# Loire Valley

Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise and Villandry less than an hour from each other, and 900 km of cycle route beside the river. Three to five nights.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/centre-val-de-loire/loire-valley · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## Which châteaux should I choose?

There are dozens, and you don't need to see them all. With three days and four châteaux you have the best of the valley, and the rest you see from the road or the bike. The stretch inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2000 runs from Sully-sur-Loire to Chalonnes, and the most visited châteaux are gathered between Blois and Tours.

Chambord is the biggest and the most extravagant: a hunting lodge of Francis I with a surrounding forest enclosed by a wall, which the estate itself presents as the largest walled nature reserve in Europe. Inside, the double-helix staircase, on which two people go up and down without meeting. In November it opens from 9:00 to 17:00 and the forest is open day and night.

Chenonceau is built over the River Cher, with its gallery resting on arches over the water. Its history was written by women, above all Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, and it has French-style gardens, a kitchen garden, a maze and a flower workshop that prepares the arrangements for the rooms. It opens every day of the year; in November, from 9:30 to 17:00. Buy your ticket only on its official website: the château warns of fake sites that sell at a higher price and give wrong opening hours.

Amboise combines two visits in one walk. Above, the royal château, over the Loire. About 400 m away, the Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's last home, with a park where you can see more than 40 full-size models of his inventions. For the house, the park and the galleries the Clos Lucé itself estimates an hour and a half to three hours.

Villandry is visited for its gardens: a medieval château that Jean Breton transformed into Renaissance style from 1532, with terraced gardens that Joachim Carvallo remade in the early 20th century, including an ornamental kitchen garden laid out like a parterre. The gardens are open every day of the year except 25 December. The château opens in 2026 from 7 February to 11 November and reopens from 28 November to 3 January 2027.

## And by bicycle?

The valley is one of the best places in Europe to travel by bike. La Loire à Vélo follows the river for about 900 km, from Cuffy, near Nevers, to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, on the Atlantic, almost always flat, on paths beside the water and quiet roads. You don't have to do all of it: the Blois to Tours stretch passes near Chaumont and Amboise, and beyond Tours the route continues towards Villandry. There is bike hire in the cities and in many villages along the route, and the regional trains on the Loire line carry bikes, so you can go one way and come back by train. To start, the stage from Blois to Chaumont-sur-Loire, about 20 km with a hire bike next to Blois station.

## Where do I stay?

In one of the towns on the riverbank. Amboise and Blois are in the middle of the best-known châteaux, with the centre on foot and a railway station. Tours is bigger, has more hotels and restaurants and is the best base if you arrive without a car. To sleep in the countryside, there are châteaux and guesthouses among vineyards, especially towards Chinon and Saumur, further west, where the Loire crosses the Anjou and Touraine wine region.

Three tried options, from most to least expensive: the Relais de Chambord, the only hotel inside the estate, facing the château; the Hôtel Anne de Bretagne, a three-star between the station and Blois château, which admits dogs; and the Camping de l'Île d'Or, on the island at Amboise facing the château, from late March to early November.

## Where do I eat?

Next to the châteaux. At Chambord, Les Armes du Château opens every day at midday, with a set menu of the day at €19.90. In Amboise, Le Choiseul, on the banks of the Loire beneath the château, serves cooking built around sauces and Touraine produce every day. For a special meal after Chenonceau, the Auberge du Bon Laboureur, a few minutes' walk away, has menus from €58 to €126 and opens Thursday to Monday.

For wine, the Château de Valmer, in Chançay, combines terraced Renaissance gardens and a Vouvray tasting for €12.

## How do you get there from Spain?

By car, from Irún it is about 570 km to Tours on the A10 toll motorway, via Bordeaux and Poitiers. By train or plane, the quickest is to go through Paris: from Montparnasse there is a TGV to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, next to Tours, in about an hour, and from Austerlitz trains to Blois in an hour and a half and direct to Amboise. To get between châteaux the car is the most practical; without one, combine the regional train with a bike, or book a group excursion from Tours.

## Qué hacer
- **Château de Chambord** (3 h · All ages · €21 EEA residents, €31 others; free under 18): Chambord is like no other château in the Loire. Francis I had it built as a hunting lodge in the 16th century, in the middle of a forest, and the result is the largest Renaissance château in the valley. It is not beside the river: it stands at the centre of a 5,440-hectare estate surrounded by a wall, which can be explored for free and is open day and night.
What you see inside
The centrepiece is the double-helix staircase: two ramps that climb coiled around each other, so that whoever goes up and whoever goes down can see each other through the openings but never meet. It takes you to the terraces, the most photographed spot in the château: a forest of chimneys, lanterns and pinnacles carved in pale stone, with the park at your feet. On the floors there are furnished rooms, royal apartments and spaces with changing exhibitions. The French formal gardens are included in the ticket.
Allow two or three hours for the château and gardens, and a bit more if you want to walk in the forest.
Opening hours and prices in 2026
From 26 October to 18 December the château opens from 9:00 to 17:00; the rest of the year, from 9:00 to 18:00. Last admission is half an hour before closing, and the gardens and ticket offices also close half an hour before the château. It only closes on 25 December; on the 24th and 31st it closes at 16:00.
Since January 2026 the ticket price depends on residence: €21 for citizens or residents of the European Economic Area, with proof, and €31 for everyone else. From Spain you pay €21; bring your ID card. Under-18s go in free, and so do young people aged 18 to 25 from the EU or EEA. There is a reduced rate of €18.50.
In autumn there are guided tours in French: the essential one lasts an hour, the discovery one an hour and a half and the complete one three hours. There are also outings into the forest with a naturalist guide.
Getting there
From Paris without a car: train from Austerlitz to Blois, an hour and a half according to the Blois tourist office. At Blois-Chambord station, Rémi bus line 2 leaves all year round and every day, at 9:20 and 12:20; it takes about 35 minutes and the ticket costs €3.40 one way or €6.80 return. Return buses leave Chambord at 13:10 and 17:00.
By car: from Paris, on the A10 motorway, leaving towards Blois or Mer and crossing the forest. The car parks are next to the château, near the Halle ticket office.
By bike: the line 2 bus carries up to eight bikes, so you can take the bus up and cycle back, or the other way round.
- **Château de Chenonceau** (2 h 30 · All ages · €19 with leaflet, €24 with audio guide; €15 ages 7 to 18; free under 7): Chenonceau is the château that appears on Loire postcards even though it is not on the Loire: it rises over the Cher, a tributary, and its two-storey gallery crosses the river on arches. Its history was written mostly by women, among them Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de' Medici, hence its nickname, the ladies' château.
What you see
You enter along an avenue of plane trees and over a drawbridge. Inside you walk through the furnished rooms, the kitchen below, beside the water, and the great gallery over the Cher, which is the château's signature image. Outside, the French formal gardens of Diane and Catherine, on either side of the entrance, the kitchen garden and the maze. The rooms are decorated with bouquets prepared in the château itself. Allow two or three hours for the château and gardens.
Opening hours in 2026
Open every day of the year. The hours it publishes are last-admission times: the château closes half an hour later and the gardens half an hour after that. In November, from 9:30 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:30. From 4 April to 3 July and from 24 August to 27 September, last admission at 18:00; from 4 July to 23 August, at 19:00. In December it varies by week and is extended at weekends and at Christmas.
Prices in 2026

Adult: €19 with leaflet, €24 with audio guide.
Over-65s and students: €16 or €21.
Ages 7 to 18: €15 or €20.
Under-7s: free, with leaflet.

Buy only at chenonceau.com or at the ticket office. The château warns of fraudulent websites that sell at a higher price and give false opening hours.
Getting there
From Paris by train: TGV from Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, in Tours, in about an hour, and then the TER from Tours to Chenonceaux, about 25 minutes. The station is about 400 metres from the ticket office. By car: 214 km from Paris, about two hours on the A10, leaving at Blois or Amboise; from Tours, 34 km.
Eating there
The château's restaurants are open until 11 November. Outside that season, bring something or eat in the village: there are picnic areas beside the moat and at the end of the green car park.
- **Royal Château d'Amboise** (1 h 30 · All ages · €17.30 adult, €14.40 student, €11 ages 7 to 18; free under 7): Amboise was a residence of the kings of France in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Only part of the great complex remains, but it is enough: from the terrace, at the top of the spur, you see the Loire, the bridge and the slate roofs of the town. Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years here, invited by Francis I, and is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert, inside the grounds.
What the visit is like
The ticket includes the HistoPad, a tablet in twelve languages that, when pointed at each room, shows it furnished as in the time of the kings. You tour the royal lodgings on three floors, with the guardroom, the great Council chamber, the king's bedchamber and the Minimes tower, from whose roof you can see the river; then the chapel and the gardens, a little over two hectares on top of the rampart, where at the end of the 15th century the kingdom's first Italian garden was laid out. Allow an hour and a half. Dogs may enter the château in arms and in the gardens on a lead, but not the underground passages. Suitcases and large bags are not allowed; there is a paid cloakroom.
Opening hours in 2026
Open almost all year, with split hours in low season:

From 2 November to 18 December: from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 17:00.
From 19 December to 3 January: from 9:00 to 17:00.
April: from 9:00 to 18:00. May and June: until 18:30. July and August: until 19:00.

Prices in 2026

Adult: €17.30, with HistoPad.
Student: €14.40.
Ages 7 to 18: €11.
Under-7s: free.

Combined tickets with the Clos Lucé, or with the Clos Lucé and Chenonceau, are sold online only, through Tiqets.
Getting there and what is nearby
The public approach starts at place Michel Debré, opposite the Bigot pastry shop. Amboise station, with direct trains from Tours, Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, Orléans and Paris-Austerlitz, is about ten minutes on foot. By car, park in the municipal car parks in the centre.
The Clos Lucé, the house where Leonardo lived, is a walk uphill along the rue du Clos Lucé. In 2026 it is open every day, from 9:00 to 18:00 in November and December, and closed on 25 December and 1 January. If you want to see both, buy the combined ticket.
- **Château and Gardens of Villandry** (2 h 30 · All ages · Château and gardens €14, gardens only €8.50; ages 8 to 17 €8 or €5.50; free under 8): Villandry was a medieval château that Jean Breton transformed in Renaissance style from 1532. In the early 20th century Joachim Carvallo remade its gardens on terraces, and it is they that bring in the visitors, above all the ornamental kitchen garden: a vegetable garden laid out like a parterre, drawn in geometric shapes between hedges.
What you see
The gardens take an hour and a half; the château, an hour. Climb to the high terraces to see the whole kitchen garden from above: the design is better understood that way. The château is toured freely with a leaflet in thirteen languages, Spanish among them, or with an audio guide; from March to November there are also guided tours in French, except on Sundays, with no booking or supplement.
Opening hours in 2026
The gardens are open every day of the year except 25 December. In November, from 9:00 to 17:30 until the 11th and from 9:00 to 17:00 from the 12th to the 27th; in December, from 9:30 to 17:30. From April to September, until 19:00.
The château is open from 7 February to 11 November and from 28 November to 3 January 2027. It closes from 12 to 27 November and from 5 January to 6 February. If you go in those weeks, buy only the gardens ticket.
Prices in 2026

Château and gardens: €14 adult; €8 for ages 8 to 17 and students under 26.
Gardens only: €8.50; reduced, €5.50.
Under-8s: free.
Audio guide in Spanish: €4 more, one for château and gardens.

An online ticket does not avoid the queue. With your ticket you can go out for lunch and come back the same day.
Getting there
From Tours: 15 km, about 20 minutes on the D7. Without a car, bus line 32 from Tours, stop Villandry Centre, 280 metres away. From Paris: TGV from Montparnasse to Tours in about 55 minutes, and then bus or taxi. By bike: La Loire à Vélo passes 500 metres from the entrance. Parking is free, also for motorhomes during the visit.
With children
The gardens can be toured with a pushchair; inside the château pushchairs are not allowed and are left at the entrance. There is a baby-changing area and bottle warmer.
- **La Loire à Vélo from Blois to Chaumont-sur-Loire** (4 h · 20 km · Families with child bikes, seats or trailers; adults without training · Leisure bike €18 a day, electric €40): La Loire à Vélo runs for about 900 km alongside the river, but you do not need to ride all of it to understand it. The stretch from Blois to Chaumont-sur-Loire is the perfect gateway if you arrive by train: the hire agency is a few steps from Blois-Chambord station, the stage is short and almost flat, and at the end a château on the river awaits.
The route
You leave Blois along the south bank. The official stage, according to the region's cycle-tourism portal, is about 20 km and takes an hour and twenty at an easy pace. It passes through vineyard slopes as far as Candé-sur-Beuvron, follows the River Beuvron to its mouth and returns to the Loire, opposite the château of Chaumont. The route is waymarked as La Loire à Vélo, alternating paths beside the water and quiet roads.
At Chaumont you can:

Return to Blois the same way: about 40 km in the day, without hurry, with a one-day bike.
Continue to Amboise, 23 km more with a few hills. The Blois agency does not publish a price for leaving the bike in Amboise, so, if you want to finish there, ask them beforehand; what is published is drop-off in Tours, €25 per bike.

Bike hire
Détours de Loire has its Blois agency at 39 avenue du Docteur Jean Laigret, between the station and the château. In 2026 it charges €18 for a leisure bike for the day and €15 for a half day; an electric bike, €40 a day and €30 for a half day. The bikes come with a pump, repair kit and lock, and the helmet is free if you book. For children there is a child's bike from €16 a day, a child seat at €4 and a trailer at €12.
In winter, from 1 October 2026 to 4 April 2027, the Blois agency opens only Tuesday to Saturday: if you do the route on a Sunday or a Monday, pick up the bike on Saturday. Book on their website or by phone.
When to go
From April to October, with long days and the terraces open. In autumn the river and the vineyards change colour and there are few people; in winter it can be done, with warm clothes, but the days are short: set off before ten.
- **Gardens and Vouvray Tasting at the Château de Valmer** (1 h 30 · Adults; children can stroll around the garden · €12 with tasting; €10 reduced; €8 ages 11 to 18; free up to 10): The Château de Valmer, in Chançay, brings together two things the valley usually separates: a historic garden and a winery. Its terraced gardens, in Renaissance style, hold the official Jardin remarquable label; around them, the estate cultivates some 35 hectares of vines in the heart of the Vouvray appellation, on the right bank of the Loire, east of Tours.
The visit
It is self-guided. You are given a free leaflet in nine languages and walk the terraces and the paths between hedges at your own pace. Afterwards, in the estate shop, a tasting of the house wines is included in the ticket: sparkling, dry, off-dry and sweet Vouvray, and Touraine rosés. If you like one, you buy it right there.
It is the simplest way to understand Vouvray: the same grape, chenin, gives wines that range from sparkling to sweet, and in a tasting you try them one after another.
Opening hours in 2026

From 29 April to 27 September: Wednesday to Sunday and public holidays, from 14:00 to 18:30, last admission at 18:00. Mornings, from 10:00 to 12:00, by appointment.
From 28 September to 22 December: by appointment only, Monday to Friday, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 16:00. Closed at weekends and on 1 and 11 November.
Open days on 28 and 29 November 2026: free entry from 10:00 to 17:00 and guided tours of the cellars at 11:00 and 15:00. It is the only chance in the year to see them with a guide.
From 23 December to 4 January: closed.

To make an appointment, call +33 2 47 52 93 12.
Prices

Adult: €12, with gardens and tasting.
Reduced: €10 (students, unemployed, large families).
Ages 11 to 18: €8.
Up to age 10: free.

Getting there
You need a car or taxi. From the A10 motorway, exit 18, and then the D31, D55, D5 and D46 following the signs. Chançay is north of Vouvray, a stone's throw from Amboise and Tours. If you are going to taste, have someone who does not drink do the driving.

## Dónde comer
- **Les Armes du Château** (Restaurant, Chambord · place Saint-Louis, €€). Qué pedir: the set menu of the day, a slate dish and dessert for €19.90, with a glass of Cheverny for €3 more
- **Le Choiseul** (Restaurant, Amboise · quai Charles Guinot, €€€). Qué pedir: the Roi Rose de Touraine pork belly as a starter and the raspberry soufflé with Chambord liqueur
- **Auberge du Bon Laboureur** (Restaurant, Chenonceaux · walking distance from the château, €€€€). Qué pedir: the €72 Découverte menu, with three seasonal courses, or the €58 Végétal

## By plane: Flying to Paris and a Train to the Loire Valley
From Spain, the most practical way is to fly to Paris, with direct flights from the main Spanish cities, and continue by train. From Montparnasse, the TGV reaches Tours (Saint-Pierre-des-Corps) in an hour; from Austerlitz, regional trains go to Blois in an hour and a half and continue to Amboise. From the stations, bus, bike or hire car for the châteaux.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Relais de Chambord** (Hotel): The Relais de Chambord is the only hotel inside the 5,440 hectares of the Chambord national estate, right opposite the château. It occupies the former coaching inn of Francis I's hunting lodge, which was already a hotel and was reborn in 2018 after a renovation by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. It keeps the original façade, with its little lookout turret and the red windows and doors typical of Chambord.
The rooms
There are 55, each different because of the building's history: velvet, wood, ceramics by Ettore Sottsass and lamps by Adrien Gardère. There are Classic, Superior, Deluxe, Junior Suites and family rooms, several with views of the château or the River Cosson. The most unusual is a suite installed in a toue, the traditional flat-bottomed Loire boat, which floats on the Cosson canal with the château in the background. Some rooms are adapted for people with reduced mobility; ask when booking.
The spa and the restaurants
The Spa du Relais is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00, with Anne Semonin products, hammam, sauna and an outdoor jacuzzi with a view of the château. For hotel guests access is free, by booking a one-hour slot; under-16s may not enter. In November 2026 the hotel warns that the jacuzzi is temporarily closed for maintenance.
There are two restaurants run by Lyon chef Joseph Viola: Le Grand Saint-Michel, the classic dining room with views of the château, from 12:00 to 14:30 and from 19:00 to 22:00, with booking recommended; and Les Armes du Château, simpler, on place Saint-Louis. The Bar du Relais completes the house.
Getting there and parking
By car, you enter the park, continue towards the château and its car parks, and then follow the signs for the Relais through the entrance to the P1 Bus car park. The car park closest to the hotel is an estate concession and costs €10 per night. By train, from Paris Austerlitz or Montparnasse to Blois-Chambord or Mer; from Blois, Rémi bus line 2 runs to the château.
Sleeping here has a clear advantage: the château and the forest at dawn and dusk, without coaches.
- **Hôtel Anne de Bretagne** (Hotel): The Hôtel Anne de Bretagne is a three-star in the centre of Blois, on the avenue that runs down from the station to the royal château, which is 500 metres away on foot. It is the most practical base if you arrive by train and want to do Chambord by bus and a day of cycling on the Loire: the Détours de Loire hire is 100 metres away, and the cycle path linking with La Loire à Vélo passes in front of the door.
The rooms
There are standard and superior rooms, and one adapted room. For families there are triples, with a 140 or 160 bed and a single bed or sofa bed, and quadruples, with two 140 beds or with a 160 bed and bunk beds. The building has three floors and no lift: if you find stairs hard, ask for the first floor or ground floor. There is no air conditioning either, only a fan; in heatwaves the staff close the shutters.
Breakfast is a buffet from 7:30 to 10:00, with a terrace under the ivy-covered façade in the good months. Animals are accepted for €10 each per night.
Arrival and times
Reception is open every day from 7:30 to 21:00. Check-in is between 15:00 and 21:00 and check-out before 11:00. In 2026 it closed from 4 January to 8 February and it closes on 24 and 25 December.
Parking
There are free spaces in front of the hotel depending on availability, without booking. Otherwise, the public Laigret car park, 50 metres away, costs €8.50 a day and is free from 18:30 to 9:00, on Sundays and on public holidays; the underground Stationeo car park, 200 metres away, is cheaper. The hotel also has one car space and one motorbike space in a nearby residence.
What is nearby
Blois château and the Maison de la Magie, opposite it, are 500 metres away; the Fondation du Doute, 800. Blois-Chambord station is up the same avenue, and from there bus line 2 to Chambord leaves at 9:20 and 12:20.

## Car-free: The Loire Valley by Train and Bike
Without a car you can see the big châteaux: Chambord by bus from Blois, Chenonceau by train from Tours and Amboise ten minutes' walk from its station. The bike takes care of the rest along La Loire à Vélo. Only Valmer and the wineries need a car or taxi.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–180 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hôtel Anne de Bretagne** (Hotel): The Hôtel Anne de Bretagne is a three-star in the centre of Blois, on the avenue that runs down from the station to the royal château, which is 500 metres away on foot. It is the most practical base if you arrive by train and want to do Chambord by bus and a day of cycling on the Loire: the Détours de Loire hire is 100 metres away, and the cycle path linking with La Loire à Vélo passes in front of the door.
The rooms
There are standard and superior rooms, and one adapted room. For families there are triples, with a 140 or 160 bed and a single bed or sofa bed, and quadruples, with two 140 beds or with a 160 bed and bunk beds. The building has three floors and no lift: if you find stairs hard, ask for the first floor or ground floor. There is no air conditioning either, only a fan; in heatwaves the staff close the shutters.
Breakfast is a buffet from 7:30 to 10:00, with a terrace under the ivy-covered façade in the good months. Animals are accepted for €10 each per night.
Arrival and times
Reception is open every day from 7:30 to 21:00. Check-in is between 15:00 and 21:00 and check-out before 11:00. In 2026 it closed from 4 January to 8 February and it closes on 24 and 25 December.
Parking
There are free spaces in front of the hotel depending on availability, without booking. Otherwise, the public Laigret car park, 50 metres away, costs €8.50 a day and is free from 18:30 to 9:00, on Sundays and on public holidays; the underground Stationeo car park, 200 metres away, is cheaper. The hotel also has one car space and one motorbike space in a nearby residence.
What is nearby
Blois château and the Maison de la Magie, opposite it, are 500 metres away; the Fondation du Doute, 800. Blois-Chambord station is up the same avenue, and from there bus line 2 to Chambord leaves at 9:20 and 12:20.
- **Municipal Campsite l'Île d'Or** (Campsite, desde 21.45 € / pitch): The l'Île d'Or campsite is the municipal campsite of Amboise, on the island that separates the two arms of the Loire, right opposite the royal château and a short walk from the centre. It lies on the La Loire à Vélo route and about ten minutes on foot from the station, on the TER line between Tours and Paris, so you can arrive without a car.
Pitches and tents
It covers 3 hectares with more than 280 pitches, almost all shaded and spacious, for tent, caravan or motorhome, with or without 10-amp electricity. It does not admit twin-axle caravans or vehicles, or caravans towed by a van. For those travelling by bike or on foot there is a hiker's offer with equipped tents for hire.
The toilet blocks have showers and access for people with reduced mobility, and there is a washing machine, dryer and iron. Motorhome users have an emptying and water-filling area. Bring your own toilet paper: the campsite does not provide it.
Prices and booking
As an example, the website gives for 2026 a night with pitch, two adults, a motorhome and electricity: €21.45 in low season and €23.85 in high season, without the tourist tax. Book online with a 30% deposit, which is not refunded if you cancel except for the exceptions in the regulations, and €4 booking fee. There is a 20% discount for those coming from the towns twinned with Amboise, among them Vejer de la Frontera.
Season and opening hours
Open from late March to early November; it is now closed and reopens in the last week of March 2027. Arrivals are from 13:30. Reception is open from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 13:30 to 19:00 in spring and autumn, and from 8:00 to 21:30 in high summer.
Around it
Next to the campsite is the l'Île d'Or bar-restaurant, open from morning to night in season, with bread, breakfasts and brasserie, and in 2026 a food space for cyclists. Nearby there is a municipal summer swimming pool with a slide, tennis, a playground, a canoe club and a BMX track. The royal château and the Clos Lucé can be reached on foot across the bridge.

## Consejos

### One big château a day, two at most
Chambord or Chenonceau each take half a day. With three a day you mix them up.

### Arrive at opening time
The coaches arrive mid-morning. At nine or half past nine, the gallery at Chenonceau and the staircase at Chambord are seen without crowds.

### Combine château and garden
After Chenonceau, which is tiring inside, Villandry is enjoyed outdoors.

### Try the valley's wines
Vouvray, Chinon, Saumur or Montlouis are tasted at cellars by the route, many dug into the limestone rock.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need for the Loire Valley?
Three for four châteaux and a day by bike. With five you add Chinon, Saumur or the cellars.

### Which are the essential châteaux?
Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise with the Clos Lucé and the gardens of Villandry.

### Can it be toured without a car?
Yes, with the regional train and a bicycle. Tours is the best base: it has a TGV from Paris and trains to Blois and Amboise.

### Do the châteaux open in winter?
The big ones do, with shorter hours. Chenonceau opens every day of the year; the château of Villandry closes for a few weeks in November and in January, although the gardens stay open.

### How long is La Loire à Vélo?
About 900 km, from Cuffy, near Nevers, to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, on the Atlantic.

### Is it a good trip with children?
Yes, if you pace it. The model park at the Clos Lucé, the maze at Chenonceau and the staircase at Chambord appeal to them, and cycling by the river gives them fresh air between one château and the next.