Loire Valley castles from Paris: Chambord, Chenonceau and Amboise in one day

All the options at a glance

Castle tickets are not included in transport prices: Chambord €31 (€21 for EU and EEA residents), Chenonceau €19, Amboise €17.30.

Which castles to choose

The Loire Valley has more than a hundred châteaux. For a first day trip from Paris, these three give you the most variety:

• Chambord, the largest castle in the Loire, built for King Francis I. More than 400 rooms, a roofline of towers and chimneys and the famous double-helix staircase, often linked to Leonardo da Vinci’s ideas.
• Chenonceau, the “Ladies’ Château”, built across the Cher River and shaped by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici. Its gallery over the water and its formal gardens are the most photographed in the valley.
• Amboise, a royal castle high above the Loire. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in its Chapel of Saint-Hubert, and the old town below is the best place for lunch.

Easy swaps or additions: Clos Lucé, Leonardo’s last home, a few minutes from Amboise; Cheverny, still lived in by the same family and the model for Tintin’s Marlinspike Hall; Villandry for its gardens; Chaumont for its summer garden festival.

How to fit three castles into one day

The castles are 20 to 60 minutes apart. A typical day with a private driver:

• 7:30 am: pickup at your Paris hotel.
• 10:00 am: Amboise, then lunch in the old town.
• 1:00 pm: Chenonceau and its gardens.
• 4:00 pm: Chambord.
• 7:30 pm: back in Paris.

From late October to March the castles close earlier and the light goes early, so we usually reverse the route and start with Chambord.

Opening hours and tickets

• Chambord: 9 am to 6 pm from late March to late October and over the Christmas holidays, 9 am to 5 pm the rest of the winter. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Closed January 1, December 25 and some Mondays in low season. €31, or €21 for EU and EEA residents.
• Chenonceau: open every day of the year, from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm in winter up to 9 am to 7 pm in July and August. €19.
• Amboise: open daily, with hours that change with the seasons. €17.30.

In summer and on holiday weekends, buy Chambord and Chenonceau tickets online before you go.

1. The train

Trains from Paris Austerlitz reach Blois in about 1.5 hours, and from there the regional shuttle to Chambord costs €3.40. Amboise has direct trains from Austerlitz in about 2 hours, or you can take a high-speed train to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and change. Chenonceau has its own small station on the line from Tours.

Each castle sits on a different line, so by train most people visit one or two in a day. It is a good choice if you plan to stay a night in the valley.

2. A coach tour from Paris

Day tours from Paris usually cover Chambord, Chenonceau and a third castle for roughly €150–250 per person, sometimes with lunch or a wine tasting. Expect a long day, a large group and a set amount of time at each stop.

3. A private driver

Your chauffeur collects you at your hotel and waits at each castle while you visit. At ALEGA it works like this:

• A Mercedes with an English-speaking chauffeur, water and Wi-Fi on board, and free child seats on request.
• Amboise, Chenonceau and Chambord in one day, with about 4.5 hours of driving in total. You choose where to linger and where to have lunch.
• The route is yours: swap in Clos Lucé, Cheverny or Villandry, or add a wine tasting between castles.
• Prices for 12 hours with a private driver: €1,260 per car for 1 to 3 people, €1,440 for 4 to 7. With the driver plus a separate expert English-speaking guide for the day: €2,190 and €2,370.

The price is per car, not per person. For a group of six, €1,440 comes to €240 each, with three castles that would be hard to link any other way.

Make more of the day

• A wine tasting. The Vouvray and Montlouis vineyards are between Amboise and Tours, and nobody in your group has to drive.
• Clos Lucé. Leonardo’s manor and its park of models built from his drawings, five minutes from Amboise castle.
• Stay the night in a château hotel and keep Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau for a second day.

Which option should you choose?

Tips from our drivers

• Start early. Chambord and Chenonceau are at their calmest right after opening.
• Allow 1.5 to 2 hours per castle. Chenonceau’s gardens and Chambord’s park take longer than people expect.
• Climb Chambord’s double staircase to the roof terraces for the view over the towers and the forest.
• Check winter hours. From November to March, Chambord’s last entry is 4:30 pm.
• Wear comfortable shoes. The estates are large and the paths are often gravel.

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