Book a Loire Valley tour to Amboise, Chenonceaux, and Chambord castles.The Loire Valley tour will start with a pickup at your Paris hotel or aparment. Your Loire Valley tour is available Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday from April through October.

The tour is offered Monday, Friday from November through March.

• Tour Code: CLM
• Tour days: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday from April through October; Monday, Friday from November through March
• Duration: 6:30 AM - 6:30 PM
• Included: Tour stops at Amboise, Chenonceaux, Chambord; lunch
• Children's Rate: 4-17 years of age
• Vehicle: Deluxe air-conditioned minibus that seats eight passengers

First stop in your Loire Valley tour is Amboise to tour the castle.

Lunch will be in the town of Chenonceaux.

After lunch, your Loire Valley tour continues to Chateau Chenonceaux. This castle is situated along the Cher River and is often called "the ladies castle" because of its history connected with many women!

King Henri II gave Chenonceaux to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers in 1547. Diane loved the chateau and added the arched bridge which connected the castle to the other side of the Cher River. Diane de Poitiers also supervised the creation of beautiful flower and vegetable gardens along with the planting of a variety of fruit trees.

King Henry II died in 1559 and Catherine de Medici, the widow of Henry II, expelled Diane. Catherine created beautiful gardens, too. Today, it's possible to contrast and compare the gardens of these two ladies and to imagine the intrigue behind the Chenonceaux Castle.

During World War I the gallery of the arched bridge became a hospital ward. During WWII, it was used as a way to flee the occupied Nazi zone to the "free" Vichy zone on the other side of the Cher River.

The last stop in the Loire Valley tour is Chambord Castle, built between 1519 and 1547. This castle is a masterpiece with some four hundred rooms (it was never actually completed!). It is a combination of French medieval architecture and classical Italian structures. Chambord is situated in a park covering more than 13,000 acres, making it the largest forested park in Europe.

Originally built as a hunting lodge for King Francois I, the king wished to be near his mistress, the Comtesse de Thoury, a member of a very noble family. Coincidentally enough, her domaine was closeby Chambord. Francois I still kept his royal castles of Blois and Amboise.

Your Loire Valley tour to Amboise, Chenonceaux, and Chambord Castle ends with your driver taking you back to your Paris hotel or apartment.