Loire Valley Castles: Guided Visits and Sightseeing Tours

If you’re going to Paris there’s one thing you shouldn’t pass up: visiting the Loire Valley Castles. Just a few hours away from the French capital, these prestigious French Renaissance edifices are vestiges of an era when aristocrats showed off their wealth and the Kings of France gave their backing to architectural novelties. Yet, one feels far from the city there, enjoying tourism out in the countryside, in the heart of a unique domain.
Departure from the city of Paris, Paris City Vision offers passes and tickets for numerous excursions and guided visits in the Loire Valley. There you can admire beautiful, historic edifices and discover the region’s breathtaking domain registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Accompanied by a guide-interpreter, Paris City Vision allow you to discover the most beautiful chateaux by coach. Adults and children will be seduced by wonderful Chenonceau and Chambord, Cheverny, the Gardens of Villandry, Amboise or even Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci lived the last years of his life, the domain of Chaumont, a pearl from the Renaissance, or the domain of Fougeres-sur-Bievre. The magic from the past still operates, and you will be seduced by the luxury of the rooms, bedrooms and reception halls.

Loire Valley Castles each have their own history and uniqueness in architecture. Chambord castle, designed to please the king Francis I between the 16^th and 17^th centuries, has a remarkable geometric architecture mixing French and Italian influences. Francis, I did not have the opportunity to enjoy the finished royal Chambord castle, as it was fully built some years after he died. But his involvement made him the symbolic figure of the place, in which are displayed many tributes to the king. However, he saw Azay-le-Rideau castle completely built during his reign, a top masterpiece of 16th-century architecture. As for Chaumont-sur-Loire castle, it won the first prize of the Lumière contest organized by the SERCE for the specificities of its architectural lighting. Its lighting gives a precise view of its details when looking closely, while a colder and more powerful light highlights the building and makes it visible from far away. Each visit constitutes an unforgettable experience.

These extraordinary buildings are suited to family tourism: adults and kids will appreciate their beauty and magic, but also the secrets they hold and the history they tell. Both will enjoy admiring the various outer facades as much as discovering the many details inside each room. Whether it be in summer, spring, autumn or winter, each season has its advantages: forests in Sologne or Loire-et-Cher are gorgeous during fall and highlight the parks and mansions. The excursions we offer are also a way to take a breath of fresh air: each garden is a lush green setting with free access to it.

With your tickets, you'll be able to visit the chateaux in complete freedom and with priority access; in other words, no need to wait in line. A real advantage considering the 5 million visitors every year!

Multiple-day excursions are a great way to discover a wide variety of tourist sites and to appreciate each chateau’s distinctive features (architecture, hunting grounds, landscaped gardens, banks of the Cher River, etc.). Multiple day trips to the Loire Valley are another fantastic option to make the most of your comings and goings while spending the night in a comfortable 3-star hotel.

To get a taste of everything the region has to offer, take advantage of your visit and enjoy a Loire Valley wine tasting? You can even book your tickets at the best price on the date of your choice, for small groups or private minibus and combine an initiation to enology with guided visits of the Chenonceau and Chambord chateaux.

If your stay in France is long enough, don’t hesitate to check out Paris City Vision 2-, 3-, and 4-day sightseeing tours departing from Paris to discover the most beautiful Loire chateaux but also Normandy and the landing beaches, the towns of Rouen, Saint-Malo, Honfleur, and Mont-Saint-Michel, famous for its verdant coastline and abbey, another point of interest easily reachable from Paris.

Visiting the best Loire Valley castles:

• Chambord castle
• Cheverny castle
• Chenonceau castle
• Villandry castle