wow! thanks to you all again for taking the respond...fun to wake up to so many suggestions!

palenQ and toujoursVoyager - great stepping off points and encouragement for carving out a day or two in the loire. I do love the idea of sleeping in a castle (can we all agree that THAT is romantic? ) i'll continue to look more into Amboise.

<You don't have your daughter with you so you can move with more ease. Like Greg said, you will be back in Paris. I am sure you will be excited to show it to your daughter.> - this is exactly how I feel!

SBBill - my husband loves any excuse to ride a bike, so i'll be mentioning the fat tire tour to giverny for sure. it sounds lovely!

"wow! thanks to you all again for taking the respond...fun to wake up to so many suggestions!"

It's what we do...sometimes better than other times.

Greg's point is well taken. Paris is a good gateway so if you have any interest in going back you can find an excuse to spend a day or two in Paris. On a first trip you could easily spend all six days there, if you like it. You could be flexible with day trips using Paris as a base. I personally would do the Loire with a car over a few more days, but PQs idea has merit for a teaser.

If Loire only as a day trip I'd certainly do a tour.