Stroll along Renaissance villages, rivers & vineyards of the UNESCO World Heriatge site of the Loire Valley.
Travel through time across the medieval castle of Montrichard and the royal Châteaux of Amboise & Chenonceau.
Enjoy world class wines and local gastronomy of Touraine.
Relax in our 4-star Hotel-Chateau and go for a dip in the swimming pool!

Loire Valley (Vallée de La Loire in French) was added to the unique UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2000. When delivering its decision, the comittee said that the area was “an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself”. With cities such as Orleans, Blois, Tours or Nantes, the Loire Valley offers an incredible quality of architectural heritage. Also known as the Gardens of France, Loire Valley is a great place to enjoy biological diversity, endless well kept forests (such as Forest of Amboise) and last but not least, its world class wines. We have graded this walk as “easy” as the average walking time is 4 hours, without any major ascent or descent.

We have decided to focus this trip on a more specific area of the Loire Valley: Le Val de Loire, and more specifically Touraine. With so much natural, cultural and gastronomic wealth, it is no wonder the local motto is still “Here, living is an art”! Chateau of Amboise or Chateau of Chenonceaux are amongst the most famous castles of the Loire Valley indeed, but there are also lots of small castles you will see during these walking holidays. All these castles were built or re-built during the Renaissance time, thanks to the local soft, friable and porous calcite rock called tuffeau (pronounce “tufo”), an easy-to-sharpe material. As a result, Touraine is full of underground quarries that were then transformed into troglodytic dwellings or caves ideal for storing wine, cheese, growing mushrooms and more. Between La Loire and one of its affluent Le Cher, Touraine also holds home to some of the finest wines in France. The walking holidays we have designed for you will bring you through colourful vineyards where you will have a few chances to stop by for wine tasting in local producers’ cellars.

DAY 1 - To Amboise
After your flight to Nantes or Paris, you will be pre-booked in our selected 2-star hotel, “Logis de France”, in the historical part of town - close to all facilities and only 5 minutes walk from the Castle. This picturesque town, with is white-washed buildings, is in the magnificent Loire valley. Definitely worth a visit! You could spend more time here and visit the magnificent Chateau d'Amboise, Clos Luce (the house of Leonardo da Vinci), or the Pagoda of Chanteloup - all within a short taxi ride (10min) or by bus in the summer!

Town: Shops, Train, ATM, Internet, Pharmacy, Bars, Restaurants.Accomodation: 2* Hotel, conveniently located in the heart of Amboise. Meals: B & B

DAY 2 - Thésée to Montrichard (4H, 16 KM)
From the Gallo-Roman ruins of Thésée, our way leads to Bourré via the Castle of Gué-Péan and Monthou-sur-Cher. Vineyards and troglodytic dwellings will be part of the landscape. You will continue your journey towards the medieval town of Montrichard with its castle overlooking the cobble streets and Le Cher.

Town: Shops, ATM, Internet, Pharmacy, Bars, Restaurants. Accomodation: 2* Hotel Logis de France, in the heart of the medieval town, at the foot of the castle and nearby river Le Cher. Meals: Half board - 3 courses Menu du Terroir dinner and buffet breakfast.

DAY 3 – Montrichard to Chissay-en-Touraine (2H, 8 KM)
For this second day, we offer you a short walk so you can enjoy visiting Montrichard, its castle and the Monmousseau Cellars, Touraine’s longest wine underground galleries. Then, an easy walk along Le Cher and through vineyards will bring you to Chissay-en-Touraine. Here, you are booked in a 4* castle!

Town: Bar & restaurant, shops. Accomodation: 4* stunning XVIth century Castle, with swimming pool. Meals: 3 courses dinner and buffet breakfast.

DAY 4 – Chissay-en-Touraine to Chenonceaux (2H45, 11.5 KM)
Today is an easy day with a quiet start as you walk through vineyards and hamlets, passing by Chateau des Coudraies (a vineyard itself). After your lunch in Francueil, you reach the South bank of river Le Cher from where you will have plenty of time to admire the grand Chateau de Chenonceaux (also known as Ladies’ Castle). Then, you walk through Chisseaux before reaching the town of Chenonceaux on the North side of Le Cher.

Town: Shops, Bars, Restaurants. Accomodation: 2* Hotel Logis de France, a few steps away from Chateau de Chenonceau. Meals: 3 courses dinner and buffet breakfast.

Day 5 - Chenonceaux to Azay-sur-Cher (5h, 19.5km)
For your last day, you leave Chenonceaux behind you to enjoy a quiet walk on towpaths along Le Cher for most part of the day. After passing Bléré, you will continue along the river and through the quiet Touraine countryside to reach Chateau de Nitray where you will have the opportunity to stop by for some wine tasting and much more. You will then continue peacefully to Azay-sur-Cher where a taxi will pick you up to Tours.

Town: Shops, ATM, Internet, Pharmacy, Bars, Restaurants.

Day 6 - Tours
After breakfast, we bid you farewell.

Town: Shops, ATM, Internet, Pharmacy, Bars, Restaurants.

To France
Ryanair fly to Nantes from Dublin & London. Ryanair also fly to Tours. Aer Lingus and BA fly to Paris CDG.

To the Beginning of the Adventure: Amboise
Several trains operate daily from both Nantes and Paris to Amboise [ journeys take 2hrs approx]. Daily trains also operate from Tours to Amboise (Approx. 20min). NOTE: We recommend travelling from Nantes or Tours, as in Paris the public transport connections from the airport to the train station can make the journey more complicated and even longer.
Option 1 - From Nantes to Amboise: Train. www.voyages-sncf.com
Option 2 - From Tours to Amboise: Train. www.voyages-sncf.com
Option 3 - From Paris CDG to Amboise. Urban train to Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris (RER, ligne B until St Michel and then ligne C) and then Train to Amboise. www.voyages-sncf.com

Back Home from Tours
Option 1 - Tours airport. www.ryanair.com
Option 2 - Nantes airport. www.nantesairport.net/Airlines. Several trains operate daily from Tours to Nantes (Approx 1h30). www.voyages-sncf.com
Option 3 - Paris CDG Airport. Several trains operate daily from Tours to Paris, Gare d'Austerlitz (Approx. 2h30). www.voyages-sncf.com. From here, Urban Train to CDG airport (RER Ligne C to St Michel and then Ligne B).

Note that these hotels have been carefully selected for their comfort, location, friendliness and character, and are subject to availabilities.