The History Buff's 3-Day Pass

Morning — 9:00 AM

Arrive in Amboise

Base yourself in Amboise, a riverside town that served as a royal seat during the Renaissance. If arriving by train from Paris (Gare Montparnasse to Amboise via Tours, total 2h15), rent your car at Tours station before continuing 25 minutes east to Amboise. By car from Paris, it's 2h30 via the A10 motorway.

Check into your accommodation and spend an hour exploring the old town. The town center, clustered beneath the château ramparts, retains its medieval street plan. Walk along the riverfront quays for views of the château's dramatic cliff-edge position.

Late Morning — 10:30 AM

Château Royal d'Amboise

Start at the Château Royal d'Amboise, which dominates the town from its limestone promontory. This was a primary royal residence from Charles VIII through François I (late 15th–early 16th centuries), the period when French kings imported Italian Renaissance culture wholesale.

Key points to focus on:

• The Chapelle Saint-Hubert — Where Leonardo da Vinci is buried (allegedly; the remains are disputed). The late-Gothic chapel features intricate stone lacework.
• The royal apartments — Heavily restored but give a sense of scale. Note the enormous fireplaces and Italian-influenced decoration.
• The ramparts terrace — Stunning views over the Loire. Understand the château's strategic position controlling river traffic.
• The Amboise Conspiracy — In 1560, Protestant conspirators were executed here and their bodies hung from the ramparts. This event marked the beginning of France's Wars of Religion.

Allow 90 minutes for the château visit. The audioguide is excellent and worth the extra €3.

Afternoon — 1:00 PM

Lunch Break

Le Lion d'Or (recommended) — Traditional French cuisine in a 15th-century building on the main square. The €28 lunch menu offers excellent value. Expect dishes like Loire pike-perch, local asparagus (spring), and tarte Tatin.

Alternative: Bigot Pâtisserie near the château for a quick lunch of savory tarts and pastries if you want to maximize château time.

Late Afternoon — 2:30 PM

Clos Lucé — Leonardo's Final Home

Walk 500 meters uphill from the château to the Clos Lucé, the brick manor house where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final three years (1516–1519). François I invited Leonardo to France as "Premier Painter, Engineer, and Architect to the King," essentially giving him a comfortable retirement to think and tinker.

The house preserves Leonardo's bedroom (he died here in May 1519), his kitchen, and his studio spaces. The real draw is the basement and gardens, which display 40+ working models of Leonardo's inventions built from his Codex drawings — tanks, helicopters, bridges, hydraulic systems. You can interact with most of them.

Don't miss:

• The underground passage allegedly connecting Clos Lucé to the royal château (now closed but visible)
• The garden park with large-scale installations of Leonardo's civil engineering designs
• Leonardo's notebooks displayed via multimedia stations — his mirror writing and anatomical studies are mesmerizing

Budget 2–2.5 hours here if you're genuinely interested in Leonardo's work. The site is beautifully done.

Evening — 6:30 PM

Evening in Amboise

Return to your accommodation to rest. For dinner, L'Epicerie (modern bistro, €35–€50) or La Fourchette (traditional, €25–€40) are both excellent. Book ahead for weekend dining.

After dinner, take an evening stroll along the Loire quays. The château is beautifully floodlit after dark.

Morning — 9:00 AM

Château de Chenonceau — The Ladies' Château

Drive 20 minutes south from Amboise to Château de Chenonceau, the most-visited château in France after Versailles. Arrive right at opening (9 AM) to beat the tour buses, which arrive 10:30–11 AM.

Chenonceau is known as "the Ladies' Château" because it was built, expanded, saved, and restored by a succession of remarkable women — notably Diane de Poitiers (mistress of Henri II) and Catherine de Medici (his widow and queen). The rivalry between these two women shaped the château's architecture and gardens.

Don't miss:

• The gallery spanning the Cher — The château's iconic feature, a 60-meter gallery built by Catherine de Medici atop Diane's bridge. During WWI, it served as a military hospital.
• The competing gardens — Diane's formal Renaissance garden vs. Catherine's more elaborate design. The rivalry extends to horticulture.
• Louise de Lorraine's mourning chamber — After her husband Henri III was assassinated, Louise spent 11 years here in permanent mourning, dressed in white. The room's somber decoration survives.
• The kitchen — Built into the bridge piers with access to the river. Remarkably intact.

Take the audioguide (included with entry). It provides essential context about the women who shaped this space. Allow 2–2.5 hours for the château and gardens.

Afternoon — 12:30 PM

Lunch & Drive to Villandry

Lunch options: Either eat at Chenonceau's L'Orangerie (€20–€35, efficient), or drive 10 minutes to the village of Chenonceaux (note the "x") where Auberge du Bon Laboureur offers refined regional cuisine (€35–€55, book ahead for weekends).

After lunch, drive 45 minutes west toward Tours, then south to Villandry. The route passes through the Loire countryside — flat, agricultural, dotted with troglodyte houses carved into tufa cliffs.

Late Afternoon — 3:00 PM

Château de Villandry — Renaissance Gardens

Arrive at Villandry in mid-afternoon when the gardens catch the best light. Villandry was the last great Renaissance château built in the Loire (1536), but it's most famous for its 20th-century garden restoration.

Dr. Joachim Carvallo bought the near-ruined estate in 1906 and spent decades recreating the formal Renaissance gardens from period documents. The result is the Loire Valley's most spectacular horticultural display, particularly the geometric potager (ornamental vegetable garden) which combines beauty and utility.

The gardens have four levels:

• The Ornamental Kitchen Garden — Nine squares of vegetables arranged in geometric patterns, replanted twice yearly. Stunning from the upper terrace.
• The Ornamental Garden — Symbolic designs representing different types of love (tender, passionate, tragic, fickle) rendered in boxwood.
• The Water Garden — Contemplative space with lily pond and fountains
• The Sun Garden — The newest addition (2008), featuring sun-colored plantings

Visit the château interior if you have time (30 minutes), but the gardens are the real star. Budget 90 minutes total.

Evening — 5:30 PM

Return to Tours for the Night

Drive 20 minutes north to Tours, where you'll stay tonight. Check into your hotel and explore the historic center — particularly Place Plumereau, surrounded by half-timbered medieval houses, now filled with restaurants and cafés.

For dinner, Tours offers the best dining options in Touraine. La Deuvalière (1 Michelin star, €70–€95) for a splurge, L'Evidence (bistronomy, €45–€65) for refined but relaxed, or Comme à la Maison (€25–€35) for honest neighborhood cooking.

Morning — 9:00 AM

Drive to Chinon

After breakfast in Tours, drive 50 minutes southwest to Chinon, a medieval town on the Vienne River overlooked by the dramatic ruins of its royal fortress. Today shifts from Renaissance refinement to raw medieval power.

Chinon was a key Plantagenet stronghold in the 12th century (when English kings ruled much of western France), then became a favored residence of the French crown. Its most famous moment came in 1429, when a 17-year-old peasant girl named Joan of Arc came here to convince the Dauphin Charles that she was sent by God to save France from English occupation.

Mid-Morning — 10:00 AM

Forteresse Royale de Chinon

The Forteresse Royale de Chinon sprawls across three connected fortresses along a ridge above the town. It's partially ruined, which actually enhances the atmosphere — you get a visceral sense of medieval defensive architecture.

Focus on:

• The Royal Apartments — Where Joan of Arc met Charles VII in March 1429. The medieval great hall has been partially restored with multimedia displays recreating the encounter.
• The ramparts walk — Spectacular views over the Vienne valley and the town's medieval roofscape
• The Tour du Coudray — Where Knights Templar were imprisoned before their order was dissolved in 1314. You can still see graffiti carved by imprisoned knights.
• The interactive museum on the fortress's 1000-year history

The fortress is large and involves significant walking, including stairs. Wear good shoes. Budget 2 hours.

Afternoon — 12:30 PM

Lunch in Chinon Old Town

Descend from the fortress into Chinon's old town, a tangle of medieval streets lined with Renaissance houses. The town is also the heart of Chinon's Cabernet Franc appellation, so wine is everywhere.

Les Années 30 on the main square serves traditional regional cuisine with an excellent Chinon wine list (€30–€45 per person). For something lighter, L'Océanic offers crêpes and salads (€15–€25).

After lunch, walk through the medieval quarter and along the riverside quays before driving to your final château.

Late Afternoon — 2:45 PM

Château de Langeais — Time Capsule of 1491

Drive 35 minutes north to Château de Langeais, the final stop on this historical journey. Langeais is unique among Loire châteaux because it's perfectly preserved as a 15th-century fortress-residence — not ruined like Chinon, not Renaissance-transformed like Amboise.

The château was built in just four years (1465–1469) by Louis XI, one of France's most effective and ruthless kings. It looks like a medieval fortress from the village approach (forbidding walls, towers, drawbridge) but reveals a more refined courtyard façade once you enter — the transition from medieval to Renaissance in physical form.

Langeais is famous for hosting the secret marriage of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany in December 1491, which brought the Duchy of Brittany permanently into France. The château recreates this event with period mannequins in the great hall.

What makes Langeais special:

• Authentic period furnishings throughout — one of the Loire's best-furnished châteaux
• The marriage scene recreation in period costume
• The medieval garden — A scholarly recreation of a 15th-century medicinal and ornamental garden
• The drawbridge — One of the few still-functioning drawbridges in France

Allow 90 minutes for the château visit. The audioguide provides excellent historical context.

Evening — 5:00 PM

Return to Tours or Depart

From Langeais, it's 25 minutes back to Tours (for onward train connections to Paris) or 1 hour to Tours Val de Loire Airport. If your departure allows, consider a final evening in Tours revisiting Place Plumereau or exploring the Musée des Beaux-Arts (excellent collection, housed in a former bishop's palace).

Transportation Strategy

Car essential: Rent from Tours train station if arriving by rail, or at Tours/Paris airport if flying. You'll drive approximately 200 km over three days.

Parking: All châteaux have dedicated parking (free or €5). City parking in Amboise and Tours can be tricky; use hotel parking or public lots.

Alternative: If you absolutely cannot drive, base in Tours and use a combination of TER trains (to Amboise, Chenonceau via Chenonceaux station) and organized minibus tours for Villandry/Chinon/Langeais. This is workable but less flexible.

Ticket Strategy

Advance booking essential for: Chenonceau (summer weekends), Clos Lucé (anytime), Amboise (peak season)

Walk-up usually fine: Villandry (except July–Aug), Chinon, Langeais

Multi-château passes: Not worth it for this itinerary; you're better off buying individual tickets

Save time: Buy château tickets online to skip queues at busy sites

Best Time to Visit

Ideal months: May–June (spring gardens, comfortable temperatures, manageable crowds) or September–early October (harvest colors, warm days, fewer tour buses)

Summer (July–Aug): Peak crowds and heat, but all sites open with extended hours. Arrive at opening time.

Spring/Autumn (April, Oct): Lovely weather, minimal crowds, but some sites have reduced hours

Winter (Nov–March): Many châteaux remain open but with shorter hours. Cold but atmospheric, especially the fortresses. Gardens are dormant.

Who This Itinerary Suits

Perfect for: History enthusiasts, cultural travelers, couples, university-age students, anyone who reads historical plaques

Not ideal for: Young children (too much walking, too much context), pure garden enthusiasts (only one garden-focused stop), visitors primarily interested in wine/cycling

Physical requirement: Moderate. Lots of walking, stairs, and standing. All sites are partially accessible but not fully.

Enrichment Resources

To get the most from this itinerary, consider background reading:

• "The Traveller's History of France" by Robert Cole — Excellent overview
• "Daily Life in the Renaissance" by Eugenio Battisti — Context for château life
• "Joan of Arc: A History" by Helen Castor — Essential for understanding Chinon's significance

All audioguides at these châteaux are excellent and worth the extra €2–€3. Take them.