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Nestled in the heart of France, the Loire Valley is a treasure trove of stunning châteaus, picturesque landscapes, and delectable wines.
It’s a grand and captivating region that is one of the biggest UNESCO world heritage sites in the world, composed of 800 square km.
It’s easy to visit from Paris, and filled with captivating experiences from canoeing under castles to bike riding along the Loire River, the longest river in France.
The Loire Valley France was the last stop on our 4-week European trip. We’d just come off an incredible 8 Day Danube River Cruise with Avalon Waterways and were all wishing we had just gone straight home from there.
The Loire Valley was going to have to work hard to boost our morale. We did not have a great start, thanks to Parisian traffic (more on that below) BUT as soon as I jumped in that canoe to paddle under a fairy tale castle, I was glad we went to that extra effort to visit it.
There are memorable moments waiting for you in the Loire Valley, and to help you out, we have prepared a complete guide to visiting Loire Valley so you can experience memorable moments exploring the best chateaus in the region!
How To Get To The Loire Valley
Before we get into what to see and so, let’s go over the best way to get to Loire Valley. We make the mistakes so you can avoid them!
Picking up a rental car from Charles de Gaulle Airport and driving to the Loire Valley was one of the biggest mistakes on our European trip.
It made total sense when we booked it. Instead of flying to Munich, Berlin, or Amsterdam from Hungary after our river cruise, we decided to reduce our flight costs and time spent in multiple airports and just fly back to Paris (where our return flight back to Raleigh was).
We figured we could then easily drive down to the Loire Valley from Charles de Gaulle, Paris, since the distance is only 213.3 km and is expected to take 2 hours (according to Google Maps). We planned to stay for three nights and then drive back to the airport when it was time to fly home.
It probably would have been quicker and cheaper to drive from Munich, because the traffic in Paris is an absolute NIGHTMARE! It took us two hours just to get through the ring road in Paris and there is no alternative route.
It also meant we had to return back to Paris earlier than we…
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