Start in the Loire and the day goes on the châteaux rather than the motorway. Every tour here collects you from the tourist office in Tours or Amboise, includes your tickets, caps the group at eight and gives Chambord up to two hours. What changes is lunch, wine and a stop in Amboise.
Eight people, two hours at Chenonceau and two at Chambord, and lunch cooked at the family-owned Château de Villesavin in between. Pickup in Tours at nine or Amboise at half past.
From $283 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The same two châteaux with two hours at each and entrance fees included, and lunch is wherever you choose. A minivan of eight, with an English-speaking driver-guide.
From $236 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Chenonceau and Chambord only, with tickets and a guided visit at both, from the Tours tourist office. A lunch stop in a Loire village, bought yourself. No children under four.
From $249 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
From the Amboise tourist office to Chenonceau and Chambord, entrance fees included, with about an hour and a half guided at each. Small group; no children under four.
From $226 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Guided visits at Chenonceau and Chambord, and two and a half hours in Amboise at lunch for the royal château or a long meal. Back in Tours around six.
From $236 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Guided visits at both châteaux and a tasting in the Caves Ambacia cellars instead of a third château. English only, lunch extra, back around six.
From $283 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Every tour here includes your château tickets, a minivan of eight at most and up to two hours at Chambord.
Check availabilityA small-group day that starts in the Loire Valley itself. A driver-guide collects you from the tourist office in Tours at 9:00 or in Amboise at 9:30, in an air-conditioned minivan, and brings you back around six. In between you visit Chenonceau and Chambord, with guided time and free time at each.
Because you are already in the Loire, the day goes on the châteaux rather than the motorway. That is the whole difference, and it adds up to an hour or more extra at Chambord compared with most Paris days.
Up to two hours at the château, against an hour or an hour and a quarter on most Paris coaches. Enough for the staircase, the apartments and the terraces without hurrying.
On these tours your driver-guide takes you through the main rooms before handing you free time. That guide is usually the part of the day you remember.
A minivan rather than a coach, so you can hear the answers to your questions and the group moves quickly.
Chambord and Chenonceau admission are in the fare on every tour here, so you never queue at the ticket desk.
| Tour from Tours or Amboise | Day trip from Paris | |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup | Tourist office, 9:00 or 9:30 | Around 7:00 in Paris |
| Back | Around 18:00 in the Loire | Around 20:00 in Paris |
| Time at Chambord | 1 h 30 to 2 hours | 1 hour to 2 hours |
| Group | Up to 8 | Coach of 25–50, or a van |
| Guide inside | Yes, then free time | Only on some |
| Getting there first | You reach Tours or Amboise | Nothing |
| Price from | From $226 | From $104 |
Check availability — From $236
The catch is the first line of the table. You need to be in Tours or Amboise by nine, so most people stay the night before. One traveller who took a six o’clock train from Paris said exactly that. The guide to choosing a base works through the trade.
These tours share a route, and the differences are in the middle of the day. Choose by what you want between the two châteaux.
| If you want | Choose | From |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch at a family château | The tour with lunch at Villesavin | From $283 |
| Lunch wherever you like | The lunch-free version of the same day | From $236 |
| Free time in Amboise | The day with the Amboise stop | From $236 |
| A wine cellar visit | The Caves Ambacia day | From $283 |
| Just the two châteaux | The two-château day from Tours | From $249 |
Check availability — From $283
You get both château tickets, a driver-guide, a minivan of eight at most and up to two hours at each château. One tour includes lunch at Villesavin; one includes a wine tasting in the Caves Ambacia.
You don’t get hotel pickup or a start in Paris, lunch on most of them, or tips. Some of these tours do not take children under four, and none is wheelchair accessible.
Every pickup point is on the map page.
Two hours at Chambord, a guide inside and eight people at most. Book early: the minivans fill first.
Check availabilityHours and tickets are on visiting Chambord, what you see inside on what to see, and every other way to visit on Château de Chambord Tours. Or start again with the guided tours of the Château de Chambord.