Right now, we're planning to visit Saumur on Sunday (THIS Sunday, in fact). I just realized I don't even have a map of Saumur, so I'll make sure I have one before I leave.

My understanding is the town is compact. When we drive into the town, will there be parking near the Chateau? Can we park there all day (again, a Sunday) and walk to the rest of the town & the river?

Or, if we park at a metered spot on the street, do we have to pay for parking on a Sunday?

[The reason I ask is because last year we got a parking ticket in Vendome as we parked in an illegal spot. The spot was painted with blue lines instead of the usual white lines. To this date, I still don't know what violation was that, but we paid the ticket.]

I was in Saumur in June but not on a Sunday. There was parking right by the chateau but I don't remember how long you could park there.

Was the parking free next to the chateau? Is it close enough to walk into town center & river?

I was there about 5 years ago and there was parking near the chateau and I do not remember having to pay.

My recollection is that there is not a great deal of parking space at the chateau, but that that not that many people seek to park there, anyway.

There is plenty of parking space in Saumur, particularly by the river and at the Cadre Noir (near the town centre). Much of it is pay-and-display, but I think it might be free on Sundays. It makes as much sense to park at one of those locations as at the chateau if you are thinking of walking between them in any case.

[Parking places marked in blue are "zone bleu", prime locations where time restrictions apply -- typically a maximum of one hour, sometimes two.]

yk:

We were in the Loire in June, and we stayed in Blois for 3 days. It is very difficult to find parking in the center, however, you can park on the island right in the middle of the Loire river and there's plenty of free parking there. The farthest point on the island is about a 15 minute walk to the castle. I don't even know if the island has a name as it is part and parcel of Saumur, but the main street is du Général de Gaulle, and is a continuation of the main street of the Saumur town center.

For more details, check out my web page about this trip. Here's the URL:

http://www.travel.stv77.com/loire/loire.htm

yk,

I don't think that I had to pay to park next to the chateau, but I don't remember for sure.

I didn't walk from the chateau to the river, but it didn't seem like too long of a drive. However, the chateau is quite a bit above the town & river. I don't know how far a walk it would be from the chateau down to the river, but it would be quite an uphill walk on the way back.

BTW, I'd also recommend visiting Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud
and/or Angers if you have the time.

Also, is the chateau open now? The inside was closed when I was there in June.

I don't think the chateau interior is open yet, but the grounds are open from what I could gather on various websites.

We will be visiting Angers also, but we already have been to Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud last year.

Perhaps we can park at the Chateau first when we arrive, then decide if we want to walk vs drive down to the town/river.

In June the chateau was still closed.

If you are staying at the Hotel Anne d'Anjou (hope I have that name right) which is right below chateau, they have parking right behind the hotel.