Chateaux & Vineyards of the Loire Valley

Day 1  Azay-le-Rideau        
Arrive in Azay-le-Rideau at any time.          

Day 2  Azay-le-Rideau        
Spend your day in Azay-le-Rideau visiting the splendid 16th-century château, one of the most important Renaissance buildings in France, and exploring the streets of this charming town. In the afternoon, stroll across farmland and through woodland to Goupillières, where a series of cave dwellings have been set up as they would have been when they were inhabited in the Middle Ages.

Day 3  Azay-le-Rideau to Ussé  
From Azay you are taken by taxi to the Maurice Dufresne Museum, whose fabulous automotive and machinery collection you may like to view before beginning today’s route. This traces the riverside as it heads through floodplains and along levées (dykes), offering good bird-watching opportunities along the way. As you approach your destination – and your inn, the Le Clos d’Ussé – you are rewarded with lovely views of Ussé's fairy-tale château.

Day 4  Ussé to Chinon  
We recommend that you start the day by visiting Ussé’s beautifully furnished and very romantic château, thought to have been the inspiration for Perrault’s tale of Sleeping Beauty. Your walk begins with a gentle ascent away from the River Indre on which Ussé is located, after which you follow good tracks through a centuries-old hunting forest towards Chinon. The last section is along an ancient trail along the escarpment above the River Vienne that formed the main approach to Chinon in the Middle Ages and is dotted with troglodytic dwellings. Your hotel for the next two nights is the Hotel de France, located in the Old Town.

Day 5  Chinon        
Surrounded by high walls, Chinon's Old Town contains winding streets of half-timbered medieval houses that lead down to river. You can while away your time in the picturesque main square; visit museums dedicated to Joan of Arc and Richard I; explore the vast 12th-century fortress, or enjoy a wander round the wine museum.

Day 6  Chinon to Fontevraud      
From Chinon, you walk along the willow-lined banks of the River Vienne, before crossing rolling pastureland and woodland to historic Fontevraud, and La Croix Blanche for two nights.  

Day 7  Fontevraud      
You can spend your last day in a variety of ways. The village is famed for its magnificent abbey which houses the tombs of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard, ‘coeur de lion’, among others, and is well worth a leisurely visit. Alternatively, you could opt for a walk into the surrounding countryside. The route takes you through woodland and farmland to the historic villages of Candes-St-Martin and Montsoreau beside the Loire. After lunch overlooking the river, you pass the vineyards that produce the refreshing and delicious wines of Touraine and Anjou.  

Day 8  Fontevraud  
Your tour comes to an end.