We will have 3-4 days in France from the end of July to first part of August. Any suggestions regarding one day river cruises, castles, quaint villages and /or easy walking trails in the Loire Valley? Also hotels and restaurant ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

We stayed in Amboise during our visit to the Loire. We attended the son et lumiere at the Amboise Castle one evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. All the actors are locals who work for months to put on the show. They are also the actors. I didn't know what to expect but it was fantastic: horses, jugglers, acrobatics all along with a story line. Great way to spend the evening.

http://www.renaissance-amboise.com/i...ref=BC71375081

There are many great chateau in the Loire. They each have their own unique attractions, be it gardens, spiral staircases, fully furnished, unfurnished, hunting hounds etc. You need to read up on them and pick a couple to visit. Do not overload on the chateau. A few will last you a long time.

Michele is right; it's easy to overdose on chateaux.

If you want adorable villages, Montresor and Chedigny are fairly close together. Candes-Saint-Martin and Montsoreau are actually side by side and it's hard to tell when you've left one and entered the other.

Here's a link to Loire Valley tourism's list of possible hikes:

http://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk...rom-3-to-15-km

The only real river cruise goes around Chaumont - a chateau near Amboise - most of the Loire is too low to allow passenger boats but this stretch is - nothing to rave about though IME.

Amboise is the perfect base - are you going by car or public transports?

For cruises on the Loire:

Near Saumur:
http://www.croisieressaumurloire.fr/

Near Amboise/Chaumont:
http://milliere-raboton.net/Welcome.html

There are also canoe trips departing from Amboise:
http://www.loire-aventure.fr/

Despite the fact that some feel Amboise is "too touristy" and others have used the term "honky tonk" to describe the place, we found it an ideal place to base ourselves. However, we did have a car which we found to be very useful in getting to the various chateaux which were our primary focus.

We also enjoyed an early morning hot air balloon ride above the area. That sound and light show we weren't real impressed with but that's an obviously very subjective judgement and your own experience may obviously be quite different.

I can't imagine getting a real feel for the Loire without a car. Loved picking up items at the street market in Amboise in the morning and finding the perfect pique-nique spot for lunch. Some of our best memories.

I can't imagine getting a real feel for the Loire without a car.>

Or bicycle is even better IME - done both several times - you can rent bikes easily in Amboise and some hotels may even provide them - a classic ride goes about 15 miles thrua lush forest on nice untravelled side roads to Chenonceau and Chenonceaux Chateau - the most famous and picturesque of all Loire castles.

Balloon rides are also neat if you're on a big budget as they cost a ton of money I think. dukey - how much does a balloon ride cost? Curious as to affordability.

I doubt we will have a car. We would like to experience the Loire Valley by train, or bus or private driver (taxi). We will be coming from Switzerland with 3 to 4 days in France before our flight home from Paris. Renting bikes is an option and we like to hike. I will check Amboise for a home base of sorts and also the villages of Montresor and Chedigny. Thanks for the suggestions. We have not been in France since 1972 so have lots of studying to do!

I would love to bike. Husband has a calcium growth on a butt bone (for lack of a better term)from a teenage soccer injury and cannot ride a bike. It would be a lovely way to see the valleys and chateaux. I would get a bike with a basket to carry our picnic and set off for the day. Fun!

If I did not have a car (and you should have one), I would only consider Tours as a base from which to explore. Only Tours will have the bus and train connections allowing you to see much of anything in such a short period of time.

In Tours, I would stay between the train station and Place Plumereau; an area with hotels, restaurants, museums, and a bit of night life. The rest of the city is not interesting for tourists.

http://www.tours-tourism.co.uk/

Before you commit to a place such as Amboise, take a close look at where the trains go (the train station itself is a bit of a hike away from town) and what buses are available. Amboise is really a small town that swells like a bee sting in summer months as it becomes inundated with tourists.

Only Tours will have the bus and train connections allowing you to see much of anything in such a short period of time.>

Well Amboise has frequent trains that take about 20 minutes to St-Pierre-des-Corps - the mainline station in Tours - the Tours station itself is a deadend so Amboise is just about as convenient for trains as Tours - in each case you have to take a train to St-Pierre-des-Corps.

Plus Amboise, like Tours, offers several minibus tours of a half and a full day going to some major chateaus - getting to the castles from Amboise is at least as easy as from Tours IME - so I disagree with Sarastro on this. Amboise also has its own great chateau - Tours has none - Tours is a nice but rather big town - don't get me wrong but most folks will enjoy basing in Amboise much more.

And getting to Chambord, the biggest and most monumental of the Loire chateaus is easier from Amboise as you have to take a train to Blois then a bus - from Tours you have to take a train to St-Pierre-des-Corps then change to a train that goes thru Amboise to Blois. The Amboise station is however a 15-minute or so walk from the town center.

For lots of good info on French trains check: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. These are mainly regional trains so just show up and buy ticketes - no viable discount for buying way in advance like on high-speed TGV trains.

St Pierres des Corps is the central station for TGVs in this region but Tours Centre is the hub station for TER/Intercité trains. Trains that go to or near all of the major châteaux and other tourist distentions in this part of France all start and end at Tours Centre. Here is a map that offers a clear picture of the transportation options by rail:

http://www.ter.sncf.com/medias/PDF/c...cm56-27689.pdf

For transportation by bus, Tours is the hub from which most all regional bus lines originate:

http://www.tourainefilvert.com/ftp/F...OCT%202012.pdf

From the Office de Tourisme in Tours, located just across the street from the train station, there is a large number of minibus tour options which can take you to a variety of local tourist destinations:

http://www.tours-tourism.co.uk/loire...hateaux/France

I like these hotels, from 5 to 15 minutes on foot from the train station:

http://www.bestwesterncentralhoteltours.com/
http://www.lamaisonjules.com/
http://www.hotel-ronsard.com/
http://hotel.manoir.tours.voila.net/
http://www.hotel-ladresse.com/

There are a good number of restaurants and cafés along rue Colbert and surrounding Place Plumereau.

If you are considering staying in Amboise without a car, you should know that the train station is 1.8km, (over 1 mile) from the center of town and Mappy computes the walk at 27 minutes:

https://tinyurl.com/walk-from-the-station

We now are considering a car rental. When traveling by train we stay near the stations so I appreciate the hotel recommendations. Since we have such a short time in the Loire Valley it might make sense to have a car so we can absorb as much as possible.

I think that is a great idea!

Tours is a great city IMO but many here have said they did not especially like it - perplexing but it is a largish city - Amboise or Chinon, etc are much smaller gems that many people do like, they say. I always advise basing in Amboise and perhaps taking the mini-bus tours from there to some of the great chateaus - even from Tours rail service is spotty to places like Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon, Loches, etc.

and again Amboise is only a half hour or so from Tours to connect with trains there. But most will like the mini-bus tours a lot better.

Here is one very established mini-bus tour company and private cars too:

http://www.accodispo-tours.com/

Cars are nice to have in this area where public transporation is rather lacking but you do not need a car to visit many chateaus - Chambord is reached by bus from Blois - Chenonceaux by train from St-Pierre-des-Corps for example.

Going to chime in here - as we had a great experience in Amboise last September, without a car. With great advice from Fodorites, (our first time in Europe) we trained from Paris and arrived in Amboise, where we met the owner of our vacation rental, who drove us the short distance (including some walking as city center is without vehicles) to our Cave Cottage! Loved the place.

We then rented a tandem bike, stayed three nights, biked to Chenonceau one day, picnicked, then the next day we again biked, this time in the opposite direction through vineyards and enjoyed lunch in Montlouis-sur-Loire. We are casual bicyclists, and spent about 2 hours meandering each way, just to give you an idea. Both days we spent hours also walking around Amboise in the late afternoon or evening.

We saw one chateau, plus the one in Amboise, and that was enough for us, Chenonceau was truly remarkable, a must-see. Loved the cafes, wandering the streets in the evening after the crowds were gone, exploring nearby villages via bike.

Train was easier than expected. One direct train inbound from Paris (airport), then one connection returning to the heart of Paris. Have fun and do your dream!

joan...that sounds like a lovely visit!

Thank you for all your wonderful information! I will let you know once we have finalized our trip to the Loire Valley. Looking forward to visiting this beautiful region.