Be entranced by the Loire Valley where fairytale Renaissance chateaux and riverside vistas make it easy to imagine the bygone glamour and riches of French aristocracy. Take a Loire Valley tour with a local guide and learn all about the romance and intrigue of castle life hundreds of years ago.

The entire Loire Valley, with its abundance of fine chateaux and grand manor houses, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Meandering with your guide along its rural laneways, you can take your pick of some of France's most beautiful sites. See the 'double helix' stairway (believed to be a creation of Leonardo da Vinci) at Chambord, the largest of the Loire castles. Wander the lovely grounds surrounding Chaumont Castle and breathe in magnificent views of the Loire.

You can choose from one of our suggested itineraries, or work with your guide to create your own. We want you to leave the Loire feeling you've seen the best this charmed region has to offer.

Loire-Valley

Château de Chenonceau, France - Private Tour

The Château de Chenonceau is often described as the most charming of the Loire Valley castles, with its gallery overhanging the river Cher and its wondrous gardens.

Once a feudal fortress that was torn down, the actual castle was built from 1513. This fairytale place has a remarkable history, linked with multiple amazing women. Hence its nickname, the Ladies' castle.

Katherine Briçonnet, Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medicis, Louise de Savoie, Louise Dupin, Simone Meunier. . . Some of them were queens, some of them were philosophers or nurses. Chenonceau is the perfect place to discover French history through the lives of all these personalities!

The tour is not just about the castle itself. We will explore the building but we will also enjoy a quiet view on the Cher river and a stroll in the formal gardens, discover a charming old 16th century farm and the incredible flower and vegetable garden. Chenonceau is a little world that is really worth discovering at your own pace!

The Château from the south bank of the Cher river ©Antoine Montulé

Fireplace with a portrait of Catherine de' Medici in Diane de Poitiers's bedroom ©MFSG

The Tour des Marques and Catherine de Medici's garden

The alley of trees leading to the Château

Discover the wonderful Ladies' castle on an unforgettable guided tour!

A morning or afternoon spent at the most famous of the Touraine Loire Valley chateau. The chateau sits in the River Cher, reflected in the slow moving water and surrounded by formal gardens and peaceful parkland. You will learn about its royal occupants, their intrigues and loves, as well as the chateau's earlier humbler history and its role in world events in modern times.

We will start by approaching the famous chateau by the impressive driveway, just as the visitors of old would have done! I'll tell stories of its history before it was a royal chateau and we will go out on to the terrace of Diane de Poitiers garden to view the exterior in its entirety. This enables you to understand the chronology of the building and the history of its owners.

Then we will go inside to explore the magnificent interior. We can easily spend over an hour inside there is so much to see (especially at Christmas time when the house is decorated even more extravagantly) but finally we will emerge to visit the stables.

Chateau of Chenonceau, viewed from Catherine de Medici's garden

Portrait medallion of Mary Queen of Scots and her young husband Francois II

Diane de Poitiers garden, viewed from the chateau

The most iconic of the Touraine Loire Valley chateaux

Half Day Walking Tour of Chenonceau

In the XVI century, attracted by the beauty of its landscape, its forests, its wines, its majestic waterways, French kings and queens decided to move to the Loire Valley. They needed places where to stay or hunt. There still are 300 castles here now !
Licensed tour guide for 25 years now, I will use my experience and knowledge to explain what French Renaissance architecture is all about. I will be happy to deliver anecdotes about daily life of sovereigns and their court in our chateaux.
Chambord, hunting lodge built by king François I, is the largest and most spectacular castle. With its 426 rooms ans crazy rooftops, it will simply blow your mind.
Chenonceau, arching across the river and nestled in magnificent Renaissance gardens, was built by the king's mistress, Diane, making it the most romantic castle here.
En route, my joy will be to show details in our everyday landscape such as our crops, our vineyards, small private hidden manor houses etc.

Private tour by French licensed tour guide of the two most popular Loire Valley chateaux.

Chauffeured Loire Valley highlights full day tour: Chenonceau and Chambord.

Château de Chambord, France - Private Tour

Chambord is maybe the most dazzling of the Renaissance castles of the Loire Valley!

Its construction was commissioned in 1519 by king Francis I, and took more than 150 years to build!
426 rooms, 83 staircases, 282 chimneys, a domain the size of Paris: everything seems to be gigantic in this castle that is more of a political manifest than an actual residence. Here, the countless sculptures, the architectural elements, the layout, even the location all have a precise meaning.

The castle has been described as a fantastic book of stone that the most recent research has not yet finished deciphering!

Who was Francis I, the dashing young king of France who imagined this gogeous and yet uninhabitable architectural gem?
Why did he decide to build it in the middle of the countryside, on a swampy land?
Why is the design of this castle so unique?
What happened in Chambord during WWII?

During this tour, I'll be all yours to tell you everything about the history of Chambord and to answer all your questions!

Visit the most magnificent château of the Loire Valley with your own local guide!

In 1516, invited by King Francois I, Da Vinci arrived in the Loire Valley.
He became the king's first painter and architect. The king gave him one of his chateaux to stay, le Clos Lucé, situated in Amboise, where he spent his last three years and where he passed away, aged 67.
As he expressed in his will, he got buried in the Royal Castle of Amboise.

In le Clos Lucé, I will show you Leonardo's intimacy with his bedchamber, his reception hall, his studio and his mind blowing inventions.

In the Royal château of Amboise, spectacularly looking over the Loire river, we will discover Da Vinci's tomb.

Born and raised in the Loire Valley, licensed tour guide for 25 years, I have collected so much knowledge and anecdotes about Da Vinci and am excited to share them with you. Did you known:
- he finished Mona in le Clos Lucé 's studio ?
- he invented the helicopter, the parachute, the tank, etc ?
- he used a secret passageway to meet with the king ?
And many more. . .

Last home of Da Vinci. His tomb in Royal castle of Amboise. Private tour given by a French licensed tour guide.

Leonardo da Vinci's life in the Loire Valley, chauffeured full day tour.

Half Day Walking Tour of Amboise: Chateau and Church

This walking tour visits the Royal Chateau of Amboise and the Eglise Saint Denis. The chateau is a well known architectural and historical gem which dominates the small picturesque town. The nearby Saint Denis's Church houses some extraordinary funerary monuments, whose true history is not widely known, even by the locals. The two places make an exceptional half day visit.

I'll tell the stories of the various royal occupants, their triumphs and sorrows, births and deaths in this historic place. Because my background is in the care and management of historic sites I will also talk about the behind the scenes aspects of running a historic monument.

At Saint Denis's Church I will show you some extraordinary funerary monuments belonging to royal courtiers. I will tell you the fascinating background to these expressive sculptures. The church is medieval and I will point out some amusing carvings typical of the period.

The view of the Loire River from the Chateau's ramparts

The sarcophagus of the King's cryptographers

Was this the most beautiful women of her era?

Sunlight through stained glass plays on stone carving in the chapel of St Hubert

The Chateau of Amboise, viewed from across the River Loire

The residence of kings and the resting place of their codebreakers

Half a day in Amboise, France - Private tour

Amboise is the perfect example of a Loire Valley town, living by the rythm of the last wild river of Europe.

It was one of the most important cities for the French royalty during the Renaissance, when the Kings of France lived in the Loire Valley. This nice town is organized around the Château Royal built on a rocky outcrop overhanging the Loire river and offering one of the most stunning views of the region. Discovering this castle, you will learn a lot about French history and the incredible things that happened here!

The city of Amboise is also famous for being the last residence of the greatest artist and engineer of his time : Leonardo da Vinci. Invited by the king of France Francis I in 1516, Leonardo crossed the Alps with his pupils and three of his unfinished masterpieces. He spent the last three years of his life in the Château du Clos-Lucé. Discover his life and work in the most pleasant way visiting this beautiful mansion and its garden.

View on the Loire from the Château Royal

Leonardo da Vinci's workshop at Château du Clos-Lucé

Visit the beautiful city of Amboise, its royal castle and the last house of Leonardo da Vinci

In the XVI century, attracted by the beauty of its landscape, its forests, its wines, its majestic waterways, French kings and queens decided to move to the Loire Valley. They needed places where to stay or hunt. There still are 300 castles here now !


Customize your tour at your convenience: tour the chateaux or towns you decide.

Licensed tour guide at your disposal for 8 hours

In the XVI century, attracted by the beauty of its landscape, its forests, its wines, its majestic waterways, French kings and queens decided to move to the Loire Valley. They needed places where to stay or hunt. There still are 300 castles here now !
Let us drive through the Loire Valley nicknamed by the French the "garden of France". Our landscape is crops, forests, rivers, flood plains, quaint small towns, spectacular castles looking over waterways or nestled in manicured estates.


Explore the Loire Valley at your own pace in my new luxury electric Mercedes SUV (EQB 250)

Chauffeured Mercedes at your disposal for 8 hours

In the XVI century, attracted by the beauty of its landscape, its forests, its wines, its majestic waterways, French kings and queens decided to move to the Loire Valley. They needed places where to stay or hunt. There still are 300 castles here now !
Licensed tour guide for 25 years now, I will use my experience and knowledge to explain what French Renaissance architecture is all about. I will be happy to deliver anecdotes about daily life of sovereigns and their court in our chateaux.
Chenonceau, arching across the river and nestled in magnificent Renaissance gardens, is the most popular Loire Valley chateau. It is known as the ladies' chateau because all its owners have been women until today.

Tour the most popular Loire Valley castle.

Chateau de Chenonceau, private tour, French licensed tour guide.

Gain an insight into the lives of the succession of extraordinary women, all attached Chenonceau, but completely different in personality. I find much to admire in all of them, and they were certainly survivors in times often full of intrigue and danger.

I will love revealing their secrets to you -from what products they used in their hair, to how they contrived to have men executed. I will delve into the details about how these women created a space for themselves and manipulated their own images to suit their aims in what seems a very modern way. I'll also talk about what it has been like to be a woman in France over the centuries.

Catherine de Medici's private apartments, Chateau of Chenonceau.

Catherine de Medici's effigy on her grave in the Basilica of Saint Denis.

The 5 Queens Bedroom at the Chateau of Chenonceau.

Anteroom to Catherine de Medici's private study.

The Long Gallery at the Chateau of Chenonceau.

Cutting and kitchen garden, in continuous use since Diane de Poitiers established it.

Portrait medallion of Catherine de Medici in her 30s.

Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici, Louise of Lorraine, Louise Dupin, Marguerite Pelouze and others

The Extraordinary Women of Chenonceau

You will learn about the different styles of armour in this period, how it was made and how it was worn. The 16th century was the high point of armour glamour and effectiveness, and after which its use declined. But importantly, it is one of the sectors which kick started the Industrial Revolution. Armourers (or as their modern equivalent are now known, arms manufacturers) are always at the cutting edge of technology. The tour is intended for beginners who are interested in gaining an appreciation of a fascinating subject. As it is only an hour, it gives you a chance to explore the chateau more fully at your own pace afterwards, and with a bit more insight into what you might see.

I love to explain how armour functioned (there will be quite a lot of arm waving) and to myth bust all those 'facts' you thought you knew. You will leave the tour being able to amaze your friends when you can tell them whether a knight came from Nuremburg or Milan just by looking at his armour. A skill everyone needs, surely.

The pinnacle of the armourers art in the 16th century

Renaissance Armour 101 Tour

Bike tour to Chenonceau with private licensed tour guide.

view on river from interior of chateau de Chenonceau

Full day 30 mile bike ride, through vineyards and forests, along rivers, guided tour of chateau de Chenonceau.

Stay comfortably at your hotel in Paris and be picked up by myself and my luxury 7 electric Mercedes (EQB 250)

Chauffeured electric luxury 7 seater Mercedes to the Loire Valley

Private transfer from Paris or to Paris.

Licensed tour guide at your disposal for 4 hours

In the XVI century, attracted by the beauty of its landscape, its forests, its wines, its majestic waterways, French kings and queens decided to move to the Loire Valley. They needed places where to stay or hunt. There still are 300 castles here now !
Licensed tour guide for 25 years now, I will use my experience and knowledge to explain what French Renaissance architecture is all about. I will be happy to deliver anecdotes about daily life of sovereigns and their court in our chateaux.
Chenonceau, arching across the river and nestled in magnificent Renaissance gardens, was built by the king's mistress, Diane, making it the most romantic castle here. Its decorations attract a lot of visitors around Christmas.
Cheverny, private chateau still lived in by the same family since the 16th century, is the best furnished chateau here. It becomes really famous at Christmas for its decorations.

Blois tours

Explore with 17 tours and 3 guides.

Valentine B.

$ 323 (USD)

Susan W.

$ 461 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 899 (USD)

Valentine B.

$ 369 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 899 (USD)

Susan W.

$ 461 (USD)

Valentine B.

$ 484 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 599 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 749 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 300 (USD)

Susan W.

$ 461 (USD)

Susan W.

$ 86 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 755 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 749 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 449 (USD)

Simon J.

$ 749 (USD)

Meet your local guides in Blois

Customize your tour