Abbaye de Fontevraud
Amboise
Chateau de Chambord
Chateau Clos Luce Amboise - bridge designed by Da Vinci
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Chateau Clos Luce Amboise
Chateau de Chenonceau
Chateau de Saumur
Chateau de Villandry
Chateau de Chenonceau
Samur
Town Hall
Ville de Blois
Amboise – home to Leonardo da Vinci from 1516 until his death in 1519
Magnificent châteaux – Chambord, Chenonceau and Villandry
Beautiful gardens – the ornamental vegetables at Villandry are wonderful
Historic riverside towns
Based in the regional capital of the Loire in medieval Tours
The building boom of the 15th and 16th century along the banks of the River Loire, inspired and funded by the French monarchy and aristocracy, has left a legacy of marvellous buildings and towns, some of which are explored on this wonderful tour. Based in the regional capital, Tours, highlights include the chateaux at Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise and Villandy as well as Fontevraud Abbey and wine tasting in Saumur.
All forthcoming departure dates and live prices are listed below. Click 'book now' next to your choice of departure date to book your place on the tour.
Available Departures |
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| 03 - July - 2025 | £ 1549.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings St Pancras Departing: 03rd July 2025 at 10:22 Returning: 09th July 2025 at 17:03 |
Day 1: Travel by Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris and onwards to St Pierre des Corps by TGV.
On arrival, transfer by coach to the Mercure Blois Centre Hotel. Evening welcome drink at the hotel.
Day 2: Morning guided walking tour of Tours.
Riverside Tours is the regional capital of the Loire and a beautiful medieval city. Our guided walking tour will take in most of the main sights including the heart of the city, the Place Plumereau, Romanesque Tour Charlemagne and Cathédrale St-Gatien. A free afternoon might include a visit to the Musées des Beaux Arts or Compagnonnage or the Hotel Goulin, the finest Renaissance building in the city.
Day 3: Full day tour to the Chateau de Chambord and Blois.
The Loire’s largest building, Chambord’s design was probably initiated by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1537 and was the brainchild of the extravagant Francois I who suggested diverting the River Loire to flow directly in front of his chateau. This 440-room edifice was finally completed by Louis XIV in 1685. The lovely riverside town of Blois is dominated by its chateau, which was the primary royal residence until Henri IV moved the court to Paris in 1598. It is renowned for its extravagant staircase, dating back to 1515 and a masterpiece of French Reniassance design.
Day 4: Full day tour to Fontevraud Abbey and Saumur with afternoon tasting of sparkling wine.
Founded in 1101, the Abbaye de Fontevraud is a remarkable self-contained complex of ecclesiastical buildings that include amazing Romanesque kitchens, beautiful cloisters, superb paintings and effigies and a grand refectory. The charming small town of Saumur, famed for its sparkling wines, is great for exploring on foot. Highlights here include its storybook chateau, dating from the 14th century, Eglise St-Pierre, Gothic town hall and atmospheric old town. We will enjoy a tasting of its famous sparkling wine whilst here and learn about its production.
Day 5: Full day tour to Chateau de Chenonceau and Amboise.
Perhaps the most distinctive of all the Loire chateaux, Chenonceau extends over the River Cher with a 60-metre gallery, whose elegant proportions are reflected in the languid water. Described by Flaubert as “floating on air and water,” it was built as a romantic pleasure palace by a series of aristocratic women and boasts formal gardens and grandiose interiors as well as beautifully proportioned and elegant architectural features. The town of Amboise not only boasts a royal chateau but is also where Leonardo da Vinci lived from 1516 until his death in 1519. We will visit the Chateau d'Amboise where da Vinci's tomb is preserved in the chateau's chapel. The chateau also offers spectacular views of the Loire landscape from its balconies, roof and terraced gardens.
Day 6: Full day tour to Chateau de Villandry and Chateau Azay Le Rideau.
The Chateau de Villandry is an elegant chateau that boasts superb gardens that include the world’s largest ornamental kitchen garden, where flowers and vegetables are grown in strictly geometric patterns, herb garden and the stunning Garden of Love that depicts four types of love: tragic, adulterous, tender and passionate. This afternoon we will visit the Chateau Azay Le Rideau, built on an island in the Indre River under the patronage of King Francis the First. A subtle blend of French tradition and innovative Italian décor, it is an icon of the new art of building in the Loire Valley in the 16th century.
Day 7: Transfer by coach to St Pierre des Corps Station to catch the return TGV to Paris. At Paris, board the return Eurostar to St Pancras.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 35 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
PLEASE NOTE: As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages.Trollies are available at St Pancras and Paris, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
Mercure Blois Centre Hotel
Four-star Mercure Blois Centre Hotel is located in the heart of Blois, perfectly located for exploring the Loire Valley. The hotel offers a restaurant, bar, fitness centre, and comfortable well-appointed bedrooms with all modern amenities including private bath/shower, TV, hairdryer, air-conditioning and wifi.
Hotel website
Pre-tour accommodation is available at the Premier Inn, London Kings Cross St Pancras, about 5 minutes walk from St Pancras International, at an approximate rate of £120 per room. Bookings can be made direct with the hotel on 0871 527 8672 or visit their website
One lift (of 2) was out of action at the Hotel Le Grand when we arrived. This was repaired after a couple of days. The tour leader, Helene, together with the coach driver (Jean-Yves), saved my bacon when I left my wallet at the café at the last chateau we visited. One of the things on my wish list was to see the Loire Chateaux. Mission accomplished !!!
Review by Anonymous who travelled 11-July-2024
Beautiful chateaux and well-organised visits. Much nicer being left to roam round castles/gardens rather than guided tours. Hotel was pretty ordinary, good breakfast but my room had such a large bed that I couldn't open the wardrobe door properly.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 11-July-2024
Journey was good but it should have been pointed out that a coach journey would be necessary between stations in Paris. As our trip was made during the lead up to the Olympics, journey was horrendous. 2hrs stuck in traffic between stations was not ideal. Maybe thought should be made to using the Metro (if indeed the journey could be made via this). Also, we got off the train a stop before Tours, when Tours appeared to be a terminal. It was not really explained why we had to do this. Hotel was good, rooms adequate though I had a shower cubicle, many did not and had to climb into a bath tub which was not ideal for those with a slight disability. The actual tour was very good, if slightly tiring. I felt that the visit to Chenonceau could have been longer to enable us to take in the gardens fully. I would rather have stayed there, had lunch there and missed out the afternoon visit. Likewise with Amboise. We did not have time to visit the house of Leonardo da Vinci which was a shame. Overall I would gladly recommend the tour if, like me, you’ve always wanted to visit the chateaux of the Loire valley.
Review by Turner who travelled 11-July-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
We are delighted that overall you enjoyed the tour. We take all our traveller feedback very seriously and we have looked into your comments. In relation to crossing Paris we have looked at the documentation that you were sent and it should have been made clearer that there would be a coach transfer between stations involved. During the run up to and during the Olympics we are allowing at least 90 minutes for those transfers, unfortunately some of the closures are changing on a daily basis. We book the rail tickets many months out from travel and the line from St Pierre des Corps to Tours is a branch line with a limited service and unfortunately it cannot be guaranteed to be available therefore we arrange the coach to meet the train at St Pierre des Corps to transfer you to the hotel. We have also taken the decision to use an alternative hotel in 2025.
Our tour manager Hélène was excellent, helpful, knowledgeable and good company. The visits were well organised and interesting. Sometimes it did feel a little rushed but generally speaking we were happy with the itinerary.
Review by Athroll who travelled 11-July-2024
Well organised, clean if somewhat somber hotel, excellent sights. It would have been good to have a meal together on arrival - not a drinks reception - to get to know the other travellers . Instead everybody went off - individually or in pairs - in search of food in a town none of us knew. That was very much the pattern during our stay. It would have been better to choose suitable restaurants after our tour of Tours on the second day.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-July-2023
Review by Russell who travelled 20-July-2023
I had no problems. Everything went smoothly and I was able to do everything I wanted.
Review by Bristow who travelled 20-July-2023
Our recent trip to the Loire valley and the chateaux was excellent, the following specific comments you may find helpful:- The tour guide Steve was excellent, giving us appropriate information regarding the town/chateau we were to visit. He provided timely instructions regarding meeting times, chateaux entry procedures etc. In addition, on coach trips, he related a number of anecdotes of his experience as a guide over the years which were well received. We felt we were given a good time at the major chateaux and once ‘on site’ we were allowed the opportunity to ‘do our own thing’, in our own time. All trains were on time and reservations and (dis)embarkations were well organised. Hotel accommodation was good, we were lucky with our room as it had a good view over the town square. The room was small, partly as a result of an unnecessarily large bed. It was a pity that there was such a limited dinner menu in the hotel, although there were plenty of places in Tours to eat. Hotel and room were clean and tidy. Altogether a great holiday and we would be very happy to travel with Travel Editions again and recommend you to our friends. Thank you.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-July-2023
Excellent trip with all travel arrangements running smoothly with a wonderful itinerary and a very good and informative tour guide.
Review by Lane who travelled 20-July-2023
Admin ok apart from issues around forward facing seats. We had to use our initiative to change seats when necessary. Guide was friendly but lacked up-to-date local knowledge. The local French guide, Fleur, who took us around Tours on the first day was excellent as was our coach driver Pascal.
Review by Aldridge who travelled 20-July-2023
Review by Thompson who travelled 20-July-2023
A thoroughly enjoyable trip. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and went to a great deal of trouble to ensure that everyone was able to make the most of each venue and do and see as much as possible. This was greatly appreciated.
Review by Robinson who travelled 09-July-2019
Excellent trip - it exceeded all my expectations. The chateaux were wonderful, the itinerary was really good (allowing plenty of time to visit the properties and gardens at a leasurely pace), the Tour Manager Sandra Mc Gill was very knowledgeable and always helpful and cheerful. All very well organised.
Review by Richardson who travelled 09-July-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 09-July-2019
Dense itinerary, always kept interesting by tour manager Sandra. Would have welcomed more free time, as we 'rushed' through Blois / Samur, both now need revisiting. My French (rusty since leaving school in 1969) proved good enough, that or the locals were very tolerant! Never a great hotels fan but the Grand is ok - helpful staff, rooms clean if perhaps low on storage (ok for a single person), and plenty for breakfast! Only (unfair) moan is that hotel rooms at the back face other hotel rooms. Happily surprised that as a veggie in mid-France I ate unexpectedly well.
Review by Kosminsky who travelled 09-July-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 09-July-2019
It would have been better if we had been able to join at Ebbsfleet. It would also have been easier if we had continued to Tour and got on at Tour instead of the previous stop meaning we had to get into another coach. The bedroom was compact and the bathroom needed a good clean especially the shower. Someone mentioned it had been refurbished last year it was all a little tired.
Review by Palmer who travelled 09-July-2019
The tour had all we could wish for: an excellent tour manager who had a thorough knowledge of places and history etc., a comfortable hotel with good beds, the opportunity to choose and visit several local restaurants, and exactly the itinerary we wanted.
Review by Walker who travelled 28-August-2018
Very good holiday. tour manager especially good.
Review by Trenouth who travelled 28-August-2018
Sandra performed above and beyond all reasonable expectations managing not only to support a very needy member of the party but also to provide the rest of us with interesting historical information that enhanced our visits. Our previous experience of a TE general tour (as opposed to a lecture tour) had left us feeling these were not for us, but this trip was much much better. Hotel location excellent, beds very comfortable, good bathroom and a good breakfast. Would have been excellent were it not for the strange shade of brown and mushroom of our bedroom décor. 2 minuses on the admin. Not receiving our tickets until about 10 days before meant all the 2nd class international CIV tickets for our onward journey home had already been sold and we had to buy first class ones. The other minus was that the information on line about the Loire Valley referred to the Alpine climate and the Savoyard food - perhaps the tour managers should be asked to check these before they get posted on line Hopefully this has been amended since my email. The only real weakness in the sightseeing programme on the final day is being addressed in next year's programme. Overall we had a very good holiday and would recommend it to others wishing to visit the chateaux of the Loire.
Review by who travelled 28-August-2018
Sandra and the hotel staff were excellent. We think you should talk up more about the hotel's convenient location for restaurants and coach parking. As always we were grateful for the small party size.
Review by Dunlop who travelled 28-August-2018
Our tour manager went out of her way to shepherd us in the nicest most caring way, and her historical knowledge was excellent. Thank you very much again, Sandra. However, the trip did not allow for enough Chateaux. ! !Chambord was a highlight, needed 4 hours, particularly as the eateries became so crowded. Blois was interesting but easily seen in two. Chenonceaux was another highlight, Amboise again, interesting but lightly furnished., leaving many hours in town before we were picked up. After Villandry, why not see Ch AZAY-LE RIDEAU ? close to Saumur, and Chateau de Gizeux with its two picture galleries would have been star. We only needed one afternoon of wine-tasting when there were so many riches waiting to be viewed in the area. Fontevraud is fascinating, but with the English Monarch's tombs and one painted chamber on view, everything else was being restored including the kitchens , not viewable, a pity. We could have seen another Chateau after that, rather than spending hours in Saumur. I would have liked a list of the other participants, as I was unable to say goodbye to some of them at St.Pancras, having been met immediately by a very small grandchild. Please share my e-mail with George and Sue ,eg. A happy group, very well led. Thank you.
Review by Isepp who travelled 28-August-2018
We found the trip excellent but we particularly want to commend the tour manager. Sandra was knowledgeable, friendly and highly efficient and greatly contributed to our enjoyment of the tour.
Review by Cutler who travelled 10-July-2018
If it’s Loire Chateaux you want to see - then you must do this Tour. From exquisite Villandry, magnificent Chenonceau and Chambord and the peaceful abbey of Fontevraud, this is an inspirational Tour. Tours is a good base and the Grand hotel was, in a very hot July in France, ideal with its brilliant Air Con, sadly missed now back at home, and breakfast available from 6.30 am even at weekends. Some very good restaurants nearby gave a varied choice for dinner each evening. Sandra McGill, our very experienced Tour Manager worked extra hard, with a non ambulent client as well as the rest of the group to look after. She had the history of the Kings and Queens of France and the history of each Chateau at her fingertips. A couple of Wine Tastings were also enjoyed. Being in France for Bastille Day, the World Cup and Le Tour de France added more than a little excitement to this lovely Tour. Thank you, Travel Editions.
Review by Richardson who travelled 10-July-2018
Review by who travelled 10-July-2018
Review by who travelled 10-July-2018
Review by who travelled 10-July-2018
Another enjoyable break. Tour manager, Sandra deserves bonus points for coping with a very disabled passenger who apparently did not disclose the fact that he could not walk when he booked the holiday. Hotel was in a good location and local restaurants easily accessed. Enjoyed the sightseeing tours, but some questioned the visit to the wine museum on the last afternoon.
Review by Griffiths who travelled 10-July-2018
A wonderful week with a superb guide. Sandra was amazing - calm, cheerful and resourceful thoughout, despite a few difficulties. Thank you
Review by Grainger who travelled 10-July-2018
