Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris & Tasting with Pickup

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Paris, France

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

11 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The Loire Valley is known for its wineries and historic châteaux, but getting there from Paris requires private transportation. Ideal for anyone with limited time, this full-day small-group or private tour lets you bask in the region’s glorious landscapes, whisking your group back to the capital by nightfall. Visit the historic Château de Chenonceau and Château de Chambord sample regional wines, and enjoy a three-course French lunch at a local restaurant (if option selected).

Explore with just a small group, or upgrade for a fully private tour
Feast on a multi-course lunch of regional specialties (additional expense)
Visit two of the most in-demand Loire châteaux in one hassle-free trip
Hotel pickup and drop-off from your Paris hotel included

What's Included

(Optional) Delicious three course lunch at a local restaurant including starter main and desert
Wine tasting
Driver/guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Skip the line
Visit the castles and get to know its history with an audio-guide
Air conditioned mini-van

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

One day before the tour, our guide will contact you and provide all the necessary information regarding your hotel pickup. We recommend being ready 5 minutes before the scheduled arrival time of your guide. Please note that the maximum waiting time at your hotel is 15 minutes. Any longer delay may affect the schedule and could result in missing the planned visits to the Champagne houses.

Operating hours
.7:00 am

Itinerary

In the morning, get picked up at your hotel in Paris. Explore with just a small group for company (or just your guide, if private tour selected).

First, head to the Château de Chenonceau, one of the oldest and loveliest châteaux in all of France.

Afterwards, enjoy a gourmet, 3-course meal (if option selected) at a cozy restaurant. Enjoy an introduction to the Loire Valley's cuisine. You can also enjoy a tasting of fine Loire wines at a local estate.

After your meal, head to the Château de Chambord, another one of the region's highlight, UNESCO–listed castles, and enjoy the opportunity to soak up its splendid scenery.

Finally, return to your Paris hotel after a full day out.

Paris

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Chateau Royal d'Amboise

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

La Réserve

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Chateau de Chenonceau

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Plou Et Fils

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Paris

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
Those under 18 years of age will be offered a variety of nonalcoholic grape juices
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Alex_S

This was an amazing excursion for anyone visiting France or Paris for the first time. We wanted to experience some of France's countryside, and this experience checked all boxes. We had a wonderful tour guide, Sebastian, who ended up doing a private tour for my husband and I. We visited two breathtaking chateaus, which includes tasty lunch and wine tasting. Sebastian was very knowledgeable of the wine making process which made the experience a lot better. I'd highly recommend this trip if you're looking for something to do outside of the busy Paris attractions.

Reviews

4.9

based on 22 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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We had a nice trip to the...

elisa_b, Jul 2026

We had a nice trip to the castles. We stopped in Ambroise for a lovely lunch. The vineyard stop was awesome. The details of the production was very interesting. Sebastian, our tour guide, was very informative and made the trip enjoyable.

Castle & Wine Tour with Sebastian

Colleen_C, Jul 2026

Our guide Sebastian was on time for our hotel pickup. We are visiting during the heatwave in Paris. The van was cold and pleasant, and much needed relief between castle stops. Sebastian gave interesting commentary about the area and what we would see during our drive, pointing out things along the way. He was knowledgeable, funny and interesting, & navigated each location with confidence. In some spots where a device guided us through a castle, he would let us tour on our own, which was fine because we could linger (or not) according to our interest, while learning about the rooms we were in. We had a very tasty lunch where our group (2 couples and a single) got to know each other, which made the trip even more enjoyable. The final stop was a local winery. Sebastian gave a great tour of the wine making process, and we got to meet the family who owned it. We had fun tasting the different wines. So good! Also, Sebastian had a different music playlist for each section of the trip, which was very enjoyable to listen to. He had water for us, offered to charge our devices, and took good care to make sure we stayed on track and be safe since it was so hot. This was my favorite tour of my trip, and fun to see a new area of France that I hadn’t experienced before. For me, the comfort of a very cool van in a heatwave coupled with a knowledgeable and fun guide who catered to the group was well worth the expense. Thank you Sebastian! Well done!

Loire Valley castle exploration & wine tasting

Teresa_B, Jul 2026

Great experience leaving Paris & learning about the Loire region. Wine tasting, castle exploration, and 3-course lunch rounded out our experience. Sebastian was a great tour guide & gave us alot of information about the area & the history.

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your day in the Loire Valley. It sounds like a wonderful mix of experiences. We’re especially glad that Sebastian helped make the trip so engaging with his knowledge of the region’s history. He’ll really appreciate your kind words. We hope this memorable day from Paris stays with you for a long time, and we’d love to welcome you again on another adventure in France!

Breathtaking Chateaus & Great Guide

Alex_S, Jan 2026

A tour worth the money and time

ghqdnd4k69, Dec 2025

We visit France enough to know what these tours are like. But this was exceptional. Pick up was prompt and easy. The travel between the places we visited was really nice and seemed like we never backtracked. The castles were the usual but the two wineries were more interesting than usual with interesting wine selections. Would recommend taking he lunch option because unlike other tours this was at a very nice non touristy restaurant at a high end property. It also helped to have a wonderful guide who has a lot of interesting knowledge about the region. Was very personable and open to questions. The tour is worth every dollar we spent on it and more. Will be reaching out again to this company for additional tours.

Great day in the Loire Valley

Laura_K, Dec 2025

We had such a great day on this tour. Our guide Sebastian made the whole tour fun, informative, and seamless. Sebastian really went out of his way to make it a great day for me and my partner. He included multiple stops, taught us so much about the area we were in and each venue we visited. His French is also great and made it easy getting around, as he could speak to all the locals and shop owners. Sebastian went out of the way to show us the sites and really went the extra mile to make our experience great. Would highly recommend this tour.

Great tour of the Loire...

Shannon_B, Aug 2025

Great tour of the Loire Valley. Tomer was an exceptional guide. The luncheon and wine tastings were top notch.😃

Great Experience!

Nicole_I, Oct 2024

Fantastic tour! As a solo traveler, it was great to have a guide that was engaging, knowledgeable and patient when I had questions or wanted to stop for many photo ops of the scenery, castles, churches and more. Lunch was excellent and the wine tasting was a nice addition.

Sebastian is the best at what a tour guide should be.

Deanne_L, Sep 2024

It was great right from the pick up. Sebastian was a great tour guide. The 2.5 hour drive to the Loire Valley seemed short due to great conversation with Sebastian about each other and History about Paris. He made sure we were comfortable and even stopped so we could get coffee and use the toilet when needed. Sebastian has great communication skills and made the experience easy and enjoyable. The whole trip from pick up to drop off was 13 hours. Even though it was a long day we had a great time and never realized how long it really was. By the end of the trip we felt like we have known Sebastian Like a friend we came to visit. Sebastian driving skills and concern for safety is second to none. He always made sure we were buckled up and stay the speed limit on the highways . The traffic is crazy in Paris with cars and scooters cutting in front of us but Sebastian let us know that he is always aware of the traffic and our safety is important to him. I must say, Sebastian was everything he sad he was. There wasn’t one time during the trip where I was nervous about the traffic. Sebastian also takes great pictures. He has experience in this and made a lot of great suggestions on spots to take photos of my wife and I. Sebastian made us feel like it was important to him to enjoy ourselves on the trip and tour. Not just because it was his job as a tour guide. Because it was important him as a person. He takes his job very seriously and is very knowledgeable about Paris and everything it has to offer. The next time we come to Paris we will Definitely take another tour with Sebastian. He is a great tour guide and a kind and caring person. Thanks again Sebastian for a great and memorable experience.

Magical day in the Loire Valley!

Chris_H, Jun 2023

Benoit was a wonderful guide! His expertise about the Chateaus we visited was endless. The historic Chateaus set along the Loire River were magical, the lunch at Restaurant La 36 in Amboise was perfect, and the wine tasting and cave tour at Marc Bredif winery in Vouvray was the perfect ending to the day. The timing of the stops was nice and relaxed. We never felt rushed at our stops. The 2+ hour drive to our first stop was expected. The drive was pleasant and the surrounding countryside was beautiful. The return to Paris was slowed by heavy traffic as we approached the city but it was all well worth it. What a special day it was! And a special thanks to Benoit!

Excellent tour with amazing sites...

Donald B, Nov 2016

Excellent tour with amazing sites, food, and wine. Wonderful and engaging driver/tour host. Highly recommend.

Worth the time and money. The pick...

Lori M, Oct 2016

Worth the time and money. The pick up and drop off at your hotel is a very valuable thing to have. Our guide, Larisa was the best! The drive out to the Chateau is about 2.5 hours, but the drive back into Paris is 3 hours since the vineyard you visit is a bit further away. The lunch is wonderful, the staff there was very friendly and helped us make decisions on the menu that you choose your food from for the tour. You will truly experience French cuisine here! Snails, souffle, duck liver, and plenty of wine. We had the catch of the day which they didn't tell us what that exactly was until we were done. I will leave it at that, but when we googled it in the car we thought - WOW, we ate that!? Have an open mind, enjoy the travel time and good wines at the vineyard.