Another city option would be Orleans, where you can explore some impressive but lesser known castles like Meung-sur-Loire, and Château of Chamerolles. With the exception of Chambord, most of the castles have free parking. We can source others to ensure most riders needs are accommodated. The Loire Valley is also known for its outstanding wines (red, white, rosé and sparkling) and lively, sophisticated cities, including Orléans, Blois, Tours and Angers – yet more reasons why the entire area is an enormous Unesco World Heritage Site. You can buy your tickets to ZooParc here.

Other things to discover at Cheverny include the Lego exhibition, the labyrinth, the Tulip and Vegetable Garden, the park, as well as the feeding of the 80+ hunting hounds. This masterpiece of Renaissance architecture depicts a beautiful integration of classical French architecture and Italian decor. Vendome is one of the main towns along the Loir with a population approaching 20k. You can discover more wineries and vineyards in the Loire Valley with this map. In order for features like the Facebook comments form to work correctly McTours uses cookies, however, we must have your permission first. There are several great tours from Paris including full day trips where you see 2-3 castles; as well as multiple day tours where you get to fully experience the Loire Valley. Here are a few highly rated day tours from Paris: It goes without saying that the best way to get around the Loire Valley is by car. See the things to do in the Loire Valley section. This fits well with many early morning flights from UK airports to Paris but for those who prefer to arrive a day early we can arrange accommodation the night before at a nominal additional charge. The Loire Valley is the third largest wine growing region in France and has thousands of wineries dotted throughout the region making it almost mandatory to sneak in a few wineries between your castle visits. Important economic sectors included leather goods, textile, shipyard/construction and aeronautics, agriculture and food-pro… Book your tickets online for the top things to do in Loire Valley, France on Tripadvisor: See 105,527 traveler reviews and photos of Loire Valley tourist attractions. You can check car rental rates here. Required fields are marked *.

Cross the river again to the Palais de Chaillot and proceed north to the Arch de Triumph before making you way back along the Chams-Elysees to begin your return to the hotel. The ticket costs €2.15 one way or €4.15 round trip and can be bought from the bus driver. This perfectly symmetrical castle is also known for being in the comic book, The Adventures of Tintin as the Tintin château, Marlinspike Hall was modeled after Cheverny. The shuttle corresponds with the 9:02am train from Paris Austerlitz and is designed so that you can visit Chambord in the morning and Cheverny in the evening, with plenty of time in between to explore and have lunch. A tour will do it all for you. Get more travel inspiration, tips and exclusive offers sent straight to your inbox. Be enchanted by the largest of all the châteaux of the Loire, the Château de Chambord. Recommendation: If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of planning a Loire Valley day trip from Paris, consider booking a guided tour instead. Your bus tickets also gives you up to €3.60 discount on the entrance fee to Chaumont-sur-Loire. Plan your stay in the Loire Valley with Loire Châteaux, vineyards and cycle trails… discover a region listed as UNESCO world heritage! No sightseeing activity gives you a glimpse into how much the French love and appreciate fresh food like the traditional French market, known as “Le Marché”.

Though you won’t see as much as if you stayed for a few days, you can still see  some of the most popular castles. Discover the Château de Cheverny, inspired by Hergé to create the Tintin’s fictional Château de Moulinsart. If you want to stay in a big city, where you can get around easily by public transportation, and see many of the châteaux in the west (Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, and Chinon), Tours is a great spot to make your base. Loire Valley Travel is the leading French company offering bicycle tours in France for 30 years and cooperate with more 50 Tour-Operators all over the world. However, to avoid traffic jams and the chaos of driving out of Paris, take a train to your base destination, then rent a car from there. You can buy your skip-the-line ticket to Clos Lucé here. They have streamlined the front fender to show off more wheel, the controls have been completely redesigned and better laid out making them easier to reach and read.