The Loire Valley, France
 

We are going to spend 4 days in the Loire Valley in May. Do we need a rental car or is there some mass transit beside the bicycle? My friend and I are in the late 50's and fairly fit. Thank you.

I would rent a car. The most beautiful chateaux are on the countryside, and many are pretty remote from towns. Only a few are accessible by public buses and if you use them, you will loose much time. IMO, distances are too great for bicyling. A rental car is the best option. You will enjoy leisurely driving through rolling hills.

I have to say that a few years when we were your age we did a 9 day bicycle trip in the Loire Valley, and it remains one of our favorite trips. If you find a way to cycle for a day, do it. The two other people who did the same route with us were in their early 70s.

No, there is no mass transit. It's rural for the most part. To see it well, you'll need a car. A bicycle outing for a day would be enjoyable.

You certainly do NOT need to have a car to see the famous chateaus that brings you here for there are several mini-bus tour groups that will cart you to and from the castles, often from your hotel - ACCO-DISPO is just one of these that has been around a long long time.

Amboise is a great Loire base for folks without cars (and for folks with cars too) - has its own great castle and other sights and is a sweet small town on the languid Loire River. ACCO-DISPO and other mini-bus tours will take you from Amboise to nearby castles like Chenonceau, Chambord, Azay-le-Rideau, etc.

So no reason to go thru the huge expensve of renting a car just to get to the chateau - and Amboise has great rail service from Paris.

ACCO-DISPO organizes pre-guided tours for small and medium sized groupes ranging from 2 to 8 participants in de luxe air conditioned minibuses with sound ...
http://www.accodispo-tours.com/engli...xcursions.html

>>>the huge expensve of renting a car <<<

A rental car is cheap. The minibus service (in fact, a limo service) is expensive.

Echnaton - please tell me how 51 euros for the following one-day mini-bus excursion is more expensive than renting a car - the fuel alone for this route may exceed 51 euros and a person not familiar with the area would be pressed to even drive such a circuit - here you visit three of the most famous Loire castles and drive by to view from the outside - IMO often as nice as going into the castle.

So what would a one-day car rental cost? Less than 51 euros, including gas?

CHENONCEAU (Visit)
The most visited Château in the Loire Valley.

Lunch break in AMBOISE

CHAMBORD (Visit)
The largest Château in France after VERSAILLES.

CHEVERNY (Visit)
Private property for seven centuries, with an unusual furniture collection, one of the richest in the area.

AMBOISE (Vue)

CHAUMONT (Vue)

BLOIS (Vue)
Price: 51 Euros/Pers

Definitely rent a car. Why have a pre-guided tour when you can control your own itinerary, skip the chateaux you don't want to see and maybe see some that highly worthwhile but aren't on everyone's to do list (Beauregard, Cheverny).

should have said this was from the ACCO-DISPO site and they also have cheaper half-day tours - so for someone spending four days they could take a few half-day tours and just explore Amboise or some other base the other days - and there are trains that you could say, from Amboise go to Tours, Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon, Chaumont, etc.

Even Chenonceau can easily be reached by train from Amboise.

Cars in the Loire are great - i have bicycled the whole of this area many times and yes ther are sweet back roads, etc.

But i was only answering the OP's question ' Do you need a car' and no you do not need a car, even though it may be great to have a car. Not everyone is comfortable driving in a foreign country like veteran travelers may assume.

We spent 3 days in Amboise in september 2008 and did not have a car. We(in our 50s) rented bikes one day and rode to Chenonceaux, stopping at a vineyard. The other days we walked over to Chateau Amboise & Clos Lucé.It`s quite doable, however if I had to redo it, 2-3 days more in the area, rent a car, and visit the chateau and town of Blois and maybe one more chateau. Keep in mind,you can go on overload seeing too many chateaus....

A car is absolutely the way to go. Most of the chateaux are in the countryside and served minimally by pubic transit (1 or 2 buses a day). Also with a car you an stay in one of the private chateaux- rahter than a hotel - for a truly unique experience.

Biking for a day would be fun - but not practical for seeing chateaux given the distances.

There are mini bus tours - but they seem to herd people around at warp speed rather than let you spend time in the places that interest YOU and leave sooner the ones you find less interesting.

We stayed in a 15th century castle near Chinon which was charming and inexpensive. And the dinner one evening en famille for about a dozen guests was a great experience.

IMO you will want a car. It will give you the freedom to stop and take your time.

How are you getting there? Train from Paris? It's very easy to get a car at the train station, and the driving is also easy (other than right in the city of tours, get your car and get out into the countryside)

For 4 days I suggest basing yourself in or near Amboise. That was our first trip for 4 days and we loved it so much we returned for another week the next yaer.

I have a friend who lives in the Loire who posts on slowtrav.com.
ckenb who may be of help.

cigalechanta, I tried the website you gave and was not able to find your friend. Would it be possible for you to ask him or her to visit the Forum at Fodors so he or she can give some inputs. Thank you so much.

You can check out the distances of each of the major towns via myweekin.net see Loire Valley, then maps, this way you can see if need a car. I lived in Tours for 5 years so know all the villages, why not plan your trip, if you stay in Tours centre ville you can catch a train to Amboise and Saumur just you better get your timetable right, you can wait up to 2 hours...personally a car gives you freedom, check out the distances then decide. Also you may want to drive to a special place for lunch...depending upon where you stay I'd be happy to recommend for quality places.

Hi Aliwallace, We will take the Corail from Paris to Amboise. We stay at B&B le Manoir de la Maison Blanche. This is our first time to stay over night at the Loire Valley. We like to see Chenonceaux, Chamboise and Cheverny. This trip is an introduction to the area because we will be back for longer time. We like to explore and need to know if a car is needed for 3 full days. You are absolutely correct when you mentioned the timetable. Special places for lunch would be fantastique.

I think your question has been answered. No, you don't NEED a car - there are other options - but you will probably have a more flexible and enjoyable trip if you rent one because otherwise you will be limited to where you can go and at what times you must go.

L'Epicerie in Amboise is a nice restaurant. Be sure to visit the Clos Lucé there as well as the château. The Saturday market is also good fun.

What day is the best to visit the market in Amboise? Are there other markets in the area that you like as well?

The main market day in Amboise is Sunday; there is a smaller one on Friday.