I have 9 days to spend in the loire valley. <BR>I am driving and would appreciate suggestions as to which 3 or 4 towns I should stay in to best cover the area.

spent 5 days in loire this fall. stayed in onzaine and amboise. very central next to bloise close to all chateaux <BR>

spent 5 days in loire this fall. stayed in onzaine and amboise. very central next to bloise close to all chateaux <BR>

spent 5 days in loire this fall. stayed in onzaine and amboise. very central next to bloise close to all chateaux <BR>

I was only there for 3 days and stayed at Chateau de Chissay near Montrichard which was very nice. I would stay in Ambroise as a base for that part of the valley. Very nice and just the right size. Lucky you have more time, staying in 3 or 4 places would be what I would do since driving distances were just a bit more than I had expected.

We have been to the Loire Valley on two <BR>different occassions and stayed at eh <BR>

We have stayed in the Loire Valley on <BR>two different occassions, taking the train to Samur and staying at the Moulin <BR>Bregeon. This is similar to a bed and <BR>breakfast with a tour director included. Great area with easy access to lots of major cities like LeMans, Tours , Samur and Angers. It was great to stay in one place but still be able to see so many sights and have the real feel of the french countryside. If anyone would like information please e-mail me. Have fun.

We have stayed in the Loire Valley on <BR>two different occassions, taking the train to Samur and staying at the Moulin <BR>Bregeon. This is similar to a bed and <BR>breakfast with a tour director included. Great area with easy access to lots of major cities like LeMans, Tours , Samur and Angers. It was great to stay in one place but still be able to see so many sights and have the real feel of the french countryside. If anyone would like information please e-mail me. Have fun.

We spent 5 days in the Loire and used the Domaine de la Tortiniere in Montbazon, about 6 miles south of Tours, as our base of operations. This is a very fine country hotel with a great dining room, gardens, a pool (if you're going in warm weather) and friendly service. It was an easy and scenic drive to Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon and Saumur. I recommend it highly. <BR>

I spent 5 days there last summer. I agree Ambroise would be a good place to stay. I was near Chenonceaux; nothing in town but hotels, restaurants, and the castle. I also suggest you avoid Tours. Most places are a comfortable drive from Ambroise, though. And watch out for the tour buses; they're everywhere and insist on the right-of-way. I saw 7 cars backing up around a hazardous corner because 1 bus refused to! <BR>One site I recommend you check out is Loches, off the main tourist track but memorable. It has not been as restored as much as other places, especially the Keep, so it has a different sense of time about it. <BR>Also, if you're into wine tasting, there are lots of local wineries. You can get overloaded on chateaux pretty quickly there. <BR>--Laurie

I stayed in Tours for a month, and found it very handy to get around the area.

Before our trip last fall, we got some great advice on the Loire Valley from this forum. I suggest you do a text search. There should be lots of information there.

We stayed in Chinon during our Loire Valley visit and loved this beautiful town. The wine's great, too. <BR>