Hello all, <BR> <BR>Is it doable to take an early train from Paris to Amboise, visit a few castles, and go back to Paris the same day? <BR> <BR>I also want to visit Chartres. Can I do an easy daytrip from Paris, or can I add it to the return of the daytrip to the Loire Valley? <BR> <BR>Thanks a lot! <BR>Pepe

Problem is, the train takes 2.5 hours to get to Ambroise. You can take a TGV to Tours in 55 mintutes (even though it is farther away)! There are several tour companies that take you to the Chateaux by minibus. Check out: <BR>http://tourevasion.com/ <BR> <BR>Larry

If you take the TGV to Tours you can catch a local train to Amboise. My memory is that it is a very short ride from Tours - certainly quicker than the 2.5 hours from Paris. There are pretty frequent local trains so it shouldn't be too difficult to connect via Tours. I found Amboise to be very interesting - both the chateau and DaVinci's home.

Would it be better to take a train to Tours or Amboise and then rent a car for two or three days to see the castles and sights or to rent a car in Paris and drive over and back? Thanks.

Pepe -- Take the TGV to Tours -- that's what I did. The tourist information center in Tours has all sorts of info about getting to the chateaux. We hooked up with an organized coach tour to several chateaux (& Balzac's house) that was excellent and then took the train back to Paris by dinnertime. A lovely day.

Thank you all for your feedback. Now we are planning to travel by train to Tours and get a tour of some of the castles. <BR> <BR>Your comments were very valuable! Ciao! <BR> <BR>Pepe.

Chartres is only an hour's train ride from Paris, go early in the morning and leave time to explore this charming town. I think the train leaves from the Montparnasse station. Also don't miss Malcolm Miller's guided tour of the Chartres cathedral--do a search on this site for his name, you'll get all the info re his schedule.

pepe, think you made a good choice. our favorite thing was just getting in the car from tours and driving between the castles, stopping in little towns as we felt like it. we liked blois (sp?) a lot also.

Pepe, yes, take the train to Tours, relieving yourself of the responsibility of driving out of Paris, and rent a car for touring the Loire. Be aware that 3 days is often the minimum rental, so you might want to plan a three-day trip to get the most for your car rental money. I think Amboise makes a perfect base for visiting the castles and other sights.

I meant to add that you can end your trip in Chartres and take the train back to Paris from there. There should be no dropoff charge for depositing the car in Chartres.