I am not one of those people who signs up for every tour or guided tour there is, but I know when they are convenient. Sometimes it is more bustle to organize everything or more expensive and then quickly sign up for an organized trip where you do not have to do much more than listen, watch and enjoy it is the most convenient.
That happened to me in Paris. I stayed twelve days and had friends, but none with a car and all with their jobs. I wanted to know the castles of the Louvre and I knew that yes or yes it was a car trip so even with doubts I went to the office of France Tourism in the Notre Dame area to inform me. After thinking about it a bit, I did the shopping there and arranged everything for the next day to leave Paris very early to discover some of the Châteaux of the Loire. This was my experience:
Sightseeing tour of the Châteaux of the Loire
The agency offered me two tours with these castles as a destination, the Castles of the Loire Day Trip Tour and Castles of the Loire by Minibus. The first has a price of 115 euros and the second of 160 euros. I opted for the first and very basic although there is the possibility of doing a kind of upgrade and count on lunch. I do not advise it and I will tell you why.
The tour departs every day of the week at minibuses with air conditioning and capacity for eight people. The meeting point is the agency's office in front of the Louvre at 7:15 am. Lasts a total of 12 hours and calculate that you will be back between 7 and 8 in the afternoon. The return is a little slower due to the traffic that Paris has at that time. The price of the tour, 115 euros, includes the entrance to the three castles that are visited.
Speaking of which, what castles are they? Not the best, it must be said. Its about Château Chenonceau, Château Cheverny and Château Chambord, in that order. They are considered examples of renaissance architecture in France. On the way you pass through many picturesque villages and discover other castles but you can see them from the car. The truth is that there are many other castles that are beautiful and it is a shame that they are out of the tour. That is why it is better to have a car.
Chenonceau Castle
It is considered a piece of art of Renaissance architecture in France. It is known by the name of Castle of the Ladies because it was always occupied by women. Five women participated in its interior decoration to the extent that they were mistresses and ladies. It is the one I liked the most because it even had some fireplaces on and it was very warm inside. Beautiful gardens, the superb double gallery over the river, kitchens with copper vessels and utensils, bouquets of flowers, tapestries, furnished rooms ...
I loved this castle because it is not monumental and with those details, vases with flowers, carpets, lit fires, lets you imagine life here. I must say that the guide introduces you to the castle, its history and its architectural details, from the car, while you are traveling, and that once there he lets you walk alone and you arrange the time and meeting point. If you became friends with someone, you travel in a group, otherwise you do it on your own without drama.
Cheverney Castle
This is the castle that I liked the least and maybe because It doesn't even look like a castle. It is more of a palatial residence that is still in the hands of a century-old family, the Vibraye. The mansion is partially open to the public and there is a internal journey that you cannot get out of that takes you to know the rooms of arms, dining rooms, bedrooms and a beautiful chapel. There are tables set to eat and have tea, you will see the bedroom of the natives and all the typical luxury of a noble family.
Many XNUMXth century furniture. You can also go out and walk in the garden, beautiful, and there is a huge kennel where the hunting dogs of this noble French family live. But the truth is, if it wasn't included in the tour, I wouldn't have paid to see it. Another thing is if you like the comic book character, Tintin. It was the inspiration for the Moulinsart Castle created by Hergé. But nothing else.
Chambord Castle
I think it's great to end the tour with this impressive piece. A huge empty castle the largest and most majestic of all the castles of the Loire. It was built to expand the hunting ground of King Francisco I but of his 32 years of reign the monarch only walked around here… 42 days! So much castle for nothing. This imposing work has 355 chimneys, 440 rooms, 14 stairways and 800 turrets. And you can walk almost everywhere.
Chambord it's almost empty. There are only a few living rooms decorated with period furniture, the bedroom, for example, but not much else. The main attraction is a internal double helix stairway believed to have been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. While people go up, people go down and they never cross. Very pretty. Best of all, you can walk on the rooftops and contemplate the surrounding landscapes and the rest of the castle itself.
Its size imposes, even if it is empty. Being able to touch the rocks, the wooden doors with the giant F's in reference to the king, I don't know, it's a beautiful place in its own way.
The Loire Châteaux tour
I said at the beginning that you can make a upgrade and hire the lunch service, but it really wasn't worth it. The lunch is at Château Chenonceau around 11 am. There are some secondary buildings and there is the dining room that offers two menus, the Découverte and the Prestige. I'm not saying it's not worth it for the quality of the food but for the time you waste. You have to be at 11 and lose two hours eating ... I don't know, to me it seems unnecessary to me.
In the castle gardens there is a cafeteria and you can buy something to drink and eat there. Even if you are far-sighted, you can carry sandwiches in your backpack and eat on the minibus. The driver drops you. Finally this It is not the only tour through the castles offered by the tourism agency but it is the cheapest. There is the 160 euro which is basically the same and the 269 euro which is a private tour that picks you up wherever you are in Paris, you do not have to travel to the agency, and includes lunch in Chenonceau.
They are the same castles, that's why I say it's not worth it really pay more. In short, these tours are options for excursions from Paris and discover some of the castles of the Loire Valley. At some point there were like 300 castles but after the French Revolution many were attacked and burned and never recovered. If you have the possibility to rent a car and do it on your own, much better, but if not these tours are not bad at all.