Loire Valley Day Trip from Paris - Chambord, Amboise and Chenonceau Castle |
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TOUR DESCRIPTION
After having been picked-up from your downtown accommodation
in Paris, you will be chauffeured by our driver-guide to a wonderful day in
the Loire Valley. There, you will discover the famous castles
and gardens of the Renaissance
You will be amazed by Chambord, "a marvelous chateau, which legend has that Leonardo da Vinci, then living at the Clos Lucé in Amboise, made several plans & models used for the construction of the chateau." "While visiting Chambord, you will also discover one of Europe's finest parks. The park covers over 13,000 acres and is Europe's
largest wooded park." During your day in the French Countryside, you will also enjoy the visit of the cradle of the Renaissance, Chateau Amboise, one of the first truly royal residences of its kind. At Chenonceau you will admire the wealth of decoration both inside and outside, which makes Chenonceau the most popular chateau in France. You will have lunch at "Au Gateau Breton". The restaurant offers a fixed menu that is subject to change. The sun terrace in back of this 2-century-old Breton-type inn, a short walk from the château, is a refreshing place. In cool months, meals are served in the rustic dining rooms.
When booking this tour please enter the language of your choice for this tour in the field provided. The tour is available in English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian & French.
ALSO AVAILABLE : The Loire Valley Castles - "Romantic and Medieval".
Experience the outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty of the Loire Valley - on the UNESCO World Heritage List -. Wander through the Loire Valley's gorgeous castles & gardens and visit Villandry Chateau and Gardens, Langeais and Azay le Rideau.
ON FRIDAYS "Friday departure to the Loire Valley". Unique from Paris.
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THIS TOUR WILL NOT BE CONDUCTED ON DECEMBER 25TH AND JANUARY 1ST.
Season: All year round
Scheduled days: Tuesdays and Sundays
Departures: From 6.15 am
Duration: Approximately 12 hours
Pick up point: From your accommodation in Paris
Return point: To your accommodation in Paris
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Client’ Feedback |
 Feedback on 1/28/2013 from Jo
We had a fantastic day. Very enjoyable and the castles where just amazing. |
Feedback on 11/18/2012 from Ralph
Great tour. Very knowledgable guide. Good lunch stop. Door to door service is well worth it. |
Feedback on 11/16/2012 from christine
This one-day tour includes visits to Amboise, Chinonceau and Chambord chateaux in the Loire Valley. Each chateau conveys its particular atmosphere and, I think, the regard in which it was held by its various owners, and each is unique. Amboise is the smallest and oldest of the three, with a lovely chapel in which Leonardo da Vinci''s tomb ( but not necessarily Leonard!) can be found. Of the three, this is the one which has the most home-y atmosphere.
Chenonceau is the most beautiful of the three. Designed as a gesture of love and lived in by powerful, intelligent, well-educated women, it displays a combination of regal grandeur and artistic feeling in the decorations and furnishings and in the exquisite gardens on either side. Indeed, Chenonceau owes its very existence to a clever woman who was able to ally herself with the revolutionaries and save her house when others were being ransacked and pulled down. Chambord was designed to provide a hunting lodge for the king, and it is large and impressive, but its overall feeling is one of cold and abandonment, since it was hardly ever used. It has an interesting design, featuring several circular staircases that span all four floors, but the rooms themselves are generally cold and uninviting. The most interesting display at Chambord is actually quite hard to find, tucked into several ground floor rooms at the bottom of the King''s tower: a grouping of Royal carriages, showing varying degrees of ornamentation and sumptuousness. How these survived the Revolution, I can''t imagine, but they did!
Overall, the tour was very interesting and I''m glad we chose to do it. We had a very nice lunch at a restaurant near Amboise. I would have like about 1/2 an hour longer at each of the chateaux
since there was so much to see at each one and it was hard not to feel rushed.
If you have a limited amount of time to visit the Loire Valley and want a chance to see several examples of the chateaux, I would highly recommend this tour. There is a considerable amount of walking and stair-climbing, so be prepared for exercise. |
Feedback on 11/5/2012 from Sergey
Everything was very good. Even the rain wasn''t the problem. Our guide Michelle made very interesting and comfortable trip.
Thanks a lot! |
Feedback on 9/9/2012 1 from Kelly
I highly recommend using ParisTrip.com to book this tour for the Lorrie Valley. Our driver and guide - Michelle - was very knowledgeable, professional and friendly. We had enough time to see all three chateauxs, and enough time for lunch, although we would have preferred a different restaurant. The fact that lunch was included in the price of the tour was great, though! |
Feedback on 8/27/2012 from Pamela
This trip was fabulous! Phillipe was a wonderful guide and his extensive knowledge of not only the castles, but their inhabitants and the region in which they were located added so much to the experience. As for the practical side, everything ran on schedule and I would not hesitate to book another day trip with Paris Trip when I return. Just a great experience in every way. |
Feedback on 8/8/2012 1 from Patrick Leader
We enjoyed all of the locations selected for a visit and we were very pleased with the guide Isabella who was extremely helpful in explaining about the history and background to the region.Each chateau was beathtaking , especially Chanonceau. |
Feedback on 7/20/2012 from John
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Loire Valley and the castles. The tour guide, Michelle was outstanding. I was so impressed with her knowledge and her ability to go between speaking English and Russian (there were others on the trip from Kiev). This is my second trip with you company and I would recommend you to anyone!! Great job once again. | Management response :
Thank you John ! Paul |
Feedback on 7/9/2012 3 from Elizabeth
Our recent trip to see the three chateaux in the Loire Valley was wonderful. Our guide Frank was excellent and was full of interesting information about each chateau.
Lunch was delicious and we had a brilliant day all round. |
Feedback on 5/27/2012 from Linda
Just six of us on this delightful trip to the three chateaus. Wish we had had more time but the day is only so long ! Lunch was very enjoyable in a quaint, local restaurant. Driver was very friendly and helpful. |
Feedback on 5/2/2012 1 from Edison
We had a wonderful day with Sebastian. There was another couple scheduled but they had to cancel so we had him all to ourselves. He was so knowledgable and knew so much history, we really learned a lot. The castles were wonderful and I do feel we had an adequate amount of time at all. Lunch was good and plentiful. It would be great to be able to see more of the town of Amboise but I see where it just doesn''t fit in with all that you are doing. We will definitely look you up again when returning to your beautiful city. | Management response :
Thank. We look forward to welcoming you again in Paris. Paul |
Feedback on 11/6/2011 from Lourdes from Rio de Janeiro
My dream cames true! It was a fantastic day. The most beautifful castles in Lorey Valley. A nice lunch. Our guide was a nice driver and explain everything during the trip. I was with my mom with 80th years old and she loves too. Congratulations to Paristrip.com. Always on time and nice! |
Feedback on 11/1/2011 from Catherine
Wonderful, entertaining driver. Great trip, even in the rain. The castles were all unique and interesting. The drive alone was beautiful. |
Feedback on 10/26/2011 from CID
Um passeio além da expectativa. Um excelente guia, Sr. Frank. Aconselho a todos esta firma pela qualidade de serviços |
Feedback on 7/30/2011 from Maria Elena
The day trip to the castles was long but well worth it. We had a wonderful guide - Phillipe. He was very friendly and entertaining! He had lots of insight about the castles and surrounding areas. Our time at each castle was limited but our guide was great about telling us what to see and how to get through some of the congested areas. A delightful day!! |
Feedback on 7/21/2011 from ANN
A fantastic day in the French countryside visiting three amazing chateaux. Our guide, Sebastien, was wonderful. He was informative, funny, and interesting to talk to. We enjoyed his company throughout the day. And lunch at Au Gateau Breton was delicious, with a great selection of dishes from which to choose. It was a wonderful day trip outside of Paris! |
Feedback on 7/2/2011 1 from Maeva
My granddaughter and I also took the Loire Valley trip to view 3 of the chateaux. Again, our guide spoke excellent English, was very knowledgeable, and was fun to talk to on the long ride. The chateaux were astounding, each in its own way. Chambord - constructed as a hunting lodge - was huge and smelled of wood smoke. I could easily imagine the wild hunting parties that must have taken place there. Great tour! |
Feedback on 4/27/2011 from Theron
Great tour excellent guide lots of info. |
Feedback on 4/15/2011 from Bethany
This was an excellent tour. Our guide Isabelle was very knowledgeable about not just the castles and their histories but many items of french history and culture, which was interesting to us. She exceeded my expectations in every way. She was very helpful and went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable and our needs were met. Highly recommended. |
Feedback on 3/25/2011 from Janet
My sisters and I took the Loire Valley Castles:King''s Road Tour first week of March 2011. It was the Highlight of our trip to Paris and London! The scenery was beautiful, Castles impressive, food and wine delicious! Our guide, Ricardo, made all of those great parts come together into a fantastic whole. He was polite, well spoken, kind & patient with us. He was Very Knowledgeable of his subject matter and had a relaxed way to related it to us. Simply put he made the entire day fun! The car was clean and newer. In all, it was everything I hoped it would be. My sisters were thrilled! |
Feedback on 12/8/2010 from Barbara
Superb service! Lovely Loire Valley tour, even complete with a major snow storm. My pictures look like a fairy tale. I will definitely recommend your company and contact you on my next visit to Paris. The intimate, private group is far better than some crowded bus tour.
Please thank our guide for me. |
Feedback on 4/20/2010 from Brenda Beggs
We went on your marvellous tour of the Loire valley. I am just writing to let you know that it was the highlight of our trip to France. We had a charming guide named Julian. He was very informative and was very happy to answer the many questions that were asked of him .Thanks again for agreat day,and I will be sure to recommmend your tours to any friends travelling to France. Thanking you. |
Feedback on 1/30/2010 from Daniela Santa Cruz
I am sending you this mail to highlight the good services provided on January 2nd and 3rd. The first day I took the excursion Paris in a Day with Sandrine and Lionel and the following day I went on the excursion Loire Valley Castles with Sandrine.
Both guides proved to be highly professional, driving carefully, explaining what they had to and much more, and being friendly towards every tourist on the trip. Sandrine and Lionel spoke not only Spanish but also English fluently, which made it easy to follow every indication and have a conversation. On both occasions I had a great time sightseeing what Paris and its outskirts has to offer in those comfortable and clean minivans where only small groups are toured.
This has been my first visit to Paris but I will make every effort to go back soon as I have really enjoyed my short stay and there are a large number of places I haven’t discovered yet. Sandrine has gently provided me with a brochure at my request and I will probably contact you over the internet to book some pending excursions I have in mind for the next European holidays.
It has been a pleasure to tour Paris with you and I will definitely recommend you if any of my acquaintances happens to travel to the area. |
Feedback on 10/15/2008 from David F.
Excellent driver/guide, pleasant, helpful, knowledgeable and multi-lingual. Good route and choice of chateux but a long day. |
Feedback on 9/14/2008 from Dawn Kelly
A big thank you to Lionel for making our Loire Valley tour of 14/09/08 so memorable. He answered all of our questions and moved us along at the perfect pace. It was a glorious day. We would not hesitate to take another one of his tours should we be lucky enough to visit Paris again. |
Feedback on 6/30/2008 from Mary M.
Our tour guide was the BEST, her knowledge and personality made this the best tour we had during our 2 week stay in Paris! Merci |
 Feedback on 11/10/2012 from Phyllis
Nice tour of three very different chateaus in the Loire Valley. Our guide, Honore, was very knowledgeable. Would have appreciated to be in the company of at least a few more English-speaking passengers. The included lunch was delicious!
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Feedback on 12/9/2011 from Ilissa
We really enjoyed our November, 2011, Loire Valley trip. Our guide Michelle was extremely knowledgeable about all three of the stops on our tour, and the chateaus themselves are amazing. It was also great to have the transportation, lunch, and entrance fees arranged for us, because otherwise this would have been a very long day. Finally, while we were surprised to find ourselves on an English/Russian-speaking tour where no one else spoke English, it was fun meeting people from all over the world. Overall, we highly recommend this trip. | Management response :
Bonjour Ilissa,
Thank you very much for your feedback about your experience with us on your Loire Castles Day Trip from Paris. Michelle will surely be glad reading your comment. These 3 Chateaux are really amazing and this part of France incredible. As you did experience it we do welcome people from different parts of the world and our multilingual driver/guides make it possible for visitors speaking different languages to get to know each other at the end of the day. Again THANK YOU, Paul |
Feedback on 11/10/2011 from Rosemary & Kevin Day
Really enjoyed the day - the driver/guide was a mine of information. He was also very tolerant of my bad French accent. I would rather have had a 2-day tour, but we were not going to be in Paris over a weekend, so we took another option. I would recommend your company to others. |
Feedback on 11/2/2011 from Wayne
Great trip, chateaux were very impressive, vehicle was clean & modern & driver on time. Recommend. |
Feedback on 10/28/2011 from Barbara
Good Tour!
Enjoyed the castles and the ride through the French country.
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Feedback on 10/27/2011 from lorraine
Had a great day. Tour guide Phillipe was very good and being picked up and dropped off from your hotel made it so much easier. 7 people on a tour is just a nice number. Thanks for a wonderful memory of France. |
Feedback on 10/26/2011 from Karen
The full day trip to the Loire Valley makes for a long day, but if you''ve just spent time in central Paris, it is a welcome escape out of the city. The day started for us at about 630am with pickup near our apartment, and then the long drive. We visited, in turn the chateau at Amboise, Chenonceau and Chambourd. Our guide Sebastian gave us a brief history of each place which was helpful. Each of the chateau has something different to admire, and we enjoyed the day immensely. |
Feedback on 9/1/2011 from Helen
Philippe, our guide for the day, was excellent; he gave us lots of information in a fun way, but it would have been nice if the tours through the 3 chateaux had also been guided - that was the only thing missing. The included meal was magnifique and we were not kept waiting. |
Feedback on 8/20/2011 from Joan
Our guide was very pleasant and knowledgible, and we enjoyed both him and the trip. One criticism . . . Three chateaux is too many. We had ample time for the first one, Chateau Ambois and a lovely, relaxing lunch. One chateau after lunch, with time to explore and enjoy would have been perfect. But we felt terribly rushed on the last two, without time to really appreciate them. We would certainly use Paris Trip again, but only if the Loire Valley trip included only two chateaux with lunch and the much enjoyed and appreciated break stop in the morning. (I think everyone was a bit tired and cross on the way home.) |
Feedback on 6/3/2011 7 from Bonnie
We enjoyed this trip very much.
PRO:The driver came at exactly when he said he would. He was friendly and his English and Spanish were flawless. We liked the choice of the castles very much. He informed us about the various sites we would see and recommended important things to see in the brief time allotted. He was also very tactful when people were late getting back to the van.
CON: Would have liked more time at each site. The lunch location was very nice but the food did not live up to our expectation of French cuisine. The tours, although wonderful, were very expensive. I would love to go on the Normandy trip but the cost will prevent me from doing so.
Thanks for allowing me to comment on this trip. |
Feedback on 5/26/2011 from Ron Craton
Our trip to the Loire Valley was great. We had a very nice trip. The driver Francis was very nice and had a great sense of humor and did well with the language. He was on time (early in fact) and the van was clean and comfortable. We all enjoyed our trip that day Thank you |
Feedback on 5/26/2011 from Ron Craton
Our trip to the Loire Valley was great. We had a very nice trip. The driver Francis was very nice and had a great sense of humor and did well with the language. He was on time (early in fact) and the van was clean and comfortable. We all enjoyed our trip that day Thank you |
Feedback on 5/20/2011 from Marie-Eve
voyage très interessant ! Philippe, le guide, semblait extrêmement si connaître en matière de château
et il était facile à écouté comme «prof». Je le recommande à tous. | Management response :
MERCI Marie-Eve. Je ne manquerai pas d'en faire part à Philippe.
Paul |
Feedback on 5/19/2011 from Janet Venturini
Loire Valley Tour was very interesting and much apprecaited. Guide was very courteous and all in all well worth it. I jsut wish we could have had a little more time at each Chateau.... especially the last one.
Many thanks |
Feedback on 5/9/2011 1 from Carol
May 3, 2011 Michael was our guide. Quite congenial, informative, down to earth. My friend from Perth, a couple from Turkey, and a family from Brazil totally enjoyed our lunch. The restaurant was friendly and the food quite tasty. No complaints from anyone on the whole day. |
Feedback on 5/6/2011 3 from Irina
We liked very much the tour and our guide Michel who was highly qualificated - it was very good organized tour and we liked everything but the only thing that we didn''t like it was our lunch during the trip. Please don''t bring Russan people in such low quaality restorants/ We Russians like eatting good food and we are ready to pay good money for it.There were 8 people during our trip and noone liked the food and the very unpleasant staff in the restorant.
Best Regards
Irina |
Feedback on 5/4/2011 5 from John
What a wonderful day spent touring Loire Valley Castles. Our knowledgeable bilingual guide (Loinel) provided a wealth of details and ushered all of us through the crowded sites. All done with a touch of European humor. The only con was due to the heavy Paris traffic we encountered on the return trip. However, all in all, I certainly would not hesitate recommending this tour group. Professionally run, punctual and very fairly priced - a good value for the provided services - just simply a delightful experience! |
Feedback on 2/10/2011 from Sarah
My family and I very much enjoyed the Loire Valley Castle tour. Our guide was Isabella and she was excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly. |
 Feedback on 10/17/2012 from John
trip was good. driver didn''t offer too much. |
Feedback on 12/14/2011 from Naomi
I really enjoyed this day trip to three very different and beautiful castles. I was staying in a hotel on the outskirts of the city, but since it was on the way to the motorway, I was picked up. (For another trip, I''d had to make my own way to their office). It was not what I would consider an actual "guided tour". The driver provided a commentary only when we neared the first castle, then whilst driving between the three. At the castles we were only given a basic introduction at the entrance (and into one or two rooms at one castle) and then we were left to ourselves to explore for a certain time period. The time at the first castle was sufficient. The time at the other two castles really was not.
Lunch was a real let down: it was cheap, and very plain and simple. The whole group expressed surprise and disappointment. That may have been the point of the restaurant (not sure), and it was not horrible, but it absolutely was not what one expects when on holiday in France! Out of an 8 day stay in Paris, that meal was by far the worst.
Overall, it was a great day, loved the castles, and being so far out of Paris, it was very convenient being taken in a van that took us around all three. However, it was not the fully guided tour *of the castles* that I was expecting. |
Feedback on 11/3/2011 from Mr /Mrs Babin
The minibus was comfortable. Lunch was okay. We were pretty much left on our own. Not the tour for someone wanting a "guided" tour. |
Feedback on 12/8/2010 from Anna
We felt that the trips were too expensive for what we got and that the van was very uncomfortable and we were packed in to it.
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 Feedback on 5/6/2012 1 from Malvina
The tour was well organized. Informative and gave a quick snap of the Loire valley and it''s chateaux. |
 Feedback on 10/26/2011 from Heather
I was very disappointed- the information we were provided was minimal, and no advice as to how we were meant, and what we should cover in the less than 2 hours we had at each castle. And there was no time to see any of the gardens or forrests or any of the surrounding area. For what this trip cost we got little other than being dropped off by a drive who clearly didn''t want to be there and made it clear that it was his last day of his working week and wanted to be home early. |
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Loire
Valley Castles Tour Preview
"CHAMBORD"
This marvelous chateau began its construction under Francois
I in 1519 and was completed until much later by Henri II, Charles
IX and Henri III. 1800 - 2000 men worked on the construction during
Francois I. Though this castle went through many owners, nobody
actually made this place a permanent resident. Francois I himself
lived in this place for 6 months. It was mainly used by the kings
as for retreat or as a hunting lodge. There are no official records
as to who the architect was. Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci,
then living at the Clos Lucé in Amboise, made several plans and
models used for the construction of the chateau. It also has an
extremely close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cortona,
and Italian architect. During the reign of Louis XIV, the famous
play by Moliere, Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Le bourgeois Gentilhomme
were first produced here.
More...
CONTENT:
extract from www.francebalade.com/blois/chambord.htm, www.castles.org,
www.lvo.com
"AMBOISE
- The cradle of the Renaissance"
One of the first truly "royal" residences of its kind, chateau
Amboise was built during the 15th and the 16th centuries on the
orders of Charles VIII, Louis XII and François 1. Following in the
footsteps of the great kings of France, you will discover a magnificent
example of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Today, the Chateau
still houses an exceptional collection of furniture which has been
admirably preserved. More...
CONTENT:
extract from a brochure of Chateau Amboise
"CHENONCEAU - The ladies Castle"
By
building chateau Chenonceau on the Cher river in the 1513, Thomas
Bohier razed the castle-keep and the FORTIFIED MILL of the Marques
family only keeping the dungeon. It is sad that he never managed
to see the finished castle and was completed by his wife and son.
Later, it became crown property. Henri II offered this castle to
his favourite, Diane de Poitiers. She then decided to have a bridge
built, linking the castle to the right bank of the river. This was
done by Philibert de l'Orne, the resident achitect. Following the
death of Henri II, Catherine de Medicis took over the ruling and
forced Diane de Poitieirs to return the chateau Chenonceau to crown.
During her reign and as the Queen mother, Catherine commissioned
a great gallery to be built on the bridge.
More...
CONTENT:
extract from a brochure of Chateau Chenonceau
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Hotel or Private
Residence
COMPLIMENTARY
PICK-UP & DROP OFF services
3 Courses LUNCH with Wine included 
