Loire Valley - Train or Car?
 

My husband and I will be visiting the Loire Valley for 4 days in October and planned to rent a car to see the area. However, I've read that it is easy to get lost and that road signage is sparse - should we just take the train from chateau to chateau?

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

It depends on which Chateaux you plan to visit. Amboise, Chenonceau, and Blois can be visited by rail. Villandry, Chambord, Cheverny and many others don't. You need a bus, a taxi, or a rental car.

you'll enjoy seeing more by car and do it at your leisure.

<i>I've read that it is easy to get lost and that road signage is sparse</i>

I suppose one could become lost but he'd need to be very unaware of his surroundings. A simple map or even a GPS will easily get you to your destination without problems.

Road signs are sometimes different, nothing more than small stone posts along the route, but they are indeed there and sufficiently plentiful to keep the attentive on the correct path.

Are you going from Paris or another city? If so, take the TGV (high-speed train) to your first location and then rent a car there. You can drop the car in a different location. Try kemwel.com for good prices.

Trains can't take you everywhere you'd like to go, the freedom of having a car is wonderful. You can stop at wine caves, picnic along the river, stop at various towns during their market days, etc.

I did the Loire Valley before GPS' were even available... but, if you already have one, download the Europe maps to your existing unit and take it with you. I finally bought one just for my European journeys!

I can't imagine you'd have problems navigating in the Loire valley, at least assuming you'll be there to see the things most tourists go to see. It's a big river. Roads run along it, passing through the towns you'll want to visit. Any decent map will be sufficient to guide you to the major sites, along with road signage (and I've never had any problem with the signage). Using public transportation will significantly hamper your ability to get around.

The Loire valley has a wonderful intercity rail connections. Which city will you be using as a base?. Tours, Blois and Angers make ideal cities from which to see other Loire Valley sites.. The Chateaux of Chenonceaux, Blois and Angers are easily accesible via train.. It really boils down to whether or not you wish to have the flexibility a car affords you..

Many of the chateaux are in tiny towns with no train station. Car is the only sensible way to go unless you're on a tour. the road signs are easy to follow and I don;t see how anyone could get lost unless they don;t bother to get a decent map. (IMHO road signs in eruoep are generally much better and easier to follow than in the US. We spend 6 days in the Loire and how to get from one place to another was never at all unclear.)

I'm with all the others on this. we have toured the area a number of times, AND driving on the wrong side of the road, and hardly ever got lost.

i suppose that if you were using a globe and not a map or GPS you might have problems, but arm yourselves with a map [michelin are pretty good] and take it easy, and you'll be fine.

can I put in a plug for the spectacular potager [posh name for a veg garden, but what a garden!] at Villandry? have a look at the pics on www.chateauvillandry.com to get an idea of what you should expect. as well, we liked Chenonceaux, Saumur [more as a great place to stay, than for the chateau to be fair], and Amboise too, again as a base rather than the chateau, but the Clos Luce [Leonardo da vinci's final home] IS worth a visit. you could also try to see the troglodite wine caves, and if you want to venture further west, head for the puy de fou at Cholet, which is a sort of french theme park, but much much more!

oops - I've just filled well over a week for you, but whatever you do, don't miss Villandry.

I did the Loire Valley for 10 days a few years ago - my first time driving in France, and solo. I was very nervous doing this, but after the first day (when I got lost driving from the car pick-up at St. Pierre des Corps (near Tours) to Amboise!) it was all fine, and easy to navigate around. And people are so nice and helpful, I found. I really enjoyed the driving, and after that trip did more driving trips to different areas of France. I love the flexibility of having a car in the provinces. I stayed in Amboise (I loved the chateau there - much history), Chinon and Saumur. If I had only 4 days, I think I would base in Amboise.

Echoing others' responses, you'll be much happier with a car. many of the chateaux are not easily reachable by public transport. Having a car gives you much more flexibility plus you'll be able to see more places in your given time.

I too would recommend basing in Amboise. It's a cute town.

We went to the Loire 2 years in a row; rented a car both times. The only time we had trouble was our first trip getting OUT of Tours from the St Pierre des Corps station. We didn't have a GPS nor we have a detailed map of Tours (we had a France Michelin map). After that initial snafu, we had no further problems driving in the countryside. The 2nd year we had a GPS and it was easy peasy.

While there is public transportation to or near many of the best châteaux, public transportation will not take you to Chambord or the nearby Cheverny. Having a car will give you a great deal of flexibility and allow you to make the most of your valuable vacation time.

You do not specifically ask about lodging but may I suggest the following as I do not recommend Amboise:

1. The Cheval Blanc in the small village of Bléré, between Chenonceau and Tours. Bléré is much quieter and less touristy than Amboise. This hotel/restaurant changed hands in early 2008 with the long-time owners retiring. Under the new owners, (Hélène et Fabrice Tavernier) the service is reportedly much more efficient but their culinary reputation is yet to be established. During the week (Tuesday to Friday) two courses (entrée and main dish) are €22 with a €7 supplement for dessert. Despite a change of owners, I still find this location worth considering as a place to base oneself.

www.lechevalblancblere.com

2. Personally I enjoy staying in the center of Tours, it's central to all of the châteaux of the valley and there are plenty of restaurants, cafés, museums, and shopping for everyone's taste. There are a number of chambres d'hotes (B&Bs) in Tours as well as outside of town.

For a complete list of area's lodging possibilities, check here:

http://www.ligeris.com/

My favorite hotel in Tours is (with free parking):
Hotel du Manoir :
2, rue Traversière

http://site.voila.fr/hotel.manoir.tours


3. Between Blois and Tours
Auberge de Launay
in a beautiful setting and a wonderful restaurant
http://www.aubergedelaunay.com/

4. Hostel du Roy
in Chenonceaux
http://www.hostelduroy.com/

5. la Ferme des Berthiers
just south of Tours in a very homey setting
http://www.lafermedesberthiers.fr/

6 Near Chenonceaux:

Le Bon Laboureur
http://www.bonlaboureur.com/

7. La Roseraie – Hôtel/Restaurant
http://www.hotel-chenonceau.com/

Thanks for all the comments! I have lived in Paris (18 months) and Tours (3 months) in the past and on a student budget, but have only visited 3 chateaux due to school and work. That was more than 15 years ago....so, we're familiar with the area in general, but not the logistics. Spending a few days in Paris on arrival from the US and the taking the TGV to most likely, Tours. I'd like my husband to see Tours, since it was such an enjoyable part of my life while in France.....Though I will say, I would consider staying elsewhere - any recs for a chateau stay over Tours? or should we split 2 nights Tours and 2 elsewhere?

I wouldn't stay in Tours. Driving in and out of it is such a pain. I'd base in Blois or Amboise and then another western Loire place like Saumur or Angers to cover all the bases. I can understand your wanting to go back and visit Tours, but it's overall a bit of a blight on the region compared to your other alternatives.

If you decide to rent a car you should consider staying at one of the private chateaux that takes guests. We stayed at the Chateau des Reaux (15th century with moat and walls feet thick) near Chinon and it was spectacular - as was the dinner served en famille one evening. But - you can really do this only with a car, since the chateaux are naturally in the countryside rather than in a town.

nytraveler - The Chateau des Reaux looks amazing....any advise for a way to book? I googled it but keep finding an art exhibition site.......

One thing about the signage,
they will post the first big town in your direction
and may not post the village til you drive further on.

Hi leen,

try this link:

http://www.pariserve.tm.fr/hotel-fra...ux/english.htm

it looks lovely. why not one night in Tours so that you can show your DH your old haunts and the chateau, then perhaps after lunch the next day, pick up your car and drive to the chateau or whereever you choose for your 3 night base via a chateau that you want to see.

regards, ann

ps - villandry and Usse are both "en route".

and the lovely Fontevraud Abbey isn't far away either.

I spent 2 nights in Tours before picking up my car for the driving trip. I stayed at the Hotel du Manoir, which was a lovely little place, walking distance to the train station. I enjoyed Tours very much, and thought the cathedral was well worth seeing - beautiful stained glass. I also enjoyed some of the museums. I didn't think Tours was a "blight" at all! However, with only a few days, I wouldn't pick it as a base to see the chateaux, especially with a car. Without a car, it would probably be fine, as there are quite a few minivan tours to the chateaux from the Tours tourist office. And also you have the option of taking trains on your own if needed. The train station is centrally located.

Great info - thanks to all. We've decided to rent the car. But now, I need help with rental location.....we will take the TGV from Paris to St Pierre des Corps on 10/7 - can we rent there? Though what company? Is it worth renting in Paris and returning there? I was thinking we'd rent only for 2 or 3 of our 4 days in Loire Valley - with last day spent in Tours, since we need to be on an early train last day back to CDG.....

leen24

Your trip sounds wonderful. We have visited the Loire twice and rented cars in the center of Tours and in Amboise and it worked out much better in Tours. Family have rented at St. Pierre des Corps with no trouble; if I were to return I would rent there. That said a friend rented the car at Orly and stopped in Chartres on the way to the Loire--I liked that itinerary too.

Driving in the Loire was relatively easy and routes are well marked. We have stayed at Le Vieux Manoir in Amboise and the Chateau de Rochecotte near Langeais not far from the Chateau des Reaux recommended above. We enjoyed both. The Rochecotte was set in beautiful grounds and had a wonderful restaurant. They even brought us dinner on the terrace one night in late September--it was perfect. However we also liked staying in Amboise for the choice of restaurants, the wonderful breakfasts at Le Vieux Manoir, the garden and the historic sites in Amboise.
www.chateau-de-rochecotte.fr/
www.le-vieux-manoir.com/

I would also encourage a visit to Villandry for the wonderful gardens and the small but charming chateau. So lovely. Please post on your return and let us know about your trip.

leen24, there are multiple car rental companies at St Pierre des Corps (the TGV station for Tours). My husband hates driving, so for us, it was worth taking the TGV from Paris to Tours and then rent the car there; if only to take away a few hours' of stressful driving for my husband. Some people think it's a waste of money to take the train and we should just rent the car from Paris and drive it to the Loire. But those people aren't the ones married to my husband and I was more than happy to pay the extra 50 euros for our train tickets to keepy my husband as stress-free as possible.

We rented our car via AutoEurope.

My first solo trip ever to Europe was a car rental in Paris to go visit Loire. First time got lost "found" Fontainebleau and got a private behind scenes tour, second time was on a small road while going cross country...and ended up seeing the most delicious scenery.

So...get the Michelin Green Guide and a Michelin Map for the area. Don't use GPS and let serendipity take over (but agree you would not stay lost for long).

For a treat, in Chenonceaux there is the Bon Laboureur, an inn and restaurant. I accidentally picked it, having seen it in a book and thinking it looked nice.

The softest beds, a nice pool for summer dip, and a gastronomic restaurant. This was my first ever experience at a top end restaurant, and first stay where the guest book included a pope :)

So many great ideas from all of you - thanks!! Another question......can we return the rental car in St Pierre des Corps before the place opens or on a Sunday? We fly back to the US from CDG in the early afternoon and will need to drop the car back off around 8am.

leen24, you have to see if the car company lets you do that or not. Even if the rental company allows you to drop off the car before it opens, I'd make sure that you photograph the car at all angles to document that you didn't return the car with any damages. I've read horror stories where people returned the car before the place opens, and then they got a huge bill of damages/dents/dings etc to the car which they weren't responsible for...

If I were you, I'd just drive directly from Loire Valley to CDG and drop off the car there. That way, you save yourself a lot of schlepping and transferring; plus a lot more time-efficient.

Finalizing hotel reservations - how about an recs for a place in the western Loire Valley? Maybe in Chinon area?

Thanks!

Do it by car ,you will discover a lot of surprising places,there is road signs everywhere, buy a road map and you can buy a Gps Unit for 60 euros directly in any French supermarket

Chinon is a lovely town but I'm sorry I don't have a hotel to recommend there. Our family met up in Chinon traveling from hotels in Azay-le-Rideau (the budget Hotel Val de Loire), Saint Patrice (Chateau de Rochecotte) and Saumur. All are about a 1/2 hour drive from Chinon. We found so many good hotels in the Loire that someone must have one they recommend here.

Hi leen24; Consider this hotel in Chinon, a lovely town. www.hoteldiderot.com/ Richard

leen,
We were just in Loire and they are renovating the castle area in Chinon, so the skyline(cranes everywhere) and the dust might be an issue for you.
For West Loire stay in Azay le Rideau
best town to stay in all of Loire- Amboise(my opinion of course)
Best Chateux outside of a town- Domaine de la Tortiniere in Montbazon(FANTASTIC)

A BIG second recommendation (in support of FrankS) for one or two nights in Azay-le-Rideau! With it's magical moated chateau - which has a lazerlight show in the evenings - the little village is pretty as a picture! I stayed at the Grande Monarch which was within walking distance of the Chateau.
I highly recommend you drive to the picturesque little enclave of Candes-Saint-Martin. Has a lovely old church and a lovely bistro in an ancient old building a few yards away.

In Saumur we did not reserve a hotel room but arrived in front of the Hotel Anne de Anjou and bagged the most enormous room which has a small balcony overlooking the Loire for a greatly (last minute)reduced rate!!

I personally love Tours. The old part is fascinating. And what about St.Gatien??? Don't forget to take your DH to the Abbey gardens next door to see that 1,000 year old Cedar of Lebanon!

Oh, I am sl glad I stumbled on this thread. I stayed up and read up on Loire Valley last night. I will be in France next March. Other than day trips from Paris, this will be the only other area that we will spend time in...

Bookmarking - Great information.

Car, for sure, driving is easy, the chateaux are easier to get to , and the countryside is more lovely by road, than train track, this from one who has done it. :)

Thinking of a winery/chateau trip to the Loire from end to end in February. (1) Are many wineries/caves and tourist facilities (accommodations, restaurants, chateaux) open at this time? (2) Do you need appointments at the caves? (3) Is there a good, up to date guide of caves (or personal recommendations)?

Thanks!

leen24 r"ented cars in the center of Tours and in Amboise and it worked out much better in Tours." We are well seasoned ladies (age wise) and want to rent our car in Amboise as we will be renting an apartment for a week there Why was your experience to much better renting a car in Tours vs Amboise.]??????.

Scootoir on Sep 20, 09 at 9:45pm it was you I should have been asking my question about renting a car in amboise vs Tours Why was one better than the othera?