Hello,
Wondering if coming into Paris 8am from USA april 23rd, hopping on high speed to Bloise for one day for Chambord castle then Amboise to see Chenoceau the next 2 day, then apparently a train out of Tours headed to Rennes with a stop in Lemans is a happy plan. My kids bought me a cooking class in lamballe area april 28 so I'm looking foward to getting extras in. My thought at Lamballe is to somehow get up to coast and get a hotel for one night before getting into cooking class on 28th I appreciate any thoughts or ideas.

How are you planning to get from Blois and Amboise to those chateaux?

You can actually go all the way to Chenonceau by rail but it takes a while.

Are you willing to rent a car? I would take the TGV to Tours and go from there to save some time perhaps.

AH, Thank you Dukey,
Ive been crazy with ideas. Firstly; Paris to valley for 2 nights,(or should I figure 3) then figure out trains to Rennes-Lamballe area and if you thought time allows to get north of Lamalle by bus or train to coast(or your suggestion) east of St.Brieuc for a b and b or hotel on the water or view it. Then I have to be in Lamballe to get picked up by my cooking class representative. Then lastly Train to Paris to meet bro and sis in law for the week where I will be attending pastry classes.I have thought of car rental to Chambord but:' that's only if there is no other transportation. I'm hoping to get a train to Bloise for Chambord and find a tour carriage that takes one directly to castle, is that possible also?
My daughter is helping me with french now and I feel a little anxious about all the train connections, is it a big bite for me? Thank you sooo much for your help. You have bakers hours I see, or you just like getting up early. Diane

Based on your itinerary you really need to rent a car. Granted many - but definitely not all - of the places you want to go are reachable by train - this is local trains that are few and far between.

Most of the chateaux are in very tiny villages without train service - and with daily buses for residents that only run once or twice per day. This deep in the countryside you really need to drive unless you are willing to spend many hours on local trains - and miss some places completely,.

It's Blois, not Bloise. And no, this itinerary is not easily do-able by train, never mind a high-speed one. I would take the train from Paris to Tours, rent a car there, and make your way from there. You can't go châteaux-hopping by train.

If you absolutely do not want to drive, take the TGV from CDG to Tours and take a local chateau tour from there.

Driving imo is preferable but just google "loire chateau tours from tours" and you'll find several options.

I think Chambord is not that easy to get to, but I've visited Chenonceau without a car. It has a train station and there are buses that go there in that area. There is a bus shuttle from Blois to Chambord but not during APril, it runs May to September. Your timing isn't the best for some of those things, that's all, I don't think it's that hard from Blois in peak season.

didee - not surprisingly there are load of companies offering guided tours of the chateaux.

your best bet may be the ones offered by the tourist office in Tours - here's the link to their website in english:

http://www.tours-tourisme.fr/excursi...de=28&idopt=43

it may give you some ideas, anyway.

with a car - stay at Amboise, go everywhere.
without a car - go to Tours, spend 3 nights there. There's a direct train to Chenonceau. For Chambord, try an excursion:
http://www.tours-tourisme.fr/excursions_en.php?id=14
The next day, don't miss Amboise. It's a really beautiful town.

Hi, I have a link to some great information provided by some wonderful Fodorites...I took a train from Paris to Tours and met a pre-arranged tour there. It was well-organized. If I were to do it all over again, I would stay in Ambroise overnight and take the same tour company to the other chateaux. Just my take on it. I didn't have enough time to do that this time around. You can find the info here "day tours - Loire Valley" under my name. Good luck and have fun.

Thank you all so much for your help. When I head to coastline either St. Nazaire to the west or noth st. Brieuc is there a preference that you have? I'll have 2-3 days before my cooking class on 28th in Lamballe area that can be used to stay on the water and other. Thank you.

Oh, sorry, is it advisable to buy tgv ticket to Tours then to Amboise in advance of landing in Paris or just get my bags and acquire one there. Thank you

Buying far in advance can save you lots of $$, and you must have a reservation on the TGV: www.sncf.com or www.tgv-europe.com.