We%26#39;ll be driving to Loire Valley from Paris and planning to spend one night there. (but not too sure where would be best to stay over)
We%26#39;re travelling with 2 daughters, age 6 and 10 and I really wanted to take them to see the Usse castle. And also wanted to visit Amboise and Chambord and Cheanous(wrong spelling..oops)
Would it be too much driving and time consuming to go to Usse? Is it worth the trip or is there better itinery for 2 day trip?
We were thinking of staying over at budget hotels such as IBIS...found one at TOurs centre? or is there any other places you could recommend?
Thank you.
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You may want to try a forum search on this topic because much has been written. My suggestion is stay in Tours (making sure to visit Place Plumereau), forget about Usse (more hype than substance and too far from the more important locations), and make sure to visit Chenonceau, Chambord, Le Clos Luce (in Amboise), and if time permits chateau Blois.
On a 2 day itinerary you could travel west from Tours to visit Azay le Rideau and others, (including Usse).
Ibis hotels are fine when nothing else is available but an unimaginative choice (part of the large Accor chain). There are numerous suggestions on the forum for finding more interesting and charming hotels.
Your preparation and search efforts will pay valuable dividends.
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I really liked Usse, and Azay Le Rideu (sp?) was near it. We stayed at the Chateau de Marcay which was only about 45 minutes from them- it was really neat to stay in the thousand year old castle. Plus, it was only about $100 a night.
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Thank you both of you for the input. I%26#39;m still debating what to do. We may skip and stay over in either Amboise or Tours to hang out and check out Chambord/Chennonceau next day before driving back to Paris.
I guess, it%26#39;s between relaxing and hanging out versus driving all day to look at Usse.
In anycase, I know we would have a great time.
Thank you again.
H.
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Flying Mom,
If you stay in Tour the Ibis Sud is easy to get to and get out to Usse and others. You might want to consider La Rosarie in Chenonceaux. A little more expensive than Ibis but you could walk to the chateau and a good restaurant in the hotel. They have secure off street parking and easy access to other sights such as Chambord, Amboise and even down to Usse. I would pick Aze Le Rideau over Usse if time was a factor. But Chenonceaux would be No. l.
Have a good trip,
Tom
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Tours is a lot closer to Chenonceau than Amboise...Amboise may be equidistant to Chambord with Tours...
I have read good reviews about La Rosarie in Chenonceaux but haven%26#39;t stayed there...?I am not exactly sure where you ought to stay to get in all you want to do...Logically you might want to stay overnight in Chenonceaux and do the chateau there first thing so you could head up to Chambord before going on to Paris....I have to tell you if you do those two chateaux and drive to Paris in the same day that you%26#39;ll have a VERY long and tiring day...Chambord is huge...Chenonceau is popular and you%26#39;ll want to tour it all and possibly linger a while on the grounds...Good luck...
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My family and I visited the Loire Valley in February 2006. We stayed near Amboise in an 18th century chateau, Chateau de Perreux 130 Euro a night and worth every penny. We drove back and forth from Paris and in our 3 day stay we were able to see 6 chateaus and spent time in two towns Blois and Amboise. Low season had no lines and no crowds. There was light traffic and getting to the various chateaus was easy and quick. The chateaus we visited were Amboise, Chambord, Chenonceau, Usse, Chinon and Azay-le-Rideau. Usse, Chambord and Chenonceau were my favorites. We never felt rushed, just make sure you have a good road map. Unlike the US the roads aren%26#39;t clearly labeled but as long as you know what town your heading for you should do fine. Directions are based on what town your going to or what Chateau your heading for. By the way Tours is large and very modern so if your looking to stay in a typical country French town choose one of the smaller ones in the area. Since you have a car your free to visit the whole area. My daughters loved Usse and Im sure yours will too. And I usually look for value when choosing a place to stay but if there ever was a place you wanted to splurge the Loire is it. This trip will go down as a 5 star vacation for us.
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