which Castles to visit?

Can someone please suggest some not to be

missed Castles in the Loire Valley and

do any of them have accommodation?

Thanks

kandy

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Chambord, Chenonceau, the gardens of Villandry

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Thanks for your advice

kandy

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I suggest to visit Chambord, Azay le Rideau, Villandry, Loches, Le clos Lucé and Loches. In my opinion, these castles are very interesting.

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I%26#39;d suggest Villandry for the gardents, Loches for the dungeon (my husband really liked it), Chenenceou was gorgeous- definitely don%26#39;t miss that one. Usse was also really nice, and Chambord from the outside is very impressive. Unfortunately we didn%26#39;t have time to go into that one.

And the driving was really easy- we never got lost. Everything is clearly marked, and the circles will become your best friend! :D We loved it each time we went into one, because the signs were so good. Make sure you have a map with all the locaitons. A lot of time trying to reach a castle there wouldn%26#39;t be signs, but there%26#39;d be a sign for a castle that was in that direction- and then as we got closer there%26#39;d be signs for the one we wanted.

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We visited 6 Chateau%26#39;s on our 3 day stay in February 2006. Chateau Royal d%26#39;Amboise is where da Vinci is interred in the chapel, the style is flamboyant gothic yielding to French renaissance. Chateau Chambord is mind boggling. The biggest castle I%26#39;ve every seen, can you believe they call it a hunting lodge. This one should not be missed especially if your a fan of architecture. Chenonceau is very beautiful and you%26#39;ll understand why the royal women Diane de Poitiers and the queen Catherine de Medici fought for it. I can see why the Chateau Usse has inspired fairy tales, it is enchanting. For a more medivel flavor Chateau Chinon is the place to be, Joan of Arc pleaded to Charles VII for his support in this castle. Not much is left but the essance is still there. And last we saw Azay-le-Rideau, it had beautiful rooms but I wasn%26#39;t that impressed with it. Hope this helps. Non of these Chateaus have accommodation that I know of but we stayed in an 18th century beauty near Amboise called Chateau de Perreux 130 Euro a night.

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Hi

We have visited the popular ones, but one place no-one has mentioned in Amboise is %26quot;Le Parc des mini chateaux%26quot; which has 40 of the most well known chateaux of the loire valley from Angers to Orleans. This gives you some sort of degree of the sizes as they are all built the same scale and also there is a bit of information about each one.

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Kanagirl, you express my opinion of all those chateaux as well...

As for Azay-le-Rideau, I think it is beautiful from the outside...Inside there is some fabulous old furniture but I think the place is very dimly lit...If they%26#39;d crank the lights a bit then perhaps folks could enjoy the treasures more....I did get a wonderful photo of a Loire boat on the little waterway next to it...

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Hi,

I agree with much of what has been said previously.

Your original thread mentions if any of them have accomodation?

I don%26#39;t think it is possible to stay in any of the %26quot;historic/tourist%26quot; sites mentioned but there are several chateau type hotels in the area, and there are link to some of them at:

http://www.lvo.com/GB/INDEX.HTML

However, one of the best for location and cuisine is the Chateau d%26#39;Artigny Hotel at Montbazon.

Regarding Azay le Rideau, the best thing in my opinion is the location on the Indre, and set as it is in the village centre with several good restaurants and cafes. There is one particular Italian Restaurant where my teenage sons insisit they had the best pizza ever! (or it may have been a smile from a young waitress- I%26#39;m not too sure!)

Best wishes