Loire Valley and Paris France Culture Tour

The Loire Valley and Paris France Culture Tour

Come see the Amazing Castles and Chateaus of Paris and the Loire Valley

This 12-day tour will focus on the amazing culture, wine, and cuisine of Paris and the Loire Valley, France.  We will spend four full days in Paris, with a visit to Versailles.  We will also spend four full days visiting the castles and chateaus of the Loire Valley from our home base in the royal village of Amboise.  

And although this will not be a birding tour, all the birds we see will be identified.  There will be walks in the gardens and forests of the Loire Valley and we will see birds, for sure, but birds will not be the focus of this tour. 

Printable Bird List
(This is a checklist of birds that we have seen in northern France)

• Travel Dates: 
• April 23 - May 4, 2025, spots left = 6
• April 20 - 30, 2026, spots left = 6
• Group Size:  6 people
• Trip Length: 12 days
• Rates: Rate per person = $4,650 (based on double occupancy), an extra $1,350 for single occupancy
• Rates include: Transfer and travel within France, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, entrance fees, and basic travel insurance.
• Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, trip cancellation insurance.
• Adventure level:  Easy, please check the “Welcome” page for definition

Basic Itinerary

Please note:  The activities and places to visit that are listed in the itinerary are more than can be probably seen on this trip.  For most activities there are links to the official website and the purpose of this is so you can get to know each place and decide which ones are most important to you. 

Day 1: Arrival day
Flights are usually overnight with early morning arrival at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) in Paris.  You will be met at the airport and shuttled to the hotel, where we will be staying for 3-nights at the Hotel Paix Republique. This great hotel is located in the heart of Place de la République, which is a wonderful neighborhood in Paris and provides easy access to all the great sights. Activities for the day will depend on your arrival time in Paris. Sites that are close to our hotel include the Place de la Bastille, the Musée Carnavalet, and the National Picasso-Paris Museum. And besides museums, Paris has excellent parks and gardens for walking. Close to our hotel is the Garden of the National Archives. 

Day 2: Full day in Paris 
For the next two days we will be visiting the best sites in Paris for art, history, and food.  The specific locations will depend on the key interests of the group.  Overall, we will have four full days in Paris.  There is a lot to see, and we will prioritize museums to make sure you see everything you want. The list of museums, historic sites, and simply fun things to do in Paris is tremendous and is too long to list here.  We can discuss these details when you book your tour, but I have listed some of the best museums in the itinerary on "Day 3".  If you like history, you will want to visit the Hôtel des Invalides and here you will also find the Tomb of Napoleon and the Musée de l'Armée.

Day 3: Full day in Paris
A second full day in Paris to visit the best sites for you. Please let us know what interests you have.  Some museums are must sees:  The Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Rodin Sculpture Museum, Musée de l'Orangerie, and the Pompidou modern art museum.  And when we become overwhelmed by great artwork, Paris has great gardens to visit:  Jardin du Luxembourg, and the Jardin des Plantes, or perhaps take a stroll down the 1.2 mile Avenue des Champs-Élysées to see the Arc de Triomphe

Day 4: Travel to Amboise
From Paris we will take the train to the city of Tours, which takes 1.5 hours. The city of Tours was first established by the Romans in the 1st century.  The area has experienced huge events and changes over the last two-thousand years, but the medieval style of timber construction and half-timber construction is well preserved in the heart of the old town. Many of the buildings are 600 - 900 years old.  From Tours we will travel by van to the Loire Valley.  Our home base for the next 5-nights will be in the village of Amboise at the Hôtel Le Blason. Amboise is a picturesque village overlooking the Loire River.  It was once home to the French Royal Court.  At any time if we might get overwhelmed with French history and beauty, the village of Amboise is surrounded by gardens and small forests for lovely walks. Even Joan of Arc visited here in 1429. Just outside of town is the Chanteloup Pagoda built in 1775.

Day 5: Amboise and the Loire Valley
Our hotel is perfectly located in the heart of the Loire Valley.  From here, each day we can drive a short distance to visit castles and chateaus. But on our first day, we will spend time getting to know the Royal Village of Amboise.  Among the many beautiful sites to visit, we will find the Château du Clos Lucé, which was the residence of Leonardo da Vinci from 1516-1519. His former residence is an amazing museum that displays many of his inventions, and artwork as well.  Da Vinci spent the last 3-years of his life living in Amboise and is buried at the Château Royal d'Amboise.  Amboise is a small village, and many sites are walking distance from our hotel.  Close to our hotel is Château Gaillard, which was restored in 2015, along with the gardens.  The chateau is situated amongst a 37-acre forest. 

Day 6: Loire Valley
Today we head out to see some of the finest castles in France:  Chenonceaux, Chambord, and Château de Cheverny are the destinations for the day.  In between these Chateaus, we will also find gardens, forests, and lovely restaurants. If there is time, we will also visit Fougères-sur-Bièvre Castle. Please click on the links to learn more about the places we will be visiting. 

Day 7: Loire Valley
About a 45-minute drive upriver from our hotel is the city of Blois. Excavations along the Loire River in the Blois area have unearthed evidence of Stone Age settlements going back 8,000 years. In the heart of the city is the Royal Château of Blois. The Blois Castle has been around since the time of the Romans and was attacked by Vikings in the year 854. Construction of the current castle began in the 13th century. Some say the castle is haunted.  Many famous Royals have stayed here:  Anne Boleyn, Catherine de Medici, and Joan of Arc. King Louis XII loved this castle and was responsible for building many of the "newer" additions and gardens.  Other interesting things to see in Blois include the Robert-Houdin House of Magic (not to be confused with Harry Houdini), and the Château de Beauregard, which has the largest portrait gallery in Europe.  The city of Blois is located along the Loire River and has many beautiful trails for walking and nearby forest preserves. 

Day 8: Loire Valley
Our last day in Amboise and the Loire Valley, and we will make sure we didn't miss anything because there is a lot to see in this area. Across the river from Amboise are Chateau De Jallanges and Château de Valmer and Valmer Gardens. Please click on the links to learn more about the places we will be visiting. The Loire Valley produces many white wines from the Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne grapes.  There are also red wines made from Cabernet Franc grapes, as well as rosé, sparkling and dessert wines. The Chateau de Valmer has Wine Tours and Tasting. 

Day 9: Travel to Paris
We will be taking the train, 1.5 hours, back to Paris, where we will be staying once again at Hotel Paix Republique for 3-nights. Back in Paris, we will have a fabulous dinner and possibly an evening event, like a musical show, if the schedule works out, or maybe a nighttime visit to the Eiffel Tower.  The Palais Garnier is one of the most opulent opera houses in the world, and if we can't see an opera, we can take a tour of this architectural work of art. 

Day 10: Full day at Versailles
A full day visit to the Chateau de Versailles, one of the most spectacular palaces in the world.  Here you will find amazing architectural design, incredible interior design, fashion, great works of art, and beautiful gardens and forests to explore. After a full day in Versailles, we will travel back to our Paris neighborhood for a fantastic dinner. 

Day 11: Full day in Paris
This will be our last day in Paris to visit any locations we missed the first few days or visit spots that were so great we would like to see them again. A visit to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre is always wonderful.  Besides great museums, Paris also has parks, gardens, and famous cemeteries to visit. Bois de Boulogne (Boulogne woodland) was once a hunting ground for royalty and became a city park in 1852 and contains 2,088 acres. Cemetery Père-Lachaise is full of famous people, beautiful statues, and a nice place to take a walk. And the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is now open after re-construction following the devastating fire of April 2019.

Day 12: Departure day
Activities for the day will depend on your flight departure schedule.  There will be a shuttle to the airport.