Loire Valley Time Travel

Private one day tours of the Loire Valley

When you arrange a tour with us we will ask if you have any special interests so we can help you get the most out of your visit. Although many of our tours are personalised for individual visitors we have designed a number of tours that cover the highlights of the area. Typical tours include visits to two chateaux, lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, and a visit to a winery. In addition we always try to make time for short stops at often less known but fascinating sites along the way.

In addition to these sample tours there are others you can choose from on our blog, or contact us and ask us to design a custom tour of the Loire Valley just for you.


Cheverny and Chenonceau

A day of pure class.

After meeting you at either the train station or your hotel in Tours, we'll commence our day at the Renaissance Chateau of Cheverny, renowned for preserving much of its opulent original interiors - a rarity among Renaissance chateaux. Explore the estate and spend time with their renowned and delightful pack of hounds.

We will lunch in a typical workers restaurant that serves generous portions of authentic country cooking, where we may be the only English speakers in the room.

After lunch our journey continues along serene country roads, passing by some lesser-known chateaux on our way to Chenonceau, the most iconic of Loire chateaux. Discover the unexpected history of this captivating estate before concluding our trip, returning to the station or your hotel.

€1470(euros) for 2 people, starting in Tours, Monday-Friday
Includes all entry fees and lunch with wine in a carefully selected restaurant

Chenonceau Amboise and Wine



Family Special

A family day out in a classic car.

Chenonceau and Amboise

We meet you at either your hotel or the train station and start the day with a drive to Chenonceau, the most iconic of Loire chateaux for a fully guided visit of the luxurious interior and the magnificent grounds. We then drive to Amboise, where you can lunch in one of the many restaurant and bars in front of the chateau, or you might like to buy a picnic to have overlooking the magnificent Loire River.

After lunch we visit the Chateau of Amboise for a fully guided tour of the home of so many French medieval and renaissance courts. Learn about the last years of Leonardo da Vinci and his attachment to the French court.

We then return to your hotel or the train station for your trip back to Paris.

€970(euros) for up to 4 people, starting in Tours. There is no problem with leg or head room in our classic cars, but they were built in the days when people were smaller, and if more than two people are travelling then ideally one of you needs to be quite slender.

Admission tickets and lunch not included.


Wine, Food, and Market Shopping

After picking you up at your hotel or the train station we will visit the small medieval town of Loches, home to one of the best weekly markets in the area. As well as the market, which hosts many local producers and growers, Loches has a fine medieval chateau and royal citadel.

We will lunch in a restaurant that is a firm favorite with local farmers, after which we visit the chateau of Chenonceau for a fully guided visit of the luxurious interior and the magnificent grounds. We then end the day at a winemaker where we can view their troglodyte cellar caves and taste a range of their wine.

€1540(euros) for two people starting in Tours. Wednesdays and Saturdays, or Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday without the market visit.

Includes all entry fees, tasting costs, and lunch with wine in a carefully selected restaurant.

Loches Market, Magnificent Chenonceau, and a wine cave


Fontevraud and Chinon

Those quarrelsome Plantagenets.

This tour starts with a drive along the banks of the Loire river. We spend the morning in the Abbey of Fontevraud, resting place of Henry Plantagenet, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lionheart. Lunch at a workers restaurant in a small village, serving simple traditional food and local wine. In the afternoon we will visit the charming town of Chinon with its many timber framed medieval buildings. Towering above the houses is the chateau-fortress, the principle court of first the Plantagenet kings and then the Valois kings of the Middle Ages.

€1470(euros) for 2 people, starting in Tours, Monday-Friday
Includes all entry fees and lunch with wine in a carefully selected restaurant

Chenonceau Amboise and Wine



Aperitifs at the Chateau

Only available to the clients of Loire Valley Time Travel, this is our most romantic tour ever!

We will meet you at your hotel or the train station before driving through pretty villages to the most famous of Loire Valley chateaus, the iconic Chenonceau. There we will tour the chateau and gardens, before driving on to Amboise where we dine at a well regarded stylish restaurant that has yet to be discovered by tourists.

And it gets even better!!.

We have exclusive permission to enter the chateau grounds via the Lions Gate at the top of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise's garden. You will be driven down through the landscaped park to the Royal Apartments, where we will park on the terrace. A private nook in the garden (or one of the towers if the weather is inclement) will have been prepared for you, and your own private server will be waiting with sparkling wine and canapés.

This is an exclusive one day tour, starting at €1375(euros) for 2 people, starting in Tours, Monday-Friday
Includes all entry fees and lunch with wine in a carefully selected restaurant

The chateau of Amboise

Please note that this tour needs to be booked at least 14 days in advance



More one day tour ideas on the Loire Valley Time Travel blog

Check the LVTT blog


Enquire about our tours

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France call +33 (0)2 47 94 20 53



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