bakerstreet,
How old are you, where are you arriving to CDG from and what airline class are you flying.

The reason I ask these questions? The older we get the more we pamper ourselves (I'll be 74 by then and my wife a year younger). We are very active, exercise and bike. Depending upon where you're flying from and which class will indicate in what condition you will arrive.

We're arriving in Paris on July 8th and leaving on July 20th. Over the years we're been to Paris several times and it's the one city I don't just wandering around if if things are repeated. However, on this trip we are taking a 1 night side trip to Brugges (we were there about 10 years ago and we thought is was a beautiful small city) and a 2 night side trip to the Loire Valley (never been).

As part of pampering we're keeping our hotel in Paris so that we'll only bring with a small backpack each. Our luggage will remain in Paris is our hotel room.

While we are both in shape and can walk all day, my wife isn't an early morning person. So we'll take the 10:24 train from Paris Montparnasse to Tours arriving at 11:31. We'll pack our backpacks so that one can be left at the hotel even if we can't check in yet.

In Tour we're staying at the Oceania L'Univers on Boul Heurteloup. It's 4 star hotel and only a 4 minute walk to/from the train station. One person did comment that it's a top hotel.

If we are able to catch the 11:57 (that's about 25 minutes between trains) train arriving in Chenonceau at 12:21 that would be great, otherwise we'll take the 13:17 arriving at 13:44.

I will look into taxis from Chenonceau to Amboise. If it's possible and half reasonable it makes a lot of sense to not be at the mercy of the train schedule. The train leaves Chenonceau at 16:35 arriving at Amboise 17:21. While the train is possible the taxi may be better. It the taxi is not a viable plan we might take the later train from Tours and still have 3 hours at Chenonceau.

I'm leaning more and more away from the mini-van tour. You spend an hour at Cheverny and about 1 1/2 hours at Chambord (their response to my email request).

What we may do the day we go to Chambord is as follows. Take the train from Tours to Blois and the Navette bus to Chambord. Depending on how that work we'll either take the later Navette bus to Cheverny then to Blois to train back to Tours. That's a lot of depending upon schedules. What we may do is take the Navette back to Blois after Chambord and walk (only a couple of minutes) to Chateau Blois. This way we don't have to worry about the Navette to Blois and catch the train back to Tours.

We'd then go to Cheverny and possibly Chaumont the next day. You don't have the time to do that.

I'm an amateur photographer so wandering and taking photos could take up time. So I'm fine spending extra time anywhere. And not being rushed is a luxury.

So, hopefully without rushing we could end up visiting:
Chenonceau
Clos Luce
Chambord
Cheverny
Blois
Chaumont

The last decision we'll have to make and well in advance to get a decent train price is the return to Paris.
17:08 - 18:26
18:12 - 19:26
20:10 - 21:17

Right now I'm leaning toward 18:12.

I hope all this makes sense to you.

We have an day more than you to so you may have to make different choices.

Palenq,

Biking from Chateau Chenonceau to Clos Luce would take a little under an hour. We're looking at mid-July and getting all sweaty in the middle of the day may not be comfortable.

Also, where do we get the bikes and do we then have to bike back to return them to where ever.

StCirq,
Tough to get a real taxi estimate but I tinkered with that link and it came up with about $25 or 20E.

That's what a train would cost for both of us.

If so, that would be well worth it.

Of course, the charge could go up depending on what the charge is for the driver to return to Chenonceau without a fare.

Great food for thought.

Options open a bit you you consider that sunset is a little before 10PM.

Some of the chateaux are open until 7 or 8PM.

I can see myself dropping off my wife at the hotel for a couple of hours and going back to one of the closer chateau for some sunset photos.

Thanks all.

<<Of course, the charge could go up depending on what the charge is for the driver to return to Chenonceau without a fare.>>

Do you know that the taxi would originate in Chenonceau and have to return?

Check the Chenonceau website - they almost always list taxi companies. Or just google chenonceau taxi and call or email for info.

StCirq,

I will look at the various angles for a taxi as that would be a great option.

Thanks.

Was not suggesting you bike - just said that to say how close the two places are.

Palenq,

We bike quite a bit. Four or five times a week we bike a couple of miles to Panera Bread where my wife has a coffee.

Getting taxi information doesn't come easy.

I even emailed the hotel where we're staying and got a canned response. I may call them.

<<Getting taxi information doesn't come easy.>>

https://www.taxiproxi.fr/estimer-et-...mboise-le-jour

32 euros for a 7-mile trip - seems cheaper than taking trains via St-Pierre-des-Corps to Amboise. Or a nice hike?

Go back to nearest chateau from central Tours? Unless have a car or taxi hard to do go and back by trains.

Palenq,
I could understand what you meant. Please try again.

I meant to write I couldn't understand what you meant. Sorry for typo.

I meant that if you go back to Tours hotel and hope to get to a real cheatau after that - what chateau could that be - none in Tours area.

I assume you meant after visiting Chenonceau.

Well, if I can't work out a taxi from Chateau Chenonceau to Clos Luce I guess I would probably take a 14.35 train from Chenonceau to Amboise (change in Tours) arriving at 15:21. It's 46 minutes. Then, of course, we would have to get from the train station to Clos Luce. Not too bad though not as good as a taxi directly between Chenonceau and Clos Luce.

We're in mid-July and sunset is pretty late. Clos Luce is open until 8PM.

From Amboise train station to Clos Lucé is less than 2 km, or a 20/25 min. walk.

Palenq,
I could understand what you meant. Please try again>

You were sying above that you would drop wife off at Tours hotel and then go take pictures of some chateau at sunset.

Well unless you arrive back in Tours early in afternoon - unlikely on that day - then what chateau could you head off to for such photos - if you had a car yes but by public transit no. Taxi yes, Just thinking local trains and buses from Tours don't run very late at night. There is no chateau in Tours except the Chateau d'Eaux! Maybe you have found one?

Oh. Now I understand what you were getting at.

I think I was just dreaming. I doubt if I'll go back out late. This is what I do in a city such as Paris or Rome. After dinner my wife may want to go back to the room to read and I go out and take pictures.

But I just checked and the trains from Tours to Amboise and Blois run in both directions until well after 10PM.

Yes good plan - I though maybe your were visiting other castles since you would have already seen Ambois and Blois but for sunset photos makes sense to go back - to Amboise IMO - Blois castle looms high above the Loire but a languid blah stretch of it and faces south. Since the subn sets at that time in far northwest Amboise' chateau would shine and the Loire by it so so neat - throw in the ancient stone bridge and voila! and from Amboise train station it's about a mile hike to the Loire bridge and such scenes - I've been on that island many times camping with my son as I said above and have seen many a neat sunset across wide often sandy Loire from there and of the chateau overlooking Loire:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ambo...w=1920&bih=949

So brilliant plan!

There's a good chance we won't get to visit Chateaux Amboise and Azay-le-Rideau. Those are the two closest to Tours. Amboise is a closer walk since I probably won't go closer than the middle island.

If I end up going for sunset. So we'll see.

Myer, we have been to the Loire since I last posted on this thread. FWIW, here was our schedule.
Took the 10:24 TGV to St-Pierre-des-Corps and hoofed it, quickly, to change trains there to Amboise (I think we had six minutes) and arrived just after 11:30. (This saved us quite a bit of time as the next train was at least an hour away.) Walked into Amboise (about 30 mins towing bags) and left them at Le Clos d'Amboise.
Had some lunch at a nearby bakery, then walked to Le Clos Luce. We really liked this place, spent the afternoon here.

Next day: took the bus to Chenonceau from Amboise

https://www.remi-centrevaldeloire.fr/itineraire

the schedule when we took it, it left 09:48 arr 10:20 but double check.). Bus was fast (30 minutes or so) and cheap - under 5 euro for two. In November there were no taxis waiting for fares at Chenonceaux station, just a heads up. Now, here's the thing: you are going in July, which can be VERY busy at Chenonceau with long queues from what I have read. Go early or go late is the advice, so that might be a factor for you.

Us, in November on a weekday, we walked straight in (I even had taken the precaution of buying tix in advance and printing them out.) Don't try to take any food in with you to the grounds - they search your bags! Anyway, we were there almost exactly 3 hours as our train back to St. Pierre-des-Corps (and onward to Amboise or Tours) left 13:15. We took the train back (E15 for two) as the bus schedule back was less convenient. That brought us into Amboise around mid afternoon. We relaxed around Amboise but if we had wished, we could have taken in the chateau there.

If we had wanted to see Cheverny-Chambord by navette, I think I would have moved hotels to Blois for two nights, and spent the day doing the two by navette. We didn't do these chateaux this time, but again a warning: in July, things can be busy, don't expect to rush around unless you are on one of those acco-dispo style tour things.

Bakerstreet having just done this:

1. I considered having us do as you are thinking, going straight from CDG to Tours. I am glad we did not attempt this, but went the following morning instead. After landing at CDG at 8:30 we weren't even at our hotel in Paris until after 11:00, and that is without having to allow 'buffer' time to catch a major train. Then after that long flight we needed to catch our breaths for at least an hour. If you do decide to go the day you arrive (and people HAVE done this apparently) , I would caution about trying to see one of the major chateaux that same day. Too many moving parts, if you get me. Go for a less well visited one at least.

2. Re seeing another couple of chateaux before you go back to Paris: if you are on a tight time line you definitely will need a car, and hope also you don't run into crowds (school kids often are on vacation in April (this year vacances scolaire printemps, i.e. spring, is from anywhere from 7 april to 30 april - different regions of France stagger the time periods.) Again you might be lucky and hit a quiet day...or not.

If you decide to rent a car, you can do so at St-pierre-des-corps, which is a train station on the suburbs of Tours (but apparently gets more train traffic than Tours itself, go figure.) I think it might be a quieter place to pick up a car. We didn't car it this time but my experience has been that if one is in a hurry, the car rental agent will not be. Again, just something to consider.

In other words, if you are going to do this, my suggestion is to allow at least 2 nights and a full day.