Loire Valley: Walks, Wine & Chateaux

Name: Loire Valley: Walks, Wine & Chateaux
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 5 (4 reviews)

4 reviews

Activity

Walking & Trekking

Overview

Discover regal estates and fine wines in the glamorous Garden of France

Enjoy a walking escape in the Loire Valley, where lavish royal residences meet some of the best winemakers on the planet. During our adventure, we stay in a fabulous chateau near Tours and an elegant country manor in the village of Beaumont-en-Véron – both offering the perfect base for a full immersion in the Garden of France. We stop at majestic castles, including Amboise (the final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci) and Chenonceau, a Renaissance marvel spanning the Cher river. We also tour picturesque vineyards, meeting expert producers and sampling their fine wines.

Key Information

Trip Code: TLV
Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Countries: France
Carbon Footprint: 8.5kg CO2e per person per day

What's Included

All breakfasts, one lunch, two dinners and three wine tastings
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout
Group arrival and departure transfers available from the train station

5 days of Walking & Trekking

Pace:

Approximately four to six hours of walking per day

Terrain:

Low altitude; good paths, some rocky sections

Day 2: 8 km / 5 miles
Day 3: 9.5 km / 5.6 miles
Day 4: 7.4 km / 4.3 miles
Day 5: 7.5 km / 4.3 miles
Day 6: 7.4 km / 4.3 miles

Highlights

Discover the Loire Valley highlights on foot, including picturesque vineyards and palaces
Tour several lavish châteaux, including Leonardo da Vinci’s magnificent Chenonceau
Explore celebrated vineyards to meet the producers and sample their drinks at source
Meet members of the Loire wine brotherhoods, practically unrivalled in their knowledge of the local wines
Stay in a Renaissance-style château and 17th-century country manor house

Itinerary

First Destination: Tours
Next Destination: Beaumont-en-Véron

Meals included:Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Tours
Next Destination: Beaumont-en-Véron

We start at our chateau just outside Tours. This characterful university town is the gateway to the Loire Valley and the perfect starting point for our adventure.

Around 6pm, say bonjour to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big French welcome by arranging a group dinner.

Want more time to settle in? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Accommodation: Château de la Bourdaisière (or similar)

Meals included:Dinner

This morning we set off for our hike direct from our chateau heading towards Vouvray. The route meanders through medieval villages, including Montlouis, renowned for its exceptional AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) wine, and through vineyards that line the Loire River. Upon arrival in Vouvray, we visit wine cellars forged from local tufa stone and meet members of the Loire wine brotherhoods – communities of wine enthusiasts, who will generously share the history and cultural importance of wine in the region.

Accommodation: Château de la Bourdaisière (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

We start our day with a 25-minute transfer to the magnificent Château de Chenonceau. Known as the Ladies’ Castle since the 16th century, Chenonceau is the most visited private monument in France. This Renaissance masterpiece comprises a long, covered gallery that rests on the arches of a bridge and contains a large collection of tapestries and paintings by European masters from the 16^th to 18^th centuries, including Tintoretto, Rubens and Clouet.

After exploring the chateau, we take a circular walk along the river Cher, leaving the crowds as we pass through meadows and forests.

Accommodation: Château de la Bourdaisière (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

After a 25 minute transfer we visit the impressive Château Royal d’Amboise this morning, sure to be one of the highlights of our trip. A former palace to the kings of France and the resting place of Leonardo da Vinci, this Unesco-protected castle is testament to European history and represents the French ‘art of living’ as well as having spectacular views of the Loire Valley. There is then free time to either explore the town of Amboise or have the option to visit Chateau du Clos Lucé, the impressive home of Leonardo da Vinci, for the last three years of his life.

After lunch, we take an afternoon hike through the Amboise Forest and along the Loire River, before transferring one hour, to our second accommodation in Beaumont-en-Véron. On our way, we stop in the village of Bourgueil to see the vineyards and sample the local produce.

Accommodation: Manoir de la Giraudière (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

Today is devoted to the discovery of the wonderful Saumur-Champigny vineyards. In the morning, we take a 30-minute transfer to the Unesco town of Saumur, surrounded by the Anjou vineyards. We embark on a guided walk of the town, marvelling at medieval architecture and discovering the royal history of the area.

After, we transfer to the starting point for our hike through the vineyards and countryside near Souzay-Champigny. We visit a wine producer during the hike and sample their AOP Saumur-Champigny wine, before returning to Souzay-Champigny, where we have time to visit ancient troglodyte dwellings and a local mushroom producer.

Accommodation: Manoir de la Giraudière (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

On our final full day in the Loire Valley, we take a 30-minute transfer to Château de Villandry, whose gardens have dazzled visitors since the 1920s. With a history stretching to the 11th century, the gardens have undergone many transformations but acquired their current Renaissance form in the early 1900s, replacing the English garden style employed in the mid-1800s.

We have free time to explore the extensive estate and castle independently, before coming together for our last hike of the week, this time along the banks of the Cher. After lunch we take a short transfer towards the village of Azay le Rideau where we also have time to explore the castle. We return to Beaumont-en-Véron, stopping on our way in the historic city of Chinon.

Accommodation: Manoir de la Giraudière (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

After breakfast, we say our goodbyes and begin our return journey home. If you’d like to explore more of the Loire Valley, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay in Beaumont-en-Véron.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, deposit-only payments, and full ATOL protection available.

Call us on 0203 733 5948

Your Group, Your Adventure

Want to choose your travel companions? Gather your family and friends and let us create a Private Adventure just for you.

View Details

Accommodation

Château and Country Manor House

Immerse yourself in the history and regal character of the Loire Valley with the accommodation on this trip, which is split between a historic château and a manor house.

Tours: Château de la Bourdaisière (nights 1-3)

Loire Valley: Walks, Wine & Chateaux

This Renaissance-style château outside the city has extensive grounds comprising landscaped gardens, a large orchard with more than 100 fruit tree varieties, and a dahlia garden created by renowned landscape architect Louis Benech. The 26 stately rooms and apartments were renovated by owner Prince Louis Albert de Broglie (aka the Prince Gardener), while other hotel amenities include a large, heated swimming pool and tennis courts.

Beaumont-en-Véron: Manoir de la Giraudière (nights 4-6)

Loire Valley: Walks, Wine & Chateaux

Stay in a 17th-century manor house just 3.7mi (6km) from Chinon and its medieval fortress. Situated within a Regional Nature Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and overlooking a vineyard, the hotel has 24 rooms with period furniture plus an outside seating space where the group can gather. It‘s also about a five-minute walk along country lanes to the Vienne River, where bird life flourishes and a peaceful moment or two can be enjoyed.

Essential Information

This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

The walking pace is leisurely and there is plenty of time to rest and enjoy the views. The Loire Valley is naturally hilly (making it the perfect place to cultivate grapes), so you should expect some ascents/descents during the walks. The shortest walk is 4.4mi (7km) and longest is 6.2mi (10km), with the greatest elevation gain (656ft/200m) on Day 5. The distances mentioned on the itinerary do not include walks in and around the chateaux/gardens that we visit.

The terrain and type of path/track will vary from paved tracks (which are occasionally rocky) to tarmac. All walks take between three and five hours, including lunch stops, and require a moderate level of fitness and good balance.

All walks are optional. If you would prefer to sit one out, our tour leader can provide suggestions for other activities.

Key information

Start hotel: Château de la Bourdaisière, 25 Rue de la Bourdaisière, 37270 Montlouis-sur-Loire
Phone: +33 2 47 45 16 31
Recommended arrival time: We meet at 6pm for a welcome briefing and dinner

Getting to the start hotel

There are direct trains, which take about one hour, from Paris Montparnasse station to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps railway station, near Tours. There are also direct trains from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), but these are irregular so taking the metro to Montparnasse may be a quicker option. More detailed instructions on reaching the start hotel are provided in your Final Joining Instructions. We provide one group arrival transfer from Saint-Pierre-des-Corps railway station. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Departure transfer

There is one group transfer from the end hotel to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps railway station for your onward travel. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your departure time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.

France

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter France. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.
• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/france
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/france
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/France.html

Our included lunch is taken during the hike, either as a picnic or in a local café/restaurant. For lunches not included, there will be an opportunity to visit a boulangerie (bakery) for freshly baked goods to take with you on the walks. For dinners not included, it’s possible to dine at the accommodation or venture to a restaurant in Tours or Chinon.

Vegetarians can be fairly easily accommodated in this area of France (particularly in Tours); however, vegans may find the variety of dishes available is rather limited. Larger supermarkets can provide gluten-free bread and baked goods but this is less common in local bakeries.

The Loire Valley experiences fairly mild temperatures between May and October. Daily temperatures in May-June and September-October rarely exceed 18C (64F); however, the summer months of July and August can experience much warmer temperatures (an average of around 26C/79F). Rainfall is common throughout the year, so be sure to pack waterproofs.

While the weather is less predictable outside summer, it can be a more favourable time as you miss the crowds of July-August. Some of the gardens at the Château de Villandry are planted twice during the year so they are at their finest throughout the visitor season (March-November).

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.