Loire Valley trip October - suggestions please!

Hi all, I am visiting the Loire Valley in October and would just like a few suggestions on places the visit if possible.

At this stage it will just be my husband and myself, however we might also be joined by one other couple. We will have our own hire car and will not be pre-booking any accommodation (as per my post a few weeks ago).

Ok, so we will have very limited time, and the more I search the net the more I wish we had extra days to explore. This is our %26#39;rough%26#39; itinerary at the moment.

Oct 9 - train to Versailles, pick up hire car, few hours through chateau, drive to Chartres, visit Cathedral, drive to Vendome area for overnight

Oct 10 - drive to Blois area, check out Chambord (won%26#39;t go in), Cheverny (go inside), spare time, overnight in Blois

Oct 11 - drive to Montrichard, Bourre and Chenonceau, possibly overnight here or in Tours

Oct 12 - not sure if we should go further south to Chinon, or somewhere else. We have to drop the hire car back at Tours after 2pm and take the train back to Paris.

We definitely want to see several chateaus, but we also want to visit a few wineries, troglodyte village/s and anything else that takes our fancy.

I have looked at the www.loirevalleytourism.com website, but still need further help.

Can anyone please advise on any little gems that they have found in the area, or suggestions for itinerary?

Thanks for your help :)

Cath

|||

Why would you go all that way just to see the outside of Chambord and not go in?

You won%26#39;t see much more than in the photos unless you park your car and go into the chateau grounds. The village is blocked off to cars, so you can%26#39;t really get up close just by passing by.

Chambord is really beautiful and the double helix staircase is incredible.

If you are staying in Vendome you can easily do both Chambord and Cheverny in one day.

If you have to be back in Tours for 2.00pm, how about an early morning visit Villandry?

|||

I would think about staying in Amboise. It is handy being in the middle of the valley. We only had a couple of days and did not get to Chambord. I would go in, if I was you. Chevery is very worth while Chenonceau is fabulous. A highlight of our trip to France. The gardens and the grounds surpass Cheverny and I expect Chambord ( Chambord is stark but much bigger). The gardens at Villandry are NOT to be missed. Simply stunning. Go into this chateau as well, for itself and for the view of the gardens.

We drove to Usse and Asay de Rideau. Very nice drive. We drove through Tours. It rained. To be avoided...just another large town.

|||

I%26#39;m dissappointed that anyone could think of Tours as %26#39;just another large town%26#39;. Then again, stunning medeival architecture, grand buildings, beautiful riverbank scenery, fantastic ambience, brilliant café society feel in Place Plumerau and superlative shopping is the norm in New Zealand is it not? ;)

|||

Hmmm, seems a few people are a bit hot and bothered over some of the comments...

Let me rephrase by saying - we don%26#39;t have unlimited time, we only have 3 days so we have to squeeze as much in as possible (without going overboard).

I really want to go inside Chambord and have a proper look around, but several posts over the last few months have advised that with limited time Chambord isn%26#39;t that great as its empty inside (I believe I am remembering right?), and there are others that are privately owned and furnished.

Not that that makes a huge difference, we are wanting to %26#39;see%26#39; the Chateaus, not the furniture.

I am really looking forward to seeing Tours, I definitely want to spend a good few hours there walking around (unfortunately that%26#39;s all we%26#39;ll have), but just don%26#39;t know realistically how much time we will have.

So anyway, back to my original request:

Are there are any wineries, troglodyte villages, etc that are %26#39;must sees%26#39; in the areas we will going??

Thanks again,

Cath :)

P.S. although Aus is great, there is NOTHING like visiting Europe and the beautiful buildings!

|||

The best way to %26quot;do%26quot; troglodyte villages, wineries, etc, is just to find them for yourself as you drive. Most village in the Loire valey and surrounds have troglodyte dwellings, and most of the villages and hamlets have %26quot;caves%26quot; (wine cellars) and wineries - especially the area between St Aignan and Chinon.

I would drive further than Vendome for the first night - nice enough place in attractive surrounds, but a bit %26quot;middle of nowhere%26quot;. I would go for 2 nights in Blois, taking the N10/D294. Chartres-Blois by that route is about 20 minutes longer than Chartres-Vendome.

I would not bother trying to get to Chinon and back before 2.00 on the last day If, by that stage, you havent seen any troglodyte places try driving to Rochecorbon on the north bank of the loire about 3km from Tours, otherwise use that time for exploring Tours.

Simon

http://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/

|||

I think most of the comments about not visiting Chambord have been regarding people trying to do a flying Loire visit from Paris for a day.

With your schedule, you should have lots of time to go in. Although it is mostly empty the scale is vast and amazing and the stairs worth seeing. Don%26#39;t miss going up on the roof, not only for the views but because the decoration etc up there is something to behold.

Rob

|||

%26lt;%26lt;but several posts over the last few months have advised that with limited time Chambord isn%26#39;t that great as its empty inside %26gt;%26gt;

I certainly have not seen these posts or more accurately perhaps is that I have not seen comments like this from writers who really know this area.

There is really only one château that is furnished and that is Cheverny. The owner of Ussé has made an effort to furnish the interior but it appears a lack of funds has left the effort underwhelming if not tacky. Most all of the châteaux were ransacked during the revolution, their interiors particularly were destroyed (with the notable exception of Chenonceau although little is left inside there now). If you are headed to the Loire Valley in anticipation of seeing opulent displays of wealth, art, and antiques you will certainly be disappointed.

One does not visit Chambord because of its furnishings or lack thereof; rather he visits because of the architecture, much of which was designed by da Vinci himself who was responsible for innovations such as the double helix staircase at the structure%26#39;s interior core. Compare this staircase with the traditional staircase at Chenonceau. I consider Chambord the most awe inspiring of all the châteaux.

Another common misconception made by casual observers is that Tours is just another large city. Actually with just a few hundred thousand inhabitants, it%26#39;s not a large city at all and although its urban periphery is not particularly charming, central Tours is a pleasure to experience: Place Plumereau and its cafés, rue Colbert and its restaurants, and the cathedral and the Musée des Beaux-Arts - all of these elements make Tours an unforgettable visit for those taking the time to seek them out.

The Loire Valley should not be a check-list destination. Visiting here will give you all that you put into the experience. A little bit of research and familiarization with its history before you arrive will result in a much more relevant and satisfying experience.

|||

Thanks Sarastro.... based on your comments we will have to visit the old center of Tours.... you made it sound quite interesting!

|||

The most popular chateaux have been named, but my favorite is Valencay.

|||

%26quot;There is really only one château that is furnished and that is Cheverny%26quot;

I have to disagree with this statement from Sarastro, although it is probaly true of the most well known chateaux of the Loire. However, if you include some of the lessor known chateaux, away from the massed tourists, there are other chateaux with beautiful period furniture.

The chateau at Montcontour is furnished, and although it is still privately owned, the owner does allow visitors.

However, in my opinion, Azay-le-Ferron has the best furniture I have seen in any Loire Chateaux, including Cheverny.

It is not on the regular %26quot;chateaux circuit%26quot; or lists, so does tend to get overlooked. Even though I have lived in this area for over thirteen years, I had not heard of it until recently, so we went there last week, and were very impressed. It has a priceless collection of original furniture dating from Louis XIII to Louis Philippe, with some very good Empire pieces.