Bucket list destination:
Loire Valley, France
Most people come to the lush valleys and hills of the Loire to visit the fairytale chateaux – more than a thousand of them, earning a 280km swathe of the Loire Valley a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing.
What’s less well known is that this family-friendly region, often dubbed the ‘garden of France’ for its vast agricultural output, has rich, fertile soils that produce superb local food and wine, and support some of the world’s finest decorative gardens. It’s a region of idyllic landscapes – peppered with a fascinating troglodyte (cave) cultural history – and authentic French villages.
The famous ‘La Loire à Vélo’ route allows you to see and experience at leisure by bike.
Located west of Paris and spanning two administrative regions (the Centre and Pays de la Loire), the hub of the Loire Valley is centred along the Loire River roughly between Chambord to the east and Angers to the west, but also its tributaries the Loir, Cher, Indre and Vienne.
In-between are beautiful historic towns such as Tours, Amboise, Blois, Saumur and Chinon, and legendary chateaux hidden amidst a landscape of river floodplains, vineyards and forest.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this destination, plus helpful tickets and transfers
Paris
Price €119
Min age 0
Rating 4.56 / 5 [2651 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Paris
Price €166
Min age 0
Rating 4.15 / 5 [883 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Paris
Price €235
Min age 7
Rating 4.74 / 5 [462 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Paris
Price €255
Min age 6
Rating 4.19 / 5 [114 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Paris
Price €329
Min age 0
Rating 4.60 / 5 [88 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
The ideal time to travel is May, June or September, when everything is open, the days are long, and the principal sites are less crowded than in the peak season of July and August. In the winter low season between November and February, many hotels and restaurants close, but you get the charming chateaux almost to yourself, and warming log fires are lit in those of Chambord and Amboise.
Most international flights arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle (260km from Tours). Some budget airlines fly to Tours airport in the heart of the region or Nantes (about 100km from Angers).
It’s also easy from Paris by train, with frequent high-speed TGVs to Tours (1 hour 15 minutes) and Angers (1 hour 35 minutes); slower regional trains stop at smaller stations. By car from Paris it’s 237km (2 hours), or 260km from Caen port.
Although the main centres can be reached by train, you need a car to make the most of the area, with all the main car hire companies at Tours station.
Cycling is the other best option, with more than 800km of well-marked, car-free trails running the length of the Loire River and its tributaries, supported by bike-friendly hotels and facilities. Bike-carrying TER regional trains run near the central section of the Loire à Vélo bike route.
A good road network means it’s easy to explore the whole region from one reasonably central base. Tours is the geographical centre, but it’s not a great place to stay (poor hotels, traffic jams). Small historic towns and villages, like Amboise, Saumur, Chinon or Azay-le-Rideau, offer a feeling of the local lifestyle and provide a good base for touring the region.
Another good option are the historic chateaux sprinkled across the countryside, many of them converted into hotels. A stay provides a unique glimpse of the grand country house lifestyle, complete with sumptuous rooms and grounds.
