Enjoy this semi-private tour of the Loire valley, listed in the UNESCO world hertigae since 2000.every day , tour 3 major Chateaux, taste local wines during lunch in the wineries, stay in a renessaince  castel, near lovely Ambiose. our guides will  take you as a friend and in a relaxed way, reveal plenty of anecdotes about our kings and castles and will tell you about our daily life in this beautiful region.

Day 1
Pick up: 9.30 am, Tours Tourist Office.
To start the day, guided tour of the Château of Azay le Rideau, one of the purest gems of Renaissance architecture in the Loire Valley. Financer Gilles Berthelot’s chateau, delicately placed on an island on the Indre river, still shines today thanks to the lightness and balance of its mullioned, pepper pots, dormers and above all its graceful staircase.We will not forget to admire the chateau under every angle with a stroll around the English style garden, a jewel case of greenness for what is considered today as one of the most beautiful stone diamonds in Touraine.

Lunch at a family estate’s, in the vineyards. Cheeses, charcuterie and organic wines. AOC Azay le Rideau. A true authentic moment followed.  Guided tour of Chinon, one of the most picturesque towns of the Loire Valley. With its medieval streets, Chinon has remained an outdoor museum of architecture and history. Your guide will take you to the most typical quarters of the town from which you will get the best views on the Castle. He will help you identify the styles of the very rich town houses built by the King’s financers or ministers. Let us meet the three most famous actors of Chinon: Joan of Arc (you will step where she stepped when she got off her horse in 1429 to meet King Charles VII) and François Rabelais (the greatest ambassador of Chinon wines and joie de vivre) and Richard the Lion’s heart.

Guided tour of one of the most spectacular gardens of Touraine, Villandry. By its diversity and originality (Love Garden, Kitchen Garden, Aromatic and Medicine Plant Garden, Water Garden and the brand new Sun Garden) and by its size ( 15 acres, 1150 linden trees), Villandry is the Loire Valley garden not to be missed. With your guide, learn to speak the language of a medieval and Renaissance garden, discover the power of thyme and basil on your health.
6.30 PM: your guide will drive you to your hotel for check-in, dinner at leisure

Day 2
The tour begins with the guided tour of Royal Castle of Blois. The four wings of the castle courtyard (Medieval, Flamboyant Gothic, Renaissance, and Classical) offer a great survey of the architecture in the Loire Valley. Through the XIX century restorations, you will be amazed by the surprising colours of a chateau during the French Renaissance as well as by King Henry III’s bedroom, theatre of one of the most tragic events of the wars of religion, the murder of the Duke de Guise.

Drive to Cheverny. Lunch at local wine producer’s, on his wines, cheeses and charcuterie. The “Cheverny” appellation produces elegant red wines from pinot noir and gamay as well as fruity white wines from chardonnay and sauvignon. You will enjoy this moment to taste a wine for real connoisseurs: he “Cour Cheverny Appellation”, a stunning white wine made from a grape called Romorantin, imported by King François I into the Loire Valley.

Guided tour of the Château of Cheverny, which has been owned by the same family since the XIII. The Marquis Hurault de Vibraye, thanks to one of the most beautiful furniture in the Loire Valley, has succeeded in giving warmth and life to his chateau. The Chateau, which led to the creation of Moulinsart in the famous comic book Tintin, is also famous for the tradition of the horse-back hunt and its impressive pack of 100 dogs. You may have a chance to witness the spectacular daily event of “the dogs’ soup”.

Drive to the Estate of Chambord, a national game reserve as large as the town of Paris. The chateau de Chambord (guided tour) is a unique monument by its architecture and proportions. Leonardo da Vinci probably took part in the conception of the project. With more than 400 rooms and its double spiral staircase, Chambord is a highlight of the Loire Valley.
6.30 PM: your guide will drive you back to your hotel, dinner at leisure.

Day 3
Check out after breakfast.
You’ll start your day visiting the Château de Chenonceau.
The “Chateau des Dames”, bridge built across the Cher, is famous for the great feminine figures who lived in it (Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medicis…) and for the beauty of its Renaissance gardens.
Lunch at a wine specialist’s in matured Loire Valley vintages. Daniel, oenologist, welcomes you in his caves, former tuff stone quarries, for a tour followed by a tasting of Vouvray, Montlouis, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil wines. In order to transcend your meal, you will pair your wines with a selection of delicatessen and cheeses (cheeses selected by Rodolphe le Meunier, 2007 cheese refiners’ world champion.

After lunch, you will tour the Royal Castle of Amboise, residence of Charles VII and young François d’Angoulème, future Francois I. You will discover in this wonderful castle, perfect example of transition from Gothic to Renaissance, the Saint Hubert Chapel which shelters today the grave of Leonardo da Vinci.In order to make your tour thorough, we take you to meet the Genius in his Manor du Clos Lucé, a few yards away from the Royal Castle.Leonardo da Vinci spent there the last three years of his life and died there in 1519. After you tour his bedroom, office, reception room and kitchen, you will be in awe in front of the invention room, displaying models of the most spectacular machines Leonardo invented.

6.30 PM: your guide will drive you back to Tours.

Price per person in a double room: $1195.00
 

The tour includes: transportation in a comfortable full option minivan, English speaking escort guide, entrance tickets for the Chateaux of Chenonceau, Amboise, Clos Lucé, Blois, Chambord, Cheverny, Azay le Rideau, Villandry gardens and Middle age town of Chinon, visit and tasting at a cellar caves (Vouvray, Cheverny, Azay le Rideau), lunch with local specialties (some take place in wineries), drinks included, two nights and breakfast in hotel****, taxes included. 8 passengers maximum per vehicle.