Thank you ggreen! I can't wait to go!!!

P.S. Enjoy your trip to France, ggreen! Hope you see some of those castles, and have a magnificent time.

And Loches and Chinon - two often overlooked castles that are really castles and not chateaux - chateaux were built as pleasure domes not fortified homes like castles.
Loches is a rather grim forboding castle plopped right in the town center. It's known for its Hanging Cages in the dungeons where enemies of the king literally were hung out for years in darkness and in cages they could barely stand in.
Chinon is a largely ruined old fortified castle that guards the confluence of the Loire and Vienne (? i think) rivers right under it. Chinon to me is the most pleasant of all Loire towns and the castle on a hill affords sweeping views - including albeit of one of France's modern monuments - a huge Nuclear Reactor just a few miles away. But Chinon castle is also a Joan of Arc museum for those interested in the Loire's and France's patron saint.

Oh yes, and Chinon wine is terrific!

I don't think I'll be making it to the Loire Valley this trip, but luckily I can partake of its wine in Paris! (Loire wines are so difficult to find here in the US.)

Azay-le-Rideau, Blois and Angers. Chenonceau will be packed with tour buses if you go in the summer. We drove in and made a u-turn.

We'll be there in the middle of May. Are we going to also face a hoard of other tourists like us at these chateaus?

..better than June, July August..The less well known, the smaller the crowd..Chenonceau and Chambord are 2 of the busiest.

We were at Chenonceau and Chambord in June. While they certainly weren't deserted, they were not over-run with tourists (we weren't there on week-ends, if that's a factor). Chenonceau was pretty busy inside, because that's where the tour groups focus, but the grounds and the outbuildings were not crowded at all.
Chambord was interesting...there is a boat service that runs around a good part of the very extensive moat/canal system. When we arrived, nobody seemed to be interested in it, so my husband, the cocker and I got a private tour. It was a lot of fun. As we motored around the section of moat right next to the the chateau, lots of people were watching us and by the time we moored, there was a line for the next trip and the boat was packed for the rest of the time we were there. So if you get there early and want to do the boat trip, do that first before everyone else figured out how much fun it is.
Villandry was not that busy either. The chateaux in Amboise were the busiest with tour groups, but Amboise was, over all, our least favorite part of the entire trip, definitely had the biggest presence of group tours all day and into the evening. We much preferred the western Loire (around Angers) and the Bourges/Sancerre section on the border of Loire and Berry.

Speaking of the western Loire, the Chateau Montgeoffroy is well worth a visit. It was untouched by the revolution and the original furnishings are intact. Members of the original family reside there.

I would have to choose 2 more removed from centre ville: Chambord for its imressive overall effect and Chenonceau for its grace, beauty and history of the women who lived there. Also a great medieval kitchen.

And 2 chateaux for their being at the heart of the city: Blois for it's varied architectural styles and stories of intrigue and, last but not least, Loches for it's "total package" : a true donjon, post-card perfect vision of beauty and strength towering over the town, fantastic hotels/restaurants, gorgious city park along a flowing stream...great ambiance.

Chambord ( a little overwhelming in size, but the grounds are beautiful. You can take a horse-drawn carriage ( un caleche) around them and there's a very good equestrian show.
Azay-le-Rideau ( completely different; you could really live here!)
Saumur -( the chateau is imposing from the other side of the river and the town has memories of Balzac)
When going to the Loire valley, don't miss the "sites troglodytiques' - the cave dwellings - and Amboise, one of the prettiest towns ( free theatre and concerts in the summer as well as hte son-et-lumieres).

Thanks for the info.

David J

Cheverny was much smaller and more homelike, with beautiful furnishings, but I did not think of it as being on the same level as the "big gun" chateau. What was very different at Cheverny, however, were the dogs. They have a hunting pack there who get fed dinner at 5 (although the dinner routine starts about 4:40) and you can watch if you are not squeamish. It made an impression on me I won't soon forget. We did 7 chateau/castles last weekend, Chenonceau was our fav.