The Ultimate 7-Day Itinerary // Loire Valley, France

TravelEuropeFranceLoire Valley
Written By Janice Rohrssen

The Loire Valley, often referred to as the “Garden of France,” is a picturesque region nestled in the countryside of France, west of Paris. The area that surrounds the Loire River is known for its stunning chateaus, charming villages, and world-class vineyards. It’s the perfect destination if you’re looking to feel like a prince or princess, king or queen. And if you’re looking for the perfect road trip itinerary, you’ve come to the right place.

How to get there

By Plane:

  • The Loire Valley does not have a major international airport within the region. The nearest major airports are in cities like Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport or Orly Airport), Nantes Atlantique Airport, or Tours Val de Loire Airport.

  • From there, you can either train, drive, or take a bus to get the valley itself.

By Train:

  • From Paris: The most convenient way to get to the Loire Valley from Paris is by train. You can catch a high-speed TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) from Gare Montparnasse, Gare d'Austerlitz, or Gare de Lyon in Paris to various cities in the Loire Valley, including Tours, Orléans, Blois, and Angers. The journey is typically around 1 to 2 hours, depending on your destination.

By Car:

  • If you prefer flexibility and want to explore the Loire Valley at your own pace, you can rent a car and drive from Paris. The drive takes approximately 2-3 hours, depending on your chosen route and destination within the Loire Valley.

  • This is what I would recommend doing, as many of the chateaus are quite far from one another, and waiting for the bus can take a while and limit what you can do/your flexibility in doing it.

  • There are tolls on the road from Paris, though (for us it was 18.50€), so keep that in mind when calculating costs.

By Bus:

  • Long-distance bus services like FlixBus and Eurolines also connect some cities to the Loire Valley.

7-Day Loire Valley Itinerary Overview

  • Day 1: Depart from Paris, stop in Chartres or Orléans en route to Blois

  • Day 2: Visit Château de Chambord (photos) and Château de Cheverny

  • Day 3: Visit Château Blois and do a wine tasting or bike ride along the Loire River

  • Day 4: Drive to Amboise and visit Château d’Amboise (photos) and Château du Clos Lucé

  • Day 5: Visit Château Azay-le-Rideau and Château de Villandry. Stop in Tours on the way back to Amboise.

  • Day 6: Do a hot air balloon ride, then visit Château Chaumont-Sur-Loire and Château de Chenonceau

  • Day 7: Visit Royal Abbey Fontevraud and Château d’Angers

  • Extra time? Head to Brittany or Normandy

Where to Stay

We try to limit how much we move accommodation, as frequently changing hotels is overhead we like to avoid. So for this itinerary, I recommend staying on the east side for 3 days, closer to Paris, either in Blois or Orléans, and then further west for 3 days, either in Tours or Amboise.

Tours and Orléans are much bigger towns, which offer more accommodation options, transportation, and services, while Amboise and Blois are smaller, quainter towns that provide a cozier, more intimate and rural-France atmosphere. We loved our stays in Amboise and Blois, so would definitely recommend those as your hubs, but if you have different priorities, Tours and Orléans are great options.

Orléans:

Blois:

Tours:

Amboise:

The Best One Week Loire Valley Itinerary

Day 1: Depart from Paris, stopping in Chartres or Orléans en Route to Blois

Head from Paris to Blois. Depending on when you leave, you might consider a stop in Chartres, a town most famous for its magnificent Chartres Cathedral, or Orleans, a city famed for its association with Joan of Arc.

Depending on when you get into Blois, you can consider dining at the French restaurant Le Castelet.

Day 2: Cheverny and Chambord

Like much of the rest of the trip, today is all about chateaus! Start with a visit to Chateau de Cheverny, a beautiful chateau with immaculately maintained gardens and a fascinating Tintin exhibition.

If you’re looking for a fancy lunch, try La Vieille Tour, a 1-Star Michelin restaurant between Blois and Cheverny. If you’re looking for something more low-key, L’Auberge - Les Sources de Cheverny is super homey.

On your way to Chateau de Chambord, stop by Chocolaterie Max Vauché, a chocolate shop and factory that offers high-quality artisanal chocolates and a guided tour with tastings. They even offer workshops. The factory is closed on Monday during off-season (September to June), so you’ll want to plan around that. We only had Monday to go, but we enjoyed the shop (where there are also lots of free samples), so would recommend it even if you can’t tour the factory.

After that, make your way to the iconic Chateau de Chambord. This masterpiece of the Renaissance is known for its double helix staircase (likely designed by Leonardo Da Vinci) and stunning architecture, and was probably the largest and most gorgeous exterior of the chateaus we visited. Unfortunately, the museum itself is fairly bare, and had one of the least well-maintained interiors.

When you first enter, the front of the chateau has a large wall that blocks much of the architecture, so make sure you head out into the gardens in the back for the more iconic view. The best time to view this is at sunset, as the sun won’t back-light the whole castle, but it’s beautiful whenever you go. If you have time, take a boat ride to see the chateau from the water, or bike through the gardens.

If you prefer to see this chateau with fewer people, you could swap this with Cheverny and come here first. The lighting will just be different for the back of the castle.

For more details and photos, check out my blog post on Chateau de Chambord.

Day 3: Blois and the Loire River

Have a more relaxed day today. Spend your morning exploring Chateau Blois, a magnificent castle where French history unfolds at every turn, conveniently in the center of town.

In the afternoon, take some time to just soak in the area. Indulge in a wine tasting experience at one of the nearby vineyards or enjoy a picturesque bike ride along the Loire River.

For dinner, you could consider ASSA, a 1-Michelin French, Japanese, restaurant, or Restaurant Christophe Hay, a 2-Michelin French, European restaurant.

Day 4: Amboise and its Renaissance Treasures

It’s now time to leave Blois to head west. Drive to Amboise and dive into the history of Chateau d’Amboise, once a royal residence with panoramic views of the Loire River. For more details and photos, check out my blog post on Chateau d’Amboise.

Don’t miss Chateau du Clos Lucé, the final home Leonardo da Vinci, featuring his remarkable inventions. Inside the museum you’ll see many quotes and his inventions, but life-size versions of them can be found on the grounds, so make sure to spend time walking them.

Amboise has surprisingly good food, so here are some options:

Day 5: Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, and Tours

Embark on a captivating day exploring the fairy-tale-like Chateau Azay-le-Rideau, set on an island in the Indre River. When researching, a lot of people said this was their favorite castle because it felt the most fairytale-like. I don’t think I would agree, but the rooms here are beautiful.

When you’re finished, enjoy lunch in town at Restaurant CÔTÉ Cour. When we were there, a lot was closed, but the gelato at Gelato Paradiso Sarl was some of the best gelato ever, and is run by a half-Italian man who moved to France many years ago.

From there, make your way to the stunning gardens of Chateau de Villandry. I could have spent hours lost in this garden, and sitting on one of their benches, watching the swans or marveling at the vegetables (which I understand sounds ridiculous) is a great way to spend an afternoon.

On your way back to Amboise, make a pit stop in Tours**, where you can relish delicious regional cuisine and stroll through the charming old town. Enjoy the sunset from the bridge in the center of town, but be careful of all the gnats — they plague the entire Loire Valley, it seems, but they really come out at sunset, especially by the water. I would not recommend trying to picnic there.

**An afternoon in Tours is not really enough to see all the town has to offer — it has a large cathedral, museums, and a Galeries Lafayette(!) — so you might consider coming back another day, or skipping a chateau or two to spend the day here. It’s a much larger and more modern town, offering a very different feel to the rest of our stops in the Loire Valley.

Day 6: Hot Air Balloon Ride and More Chateaus

The best thing we did in the Loire Valley was convince my mom to join us for a hot air balloon ride — it was truly stunning. The morning we went, it had been quite cold the night before (in the 40’s), so the fog and mist when we woke up was quite dense. This made for stunning views as we saw the fog from above, rising from the towns and gathering over the Loire River.

We used Aerocom Montgolfiere, taking off around Château Chaumont-Sur-Loire. For my thoughts/tips on how to choose a company, time, and locations, check out my blog post: Everything You Need to Know for a Hot Air Balloon Ride in Loire Valley.

If you take off where we did, follow up the trip by exploring Château Chaumont-Sur-Loire, known for its remarkable gardens and contemporary art exhibitions. We almost skipped this chateau because we had so many on our list and I thought 9 castles would be too many, but this was one of my favorites. There’s something for everyone here, between the flower exhibitions in the castle, the garden’s many vignette exhibitions, and the ground’s permanent exhibitions that reminded me of New York’s Storm King Art Center.

After this chateau, head over to the exquisite Chateau de Chenonceau, straddling the Cher River. If you’re here at sunset, you’ll see many hot air balloons floating above the castle, which make for some stunning photos.

Day 7: Fontevraud and Angers

On your final day, visit the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, the largest abbey in Europe, which houses the tombs of Richard the Lionheart, King Henry II, and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Conclude your journey with a visit to Chateau d’Angers, home to the extraordinary Apocalypse Tapestry.

You can also go to Château de Beauregard, famous for its Gallery of the Illustrious (Galerie des Illustres).

Alternatively, you could take a more relaxed day and stroll around a town, or picnic on the grounds of an exquisite castle.

Extra Time: Explore Brittany or Normandy

If you find yourself with some extra time and a willingness to drive for more adventure, consider heading to the neighboring regions of Brittany or Normandy. Both offer their own unique charm, from the dramatic coastline of Brittany to the historic D-Day beaches of Normandy. Don’t forget to indulge in local delicacies and relax at a chateau to savor the best of what these regions have to offer.

Customize Your Itinerary

This itinerary is definitely a lot, so if you only have 3 days, here are some suggestions for what you should/shouldn’t skip and save for your next trip:

  • My favorite castles on this itinerary were Chateau de Chambord (for the architecture), Chateau de Villandry (for the gardens), Chateau Chaumont-Sur-Loire (for the installations) and Chateau de Chenonceau (for the unique castle, river, and grounds. I would pick those four if I had to choose and skip the rest.

  • I would definitely save some time to walk around the towns, enjoy the food, and watch the sunset by the river. These were some of the best memories and photos from our trip.

If you’re really short on time, you can visit the Loire Valley as a day trip from Paris. These are two options for you:

To further tweak this itinerary for you:

  • If you love markets (this website has a good list of them):

    • Tours: Tours hosts a variety of markets throughout the week, but Le Marché du Carreau des Halles (farmers’ market) and the Béranger Flower Market, both on Wednesday and Saturday, are highlights.

    • Blois: Blois has a charming market every Saturday morning in the city center, offering a range of local products and artisanal goods.

    • Amboise: Amboise’s market takes place on Sunday mornings and offers a great selection of fresh food, clothing, and regional products. There is also a smaller Friday market for those who don’t like crowds.

    • Orleans: The city of Orleans has a beautiful covered market/mall, Halles Châtelet, where you can buy fresh food and local specialties. It’s open throughout the week. They also have a Saturday flea market and a night market on Fridays, starting at 5pm.

    • Azay-le-Rideau: The Azay-le-Rideau market is held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and is a great place to shop for local food and handmade items.

    • Other famous ones include Nantes’ Flea Market, Chinon’s Antiques Market, Loches’ Market, and Angers’ Marché Lafayette.

  • If you love food: The Loire Valley has a shocking number of Michelin-starred restaurants, so I would prioritize a reservation at one of them. Besides those mentioned above, I found these particularly interesting:

  • If you need more chateaus: There are some 300 chateaus in the Loire Valley, so you can always find more to explore if this itinerary isn’t enough for you. If I were to add a few, I’d recommend:

  • If you need fewer chateaus: As mentioned above, you could definitely skip some castles to spend a full day shopping in Tours. Alternatively, you could go horseback riding through the countryside, do an ebike or regular bike tour, go kayaking, or do a wine tour.

  • If you love wine: Visit a winery! There are many winery tours, including this one, that visits castles and has lunch (it leaves from Paris), or this one, which visits two wineries. You could also go to a wine cave like Caves Ambacia for your winery experience.

When to Visit

  • We visited in October, and thought that the season was perfect. It was neither too hot nor too cold, and it wasn’t high season, so we were able to see the chateaus in relative peace, get reservations, and walk in at restaurants without issue. The downside to coming outside of the peak summer months or the holiday-crazed winter months is that there are fewer exhibitions at the castles.

Tips

  • Be prepared to spend a lot of time at restaurants. This is France, after all, and rural France at that, so meals will probably take about 2 hours at a minimum. The only real way to escape this is to eat non-French food (there are a surprising number of Asian or Middle Eastern food options here) or to picnic.

  • I would really recommend driving a car in the Loire Valley. While there are busses and other public transportation options, many of the destinations are pretty far apart, and waiting for busses would eat a lot of your travel time.

  • There are a LOT of insects in the Loire Valley. We saw more spiders than I’ve ever seen in one place, and I’ve already written about the gnats. We also had a lot of flies at one of our hotels. The cleaners cleaned them during the day, but by night they were back again. I hate insects and was able to manage, but do beware.

Janice Rohrssen
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