We are returning to France for the 4th time and will arrive and depart from Paris. The Loire Valley is the only other certainty on this trip as it is new to us and we will spend 4-5 days there. We will not be renting a car and will use private drivers and public transportation. Any suggestions on other towns/cities in this general part of France that would be good for a 3-4 day stay would be much appreciated. About us: age 67 and 70, healthy and mobile, and we enjoy walking, culture and history and food and wine. We have previously spent time in Honfleur, Bayeaux and Dijon and enjoyed the vibe in those places very much. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
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Paris, Loire Valley and ?
- Thread starter jmfisch
- Start date
We visited the Loire Valley many years ago, on our first visit to France. We took the train from Paris to Tours, which is a nice-sized town. We did rent a car in Touors and stayed at a B&B about 15 miles away, but had dinner in Tours and stayed in the vicinity touring and walking. Lots of castles to see!
Parigi
100+ Posts
Bonjour.
The Loire châteaux are problably your focus in your Loire valley stay. You will probably visit all the major châteaux known to all, so I need not list the obvious.
In my experience, I can have 3 days of Loire castles. They are everything you dream. They deliver.
After 3 days, it's like having an overdose of the best pastries. Enough for me.
Among the castles, I especially recommend Villandry for its labyrinth garden and potager. Another intriguing castle is the castle of Amboise, for its Michelangelo heritage.
Chinon is a marvelously preserved medieval village, which I like as our base.
The Loire has other interests to offer: do check out a couple of the troglodyte villages, like Trôo.
Loire wines are also an unterrated great wine. You may want to visit a vineyard.
Where there are good wines, there is good food. I only remember Au Local and Charbon, both in Chinon.
If yo have a few days to spare, why not return to Paris via Burgundy? That would make a neat loop,
Burgundy is a beautiful region that is also underrated. It has much more to offer than its wines and its wines are fantastic.
A good base in Burgundy would be Beaune, with good eateries galore and great sites to visit, like the historical Hospices where the famous Burgundys auctions are held every year in the fall.
Our favorite stay is actually in a b&b right outside Beaune, in the winegrowing village of Pernand-Vergelesses. -- The b&b - La Maison de la Berthe has only one "room", but that room is a whole house. Upstairs you have your room your bathroom and a beautiful study with a Taiping rug that I want to steal. Downstairs are a large living room and dining room and basic kitchen. In the morning your breakfast is 100% homegrown: the eggs come from the one chick of the premise; the fruit and jam are from the orchard. Oh orchard, on nice weather, we install the table outside in front of the owner's potager and the unbelievable slopes of the Pernand-Vergelesses vines. The tiny village even has a one-star restaurant le Charlemargne.
Another great place to stay, not far from Beaune, in the cluster of all the world-famous winegrowing villages, is the Château de Mélin, with huge rooms and antique furniture. The châtelaine makes her own croissants every morning for the guests' breakfast. It also has its own wine cellar where you can taste the local wines.
The other places in Burgundyd that I love are:
Vézelay, the cathedral and the village, both breathtaking. And the whole area are charm itself.
A village that we like and always stop at is Noyers sur Serein, where we would hav a nice lunch at La Vieille Tour, a tuny jewel of a village bistro.
If you go Paris-Loire-Burgundyd, you make a lovely circle and never backtrack.
The Loire châteaux are problably your focus in your Loire valley stay. You will probably visit all the major châteaux known to all, so I need not list the obvious.
In my experience, I can have 3 days of Loire castles. They are everything you dream. They deliver.
After 3 days, it's like having an overdose of the best pastries. Enough for me.
Among the castles, I especially recommend Villandry for its labyrinth garden and potager. Another intriguing castle is the castle of Amboise, for its Michelangelo heritage.
Chinon is a marvelously preserved medieval village, which I like as our base.
The Loire has other interests to offer: do check out a couple of the troglodyte villages, like Trôo.
Loire wines are also an unterrated great wine. You may want to visit a vineyard.
Where there are good wines, there is good food. I only remember Au Local and Charbon, both in Chinon.
If yo have a few days to spare, why not return to Paris via Burgundy? That would make a neat loop,
Burgundy is a beautiful region that is also underrated. It has much more to offer than its wines and its wines are fantastic.
A good base in Burgundy would be Beaune, with good eateries galore and great sites to visit, like the historical Hospices where the famous Burgundys auctions are held every year in the fall.
Our favorite stay is actually in a b&b right outside Beaune, in the winegrowing village of Pernand-Vergelesses. -- The b&b - La Maison de la Berthe has only one "room", but that room is a whole house. Upstairs you have your room your bathroom and a beautiful study with a Taiping rug that I want to steal. Downstairs are a large living room and dining room and basic kitchen. In the morning your breakfast is 100% homegrown: the eggs come from the one chick of the premise; the fruit and jam are from the orchard. Oh orchard, on nice weather, we install the table outside in front of the owner's potager and the unbelievable slopes of the Pernand-Vergelesses vines. The tiny village even has a one-star restaurant le Charlemargne.
Another great place to stay, not far from Beaune, in the cluster of all the world-famous winegrowing villages, is the Château de Mélin, with huge rooms and antique furniture. The châtelaine makes her own croissants every morning for the guests' breakfast. It also has its own wine cellar where you can taste the local wines.
The other places in Burgundyd that I love are:
Vézelay, the cathedral and the village, both breathtaking. And the whole area are charm itself.
A village that we like and always stop at is Noyers sur Serein, where we would hav a nice lunch at La Vieille Tour, a tuny jewel of a village bistro.
If you go Paris-Loire-Burgundyd, you make a lovely circle and never backtrack.
I agree with the suggestion of Burgundy. It is one of our favourite regions and we will be returning this year. A lot of people think it is just about wine, but it has lovely villages, beautiful countryside, chateaux, abbeys and great food, and wine of course.
Beaune is a popular place and you could do a day trip by train to Dijon. Parigi has listed some lovely places, but, as we always have a car, I cannot help with how to reach them by public transport. We also enjoy the southern part of Burgundy around the small town of Cluny, but once again, I do not know anything about what public transport is available.
Bon voyage.
Beaune is a popular place and you could do a day trip by train to Dijon. Parigi has listed some lovely places, but, as we always have a car, I cannot help with how to reach them by public transport. We also enjoy the southern part of Burgundy around the small town of Cluny, but once again, I do not know anything about what public transport is available.
Bon voyage.
Parigi
100+ Posts
The OP said "will not be renting a car and will use private drivers and public transportation".
Now that I reread it, I don't understand 100%. A private driver probably means a private driver who comes with his own car.
I also like Cluny very much, and often stay there a couple of nights to break off the long drive between Paris and Provence.
Our favorite restaurant near there is La Table de Chapaize, in the tiny village of Chapaize. Cluny has 2 restaurants of note: l'Hotellerie d'Héloise, with classic food, and Maison Cluny, in a former faience workshop. The interior is stunny, the food irregular, good one day, so-so the next.
Cluny is another favorite stop of ours. One can get an excellent self-guided tour app covering the old town, from the Office du Tourisme.
Now that I reread it, I don't understand 100%. A private driver probably means a private driver who comes with his own car.
I also like Cluny very much, and often stay there a couple of nights to break off the long drive between Paris and Provence.
Our favorite restaurant near there is La Table de Chapaize, in the tiny village of Chapaize. Cluny has 2 restaurants of note: l'Hotellerie d'Héloise, with classic food, and Maison Cluny, in a former faience workshop. The interior is stunny, the food irregular, good one day, so-so the next.
Cluny is another favorite stop of ours. One can get an excellent self-guided tour app covering the old town, from the Office du Tourisme.
We had a lovely dinner at La Table de Chapaize years ago. And have also enjoyed lunches at Le St Martin in Chapaize as well. It was opposite the magnificent Romansque church. Unfortunately a quick google indicates it is closed. We have not been to the area since 2018.
chachalaca
100+ Posts
Ooh, lots of tips here! Taking notes.
I agree with Parigi about Villandry - exquisite! And for being large, like a chateau is wont to be, there are many places on the grounds where you feel "alone" or even hidden.
I agree with Parigi about Villandry - exquisite! And for being large, like a chateau is wont to be, there are many places on the grounds where you feel "alone" or even hidden.