It%26#39;s almost time for Grandma and Granddaughter to visit France (three days and four nights in Tours, then a week in Paris). We%26#39;ve booked the TGV from Paris to St. Pierre des Corps and back, booked our hotel in Tours, booked an afternoon tour of Chambord, Cheverny, Amboise, Chaumont and Blois on a Wednesday (the last three of these seem to be drive-bys).
We plan to take a train to Chenonceau one day. It seems that the train station is very accessible to the chateaux and that we could spend the better part of a day making this trip.
We would, also, like to visit Loches, Villandry, Usse, Azay Le Rideau, and Langeais. Can we do more than one of these in our third day by public transportation? It would be either a Tuesday or Thursday, depending on which day we visit Chenonceau.
Too little time, too much to see. Remember, we are on foot.
|||
We did basically the same itinerary back in 2003, based in Tours, but it was a full-day tour to the east, and another full day to the west. We used a company mentioned at the Tours tourist office website. It was called Acco-Dispo, and we were pleased.
The tour allowed more than two hours each in Chambord and Cheverny, and about an hour at Chaumont - no way to squeeze all of that into an afternoon trip. The company was based in Amboise, so they just stopped to pick up customers. Blois was a drive-by. (We visited Blois on an independent daytrip by rail later - it was worthwhile.)
When we went west from Tours, we visited most of the sites you mentioned (not sure about Loches - that%26#39;s sort of southeast -I don%26#39;t have my guidebooks handy). Langeais has a railway station - you can see the chateau from the railway line. So does Azay-le- Rideaux
You might want to consider Chinon and Azay-le- Rideaux on a single daytrip. I think they are on the same train/bus line. (I haven%26#39;t visited Chinon - that%26#39;s why I%26#39;m thinking about it.)
Hope this helps -- Steve
|||
Loches is easily doable by public transport - eitehr train (twice a day) or train replacement bus (many times a day)
Depending on when youre travelling you may be able to do Villandry by bus - it%26#39;s a high season only service.
Azay-le-rideau you can do by train or bus.
Usse I don%26#39;t think is on any train or bus line (and if they are their website doesn%26#39;t acknowledge it)
Langais in easy to get to by bus from Tours
You wont be able to do all on the same day - Villandry, Usse and Azay le Rideau are all west of Tours, south of the Loire. Langais is West of Tours but on the other bank of the loire. Loches is Southeast of Tours.
Simon
http://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/
|||
Many thanks to the previous two posters. Is it possible to go from one city to the next by public transport without going back to Tours?
Interesting sidebar: I was wondering what the %26quot;view%26quot; of Blois, etc. was on the tour we%26#39;re taking. Now I have learned it is a stop to pick up and drop off passengers. Thanks, Yakkin Yetti.
|||
Well, you%26#39;ve already purchased your TGV tickets from St Pierre des Corps (which is really just a railway junction about 4km east of the Tours station - there%26#39;s a frequent shuttle train - it%26#39;s easy) to Paris. And if you were to travel back to Paris from another place, you%26#39;d have to haul your luggage to that other place. I think it%26#39;s better just to go back to Tours for the night.
-- Steve
|||
Sorry if I was unclear. I meant to say can we go from Tours to Villandry and then to Azay Le Rideau from Villandry by public transport or must we go back to Tours from Villandry and then take a bus or train to Azay Le Rideau?
|||
It really does depend when you%26#39;re travelling - you can only get to Villandry by public transport in July- August - first half of september (thats working from memory - it would be worth checking on the bus filvert website
|||
Coming mid-August. Will try and find FilVert site. Thanks, much.
No comments:
Post a Comment