France’s vast Loire Valley is dotted with wineries, medieval villages and fairytale châteaux. Consider making Amboise or Sancerre home base.
When I was a child, I found a book at my local library called Châteaux of the Loire Valley. I was transfixed by the images of stately castles with their turrets and intricate facades. I had seen castles like this in my favorites fairytale books. I couldn’t believe they existed in real life. From that moment, I knew I would visit France one day. I went to Paris for the first time when I was 18, but I didn’t make it to the Loire Valley until the age of 33. Château de Chenonceau was as lovely as I imagined it would be. I also enjoyed visiting Château de Chambord and Chaumont-sur-Loire.
After visiting the Loire Valley three times, I’ve realized there is much more to love than castles. It’s an excellent region for biking with well-marked bike routes crisscrossing the valley’s gently rolling hillsides. Loire Valley wines are delicious and, in most cases, affordable.
If you decide to go, know that the Loire Valley is a vast area. It’s about 310 square miles. I’ve chosen two towns, one in the UNESCO-protected western end of the valley and one in the less-traveled eastern end, to consider making your home base.
Music credit: “Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G, Movement I (Allegro), BWV 1049” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Amboise
This charming town on the banks of the Loire River is an excellent choice if you want to visit many of the region’s most famous châteaux. Château d’Amboise and Clos Lucê are located in town. Chenonceau is just ten miles away and Château Chaumont-sur-Loire is a 17-minute drive.
Restaurants
Chez Bruno
This French bistro is located on historic Place Michel Debré just below Chäteau d’Amboise. It offers a small, but reliable menu of French classics such as escargots in butter and garlic, and rump steak in pepper sauce with a side of crispy fries. Housemade desserts such as crème brulée and molten chocolate cake are delicious.
40 Place Michel Debré
Amboise 37400
+33 02 47 57 73 49
La Fourchette
This charming restaurant, tucked in an ally off of the main road in Amboise, is beloved by locals and tourists for its French home cooking. The chef makes just two entrées, two mains and two desserts each day, ensuring everything is fresh and in season. It’s a very small restaurant, so book ahead.
9 rue Malebranche
Amboise 37400
+33 06 11 78 16 98
Sights
Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire
With its parapet walkway flanked by two towers, this château seems plucked from Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Charles II d’Amboise built the Renaissance château in the late 1400s on the site of a former fortress. Catherine de Medici, the wife of King Henry II, acquired it in 1550 and she installed the king’s mistress Diane de Poitiers there after he passed away (more on this below).
Poitiers had been living at Chenonceau and she was not as fond of Chaumont-sur-Loire. She did make many improvements including adding the Saint-Nicolas Tower. Many other owners followed. Today, the interiors reflect a variety of different styles and time periods including the Ruggieri Room with a 17th-century canopy bed and a painted fireplace from the 1500s and a Great Salon decorated in mid 19th-century style featuring walls covered in yellow silk brocatelle.
The stables are a highlight of a visit to Chaumont-sur-Loire. Constructed in 1877 by Paul-Ernest Sanson, the brick and stone stables were considered the most luxurious of their time. The saddle room contains beautiful harnesses made by Hermès.
Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire is home to an Arts and Nature Center where there are permanent and temporary art installations. The food served at the estate’s various restaurants is quite good.
Chaumont-sur-Loire 41150
+33 02 54 20 99 22
Château d’Amboise
Once home to the royal court, many French kings spent time at Château d’Amboise including Charles VII and Henry II. It was rebuilt extensively during the late 1400s. King Francis I was raised at Amboise. The young king, a great lover of the arts, brought Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise in 1515. The artist is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert located on the castle grounds. Château d’Amboise sits on a bluff above the town and has wonderful views of the valley.
Montée de l’Emir Abd el Kader
Amboise 37400
+33 02 47 57 00 98
Château de Chambord
This imposing Renaissance château, built as a hunting lodge by Francis I, was never completely finished. The king only spent about 72 days there total, but it remains an important symbol of French power and ingenuity. It’s easily the largest château in the valley (there are more than 280 fireplaces!). They double helix staircase may have been designed by da Vinci himself.
Travelproper tip: Grapevines were planted on the Chambord property between 1518 and 1519 and the château has been replanting vines since 2015. The first grape harvest will take place in 2019 to coincide with the château’s 500th anniversary.
Chambord 41250
+33 02 54 50 40 00
Château de Chenonceau
Where Chambord is robust and masculine, Chenonceau is graceful and feminine, so it may come as no surprise that a number of famous women have been its most notable stewards. Built in the early 1500s, it was seized by the crown for unpaid debts in 1535. After Francis I died in 1547, King Henry II gave the château to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. Henry’s wife Catherine de Medici coveted the château. When her husband died, due to an injury sustained during a jousting match, she forced Poitiers to sell it to her.
Once just a bridge that went across the river Cher, Catherine enclosed it and added two additional levels including a gallery for parties thus giving the château its most iconic feature.
The most visited of all the châteaux in the Loire Valley, Chenonceau is kept in pristine condition. The property’s dueling gardens, including the Garden de Catherine de Medici and the Garden de Diane de Poitiers, located on a floating parterre, are gorgeous and offer great vantage points for photographing the château.
The floral arrangements that decorate the castle, comprised of blooms grown in the property’s flower garden, are stunning. It’s no surprise Chenonceau’s head florist is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
Chenonceaux 37 150
+33 820 20 90 90
Château du Clos Lucé
Leonardo da Vinci lived in this château from 1515 until his death in 1519 (a rumored underground passageway links the residence with Château d’Amboise. Visit highlights include models and machines designed by Leonardo, the Great Room featuring a Mona Lisa copy painted in 1654 and the bedchamber where the brilliant artist drew his last breath. The park surrounding the château includes Leonardo da Vinci-inspired art installations.
2 rue du Clos Lucé
Amboise 37400
+33 02 47 57 00 73
Hotels
Hôtel Le Manoir Les Minimes
This wisteria-clad manor makes a charming home base in Amboise. It’s located just below the Château d’Amboise (most rooms offer views of it) and is walking distance to the center of town and its restaurants, boutiques and wine shops. Guestrooms all feature a tasteful mix of antiques and more contemporary furnishings and art. Rooms begin at around $111 a night, but prices can be much higher during spring and summer.
34 Quai Charles Guinot
Amboise 377400
+33 02 47 30 40 40
Airbnb
Amboise offers some wonderful and affordable vacation rentals. A selection of Airbnbs can be found here.
Wine
La Grange Tiphaine
This family-owned winery on the outskirts of Amboise makes excellent low intervention Montlouis sur Loire and Touraine. The Bel Air, a fruity and refreshing Touraine Amboise made from Chenin Blanc grapes, is an excellent bottle to take home. The winery offers tastings by appointment.
1407 rue du Clos Chauffour
Amboise 37400
+33 02 47 30 53 80
Sancerre
I would suggest picking this pretty hilltop town, or the area that surrounds it, as a base for exploring the Loire Valley’s less touristy eastern end.
Restaurants
Le Laurier
This lovely restaurant is located in Saint-Satur just down the hill from the town of Sancerre. Although it has had a few different owners, it has been in continuous operation since the early 1900s and its décor: wine stained wallpaper, black and white tile floor, copper pots hanging from the walls, seems unchanged since then. It is all kept in immaculate condition thanks to the owner Josiane Mazouz-Chaix who works tirelessly in the front and back of the house. The hearty coq au vin is delicious. Mouzouz-Chaix also operates a small hotel with simple, clean guestrooms upstairs.
29 rue du Commerce
Saint-Satur 18300
+33 02 48 54 17 20
Restaurant La Tour
Located on the main square in Sancerre, this Michelin star kitchen offers elegant French fare with an Asian twist. Think Japanese rice with a red cabbage sauce.
31 Place Nouvelle Place
Sancerre, 18300
+33 02 48 54 00 81
Restaurant Le Chat
A former Le Chateaubriand sous-chef owns this bistro in Cosne-Cours-sur- Loire. It’s laid back with simple décor and an excellent wine list.
42 bis rue des Guérins
Cosne-Cours-Sur-Loire 58200
+33 03 86 28 49 03
Hotels
La Chancelière
More of a bed and breakfast than a hotel, the owners still live in this charming château dating back to the 1500s. The eight guestrooms are located on the second floor. Each room is uniquely decorated and most offer nice views of the countryside. Guests are able to enjoy the beautiful outdoor patio and the charming living room where breakfast and happy hour are served daily.
5 rue Hilaire Amagat
Saint-Satur 18300
+33 02 48 54 01 57
Prieuré Notre-Dame d’Orsan
This 12th-century monastery is known for its medieval gardens, but it also offers stylish guestrooms. The restaurant serves lunch and afternoon tea.
Prieré Notre-Dame d’Orsan,
Maisonnais, 18170
+33 02 48 56 27 50
Wine
Henri Bourgeois
This well-known domain has been producing Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé for ten generations in the charming village of Chavignol. The clean and flinty Sancerres are consistently good. The tasting room is open daily and tours can be booked by appointment.
Domaine Henri Bourgeois
Chavignol
+33 02 48 78 53 20
Alphonse Mellot
Alphonse Mellot’s excellent rich and full-flavored Sancerres are served in many of the best restaurants in France. You can pick up a bottle to take home from the small storefront just off of the main square in Sancerre.
3 rue Porte César,
Sancerre 18300
+33 02 48 54 07 41
Have any favorite Loire Valley spots? Please let me know in the comments below.
Planning to visit Burgundy? Check out my guide to Beaune here. And here’s where to eat, shop and sightsee in Paris.
There is a vineyard/chateau on the east bank of the Loire. It is a gem. It is the only one between charite sur Loire and cosne sur loire. Do you know the name of it?
I don’t unfortunately, but it sounds wonderful. Let me know if you think of it. I’d love to check it out.
It is a lovely white chateau with many turrets. It is a gem. Does anyone know its name?