Loire Valley Day Tour – Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau
Visit two châteaux and taste Vouvray wines on a day trip from Paris
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Loire Valley Day Tour from Paris
Price: $260 per person ($420 with 2nd Class Rail, $500 with 1st Class Rail)
Duration: 11 hours
Departure: Before 8:00 a.m. from Paris
Meeting Point: Tourist office near Tours rail station.
Group Size: 8 guests maximum. Larger groups by request.
Availability: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, February–October.
Tour Highlights
- Château Azay-le-Rideau and Villandry gardens
- Vouvray wine tasting at a family vineyard
- Expert guide with all admission and tasting fees included
- Lunch not included — restaurants available near Villandry
Private tours available — contact us for pricing and details.
View cancellation policy
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From Our Customers…
Loire Valley Day Trip to Villandry and More Itinerary
Take the morning TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Tours (1 hour, 145 miles). Your guide meets you at the tourist office, just steps from the station, for a day exploring two distinct châteaux plus wine tasting.
Château Azay-le-Rideau: Your first stop sits on an island in the Indre River. Built in the 16th century, this château blends French tradition with Italian Renaissance innovation. The castle appears to rise directly from the water, creating perfect reflections that photographers love. Interior highlights include period furnishings and a notable portrait collection.
Villandry: Famous for Europe’s largest privately-owned formal gardens, meticulously restored by a Franco-American family in the early 1900s. The Renaissance gardens spread across multiple levels – ornamental kitchen gardens with geometric vegetable plots, herb gardens with medicinal plants, and water gardens with fountains. The château itself is secondary to these spectacular grounds. Spring and fall offer the best colors.
Lunch break near Villandry at local restaurants (cost not included, typically €15-25). Tour dropoff back in Tours for new van pick up for afternoon of wine tasting.
Vouvray Wine Tasting (2:30 PM): Visit a family-owned vineyard in this small but significant appellation. Taste multiple styles of Chenin Blanc – dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling. Your guide explains the unique tuffeau cave storage and why Vouvray wines can age for decades. Expect 4-6 tastings.
Return to Tours for your evening train to Paris, arriving around 8 p.m. at Montparnasse.
Loire Valley Tour Map
Loire Valley Day Tour FAQ’s
More Loire Valley Day Tour Information
- Occasionally, last-minute or high-season rail prices exceed our posted rates. We’ll contact you if this occurs.
- If you’re arranging your own rail tickets, please wait for us to confirm exact train times.
- Tickets are emailed as a PDF for home printing.
Off-season requests can typically be accommodated—contact us for details.
Cancellation and Refund Policies
Due to the small group aspect of all of our tours, our cancellation policy is as follows. More than 7 days before tour date – 100% refundable; from 7 to 3 days before tour date – 50% refundable; less than 3 days – non-refundable. If cancelling please contact us as soon as possible to ensure we can credit you properly.
Ready to Reserve Your Loire Valley Day Tour?
| Why we love the Loire Valley – The scale and variety of Loire castles is amazing. I love the gardens at Villandry. You can buy heirloom seeds and cuttings for your home garden there. A little piece of the biggest privately-owned formal gardens in Europe, yay. Some take the bus from Paris, but we recommend Loire Valley tours from Paris by train always. – Laura |
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