This itinerary assumes you have already spent time in Paris and are ready to see the French countryside. Fly into Paris, rent a car, and get on the road. We started very early in the morning and spent an hour to two in Paris before we headed to the country.
Drive South to Chartres and see the amazing cathedral.
After Chartres, drive on to Amboise. This was our home base for the first part of our trip. We rented an old house right in the village center and it was perfect. Amboise is a beautiful village right on the River Loire. Trying to decide between a hotel or vacation rental? Check out our Vacation rental vs. Hotel article.
Be sure to check out Chateau Amboise. Next, we headed to Le Chateau Chenonceau. It isbuilt on top of the river, with the water running beneath it.
Next, head to Le Chateau de la Bourdaisière, near Amboise.
Next, drive to Chambord. It is the biggest of the castles in the Loire Valley with something like 440 rooms.
The coolest thing about this chateau is the central double spiral staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci. It’s hard to describe, but this staircase connects all four floors of the castle, and the two intertwined spirals are opposite each other, yet both lead to the same point. There are openings through which you can see people going up and coming down the other staircase without ever crossing paths. It’s like a double helix. The core is hollow, so light comes in to the castle from the windows at the very top. There is a massive balcony/terrace almost at the top of the castle with a beautiful view of the surrounding forests. This is the tower at the top of the double staircase and a separate exterior staircase.
From Chambord, we headed back to Amboise to visit Close Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s last home. There is a secret underground tunnel thatleads from da Vinci’s house to the Amboise castle.
The next chateau to visit is Cheverny.
When we made it to the castle, we bought tickets for what we thought was admission to the castle and rental for a golf cart to tour the grounds. We were kind of bummed when we realized it was a guided tour, but it turned out to be really interesting. We rode in a golf cart through the forest and then a boat through the canal and the river. This castle was different than the others we have seen because it is still privately owned and occupied by the marquis and his wife.
Looking for more travel ideas? Check out our Travel Tips and Destinations collections.
Have a great adventure!
The Passporter