a tourist trap. Is this true?>>

Anyplace can be a tourist trap. Amboise is a nice little town well-situated between Blois and Saumur and without the congestion and gray concrete anticharm of Tours. Amboise also has an underrated castle - take the kid to the Chateau and exit the carriageway exit so s/he can laugh at the gargoyles.

<<suggestions of sites or things to do in either region . . .>>

Um, amount of time in the Loire Valley?

Go here: http://www.loirevalleytourism.com get ideas, develop an itinerary based on your interests.

nytraveler

In august the way to avoid the worst of the crowds is to go first thing in the am - since the tour buses usually won;t arrive until later in the morning. But realistically - Aug will be the most crowded time.

ParisAmsterdam

Avoiding crowds in France in August at major sites is somewhat optimistic. Many people frown on it but I like Amboise. Yes, much of the chateau itself is gone but it occupies a wonderful spot with views over the town and river. I'm sure a 10 year old will be interested in the possible burial place of DaVinci there and that the moat once held lions to whom victims where thrown. And then there's the exit tunnel. I'd have loved it when I was 10.

Just up the street is the Clos Luce where Leonardo lived and worked. IBM engineers built models of some of his inventions and they are scattered throughout the house. A 10 year old should love it... my 15 year old did when we took her a few years ago.

Two other chateaux you shouldn't miss are Chenonceau, extending improbably out over a river and the colossal Chambord, biggest of the Loire chateaux. The latter is also one of the furthest east as you head toward Burgundy. Burgundy also has it's share of castles and fortified towns... should be enough to keep a 10 year old happy.

PalenQ

In Amboise there is a large open-air piscine or municipal swimming pool on an island smack opposite the famous cheateau - my son at that age loved the pool and I loved the view!

Sarastro

If you are familiar with what has happened to Amboise over the last 30 or so years, you might agree that it was a very nice small town that has been overrun with tourists. Maybe even 10 to 15 years ago Amboise had relatively few restaurants and almost no hotels. Today, with the possible exception of l'Epicerie and a few very expensive hotel restaurants, the bulk of the eating establishments currently available cater exclusively to tourists and the tourism trade. This alone does not make it a <i>tourist trap</i> but I can think of many other places I would base myself before I chose Amboise.

Here are two wonderful hotel/restaurants which could easily be used as bases from which to explore the region:

http://www.aubergedelaunay.com/
http://www.lacaillere.com

As for Château Amboise itself, most all of it has been long ago destroyed. If you have 4 or 5 days in the area, definitely take the time to explore it. If your time is more limited, visiting here means you are missing other nearby locations with far more to offer: Chambord with is magnificent architecture, Cheverny with is exquisite furnishings and grounds, or Chenonceau with is charm and interesting background. I would even recommend visiting Château Blois over Amboise as Blois has an intriguing display of contrasting architectural styles which are easily compared by simply standing in its central courtyard.

As has been pointed out, Amboise is best seen and its view best enjoyed from across the Loire River. There is no real compelling need for anyone to venture any closer.

robertcoon

We stayed in Amboise as our home base in the Loire Valley. Didn't think Amboise was particularly special in and of itself, but it was a good location to work from. We visited 3 Chateaus - Chambord, Chenoncheau, and Cheverny. The first two were spectacular. Cheverny is fine, but not remarkable in my view.

We stayed at the Le Pavillon des Lys in Amboise and thought it was very nice. We also stayed at a bed and breakfast in the area that was very lovely and out of the city - Chateau de Nazelles - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ey_Centre.html

BigRuss

<<Avoiding crowds in France in August at major sites is somewhat optimistic.>>

More like nearly impossible.

Blois has contrasting styles, Amboise has da Vinci's tomb and the carriageway exit. Visit both.

Also, look into other places that could be interesting - is the 10-yo a boy? If so, Musee des Blindes in Saumur would make his trip. Cheverny is Marlinspike Hall from the Tintin comics and has the hound feedings.

Also see Fontevreaud Abbey.

SusannahT

One of my favourite chateaux is Chaumont set in a great location above the river in a lovely park with interesting interior.

We enjoyed Amboise but we were there in early December. It has lots of history, albeit some of it gruesome.

http://www.historytoday.com/richard-...-edict-amboise

michele_d

We stayed in Amboise during our time in the Loire and thought it was a great location. Something your 10 year old would probably enjoy a lot is the outdoor evening play put on by the townspeople of Amboise. It is held against the backdrop of the castle and is wonderful to watch. There are animals, lighting, costumes. It is in French but it is definitely not necessary to understand French in order to enjoy the play. I highly recommend it. The website is in French but very easy to navigate. Just click on Aout on the left side of the screen for August dates and you can book right there. It was a great evening and very memorable. Lots of kids in attendance.

PalenQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hoi3lzcDpU

Amboise Son-et-lumiere and it is a really BIG shew as Ed Sullivan would have said - hundreds of townspeople in medieval garb - English seance nightly in season - my about 10-year-old loved it (as well as the one at Azay-le-Rideau, both of us favorite castles) and for Amboise being overrun by tourists that is only true IME in July and August - otherwise it is pretty much a normal French regional town.

Lexma90

When our DS was 10yo, we took him on his first trip to Europe, which included time in London, Paris and the Loire Valley. He loved all three places. We stayed at a chateau hotel outside of Amboise; we liked the experience, but determined that we prefer staying IN towns and villages, so we can walk around, go to cafes, etc. in the evening.

We travelled in a less-crowded part of the year, so I can't help with avoiding crowds, and what Amboise would be like in August (in late September, it was pretty quiet). Our DS did love Clos Luce, as well as the park outside with a number of Leonardo's inventions - it was obvious that this is a common destination for school groups, based on the signage. He loved Chaumont and Chambord in particular, though I think his favorite was the older, more defensive chateau/castle of Fougeres.

Another fun activity was our lunch at Les 2 Caves, in Bourre (3 km east of Montrichard on Route D71). This is a restaurant in a cave; it's definitely a family sort of place, and the food was good, too.

Codeedo

We recently returned from a two week trip to France with our teens and 9 year old daughter. We bicycled for a week in the Loire Valley. We stayed in Amboise for a couple of days and one of our favorite days was biking to the Cher River and canoeing under the Chateau Chenonceau. The river was peaceful and we pulled over on the river banks for a lovely picnic. After seeing so many castles, it is nice to see a castle from a different viewpoint (way less crowded, too).

We found Amboise nice to walk around, not too crowded. When we went up to the castle just before closing one evening there was no one else about. Take your 10 year old to the large chocolate shop on the corner and ask for a sample platter -- they will love that. A visit to DaVinci's house is very worthwhile -- just go early before the crowds arrive. We were there in the late afternoon with a huge group of school children (I would go to great lengths to avoid that!).

Our biggest surprise, though, was our 9 year old's favorite stop -- visiting the Chateau in Chinon. They have added dragons throughout the castle and grounds -- huge inflatable-type things. Hanging from walls, smoke billowing out of nostrils, dragon eggs hatching in hidden areas (I guess this is an attempt to differentiate from the many chateaux in the area). While the rest of the family thought this was sort of a cheesy thing to do to a history-filled castle, our youngest loved it so much, she wanted to return the next day. There is a story for each dragon and she enjoyed reading those, too. It might have helped that on the flight to Europe she read The Dragon's Egg (by Sarah Thompson). Whatever it was, it was nice to see her excited about a castle and felt we actually got our money's worth visiting this one.

If you do go to Chinon, the Hotel Diderot was unique with a charming garden-type courtyard for drinks and breakfast.

PalenQ

the chateau in Loches has some King Looie's infamous Hanging Cages - well replicas of them - still hanging in the dungeons - foes of the king were literally hung out here for ages, in darkness in cages they could not even stand up in. Loches chateau is really a chateau-fort - built for defense not pleasure as most others, like Chenonceau, were.

denisea

Ditto ParisAmsterdam...one thing we loved at Chenonceau was the vegetable garden. All kinds of things growing including dahlias that were taller than I am. Make a reservation for the restaurant there for lunch.

Do hit Amboise early and visit the chateau.