Kwoo

You can click on my name to read my trip report from last August. We spent a week in Paris, then 3 nights in the Loire Valley. We stayed in Blois for 2 nights & Chinon for one night. Visited 3 chateaus, a winery for wine tasting, & drove to smaller towns that are on a list called "100 most beautiful towns/villages in France". We loved all of our locations; also had dinner in Loches, visited chateau in Langeais, & had lunch in Saumur, & enjoyed those towns, too.

Can anyone tell me how I can create a link to my trip report, like Maitaitom?
Thanks.

mr_go

Location-wise, we absolutely enjoyed staying near Chinon. It's a terrific town in its own right, and puts you within striking distance of a lot of interesting things (Angers in the west to Blois in the east, and all points in between).


Kwoo: Just open your report, copy the URL and paste it into your reply. The link will be coded automatically.

FrenchMystiqueTours

I just posted a reply on another thread about Loire valley châteaux because I just discovered a really amazing looking château with gardens and it's only about 10km from Chinon. I've never been to this place and I've never heard it mentioned anywhere but if you've exhausted your list of all the major châteaux in the Loire this looks like a good château to start your discovery of the lesser known châteaux in that region. The château I mentioned is called Château du Rivau and it's located in the town of Lémeré about 10km from Chinon. It's a real fairytale looking château and the gardens look gorgeous. They have a very extensive website that you could probably spend an hour looking into. Here is the website:

http://www.loire-castle-rivau.com/

Here is a great website about Loire Valley châteaux:

http://www.chateaux-de-la-loire.fr/c..._the_loire.htm

Dr_DoGood

Hotel Diderot in Chinon.

I got the recommendation on these boards a decade or so - and so glad I did. Wonderful little town to base yourself in and an absolute gem of a small hotel.

I've subsequently stopped there on numerous occasions en route between UK and the South Of France and It never fails to be a delightful stop over. Breakfast confitures to die for!

Second the suggestion above that Amboise is to be avoided in the summer months.

Dr D.

Kwoo

Thanks, Mr. Go.

lyb

Thanks to everyone I now have my itinerary, it was surprising how many hotels were already booked for my dates in the first two weeks of September. My first two choices in Paris, the hotel Diderot in Chinon & quite a few others, but first rule of is to stay flexible, right.

So here it is:

Sept 1 - 6: Paris at Hotel Paris Rivoli in the Marais
Sept 7 - 10: Blois at Hotel Anne de Bretagne
Sept 11 - 12: Chinon at Hotel Anne Sorel
Sept 13 - 14: back to Paris at Hotel L'Université in St Germain-des-Prés

Now on to loosely plotting the daily activities, I never set an absolute schedule. I know what I definitely want to see & always leave room for surprises.

roguemckenzie

bookmark!