Even though I visited France as a kid on a yearly basis, I never made it to the Chateau de La Loire. It felt like a weird omission and in 2019 I decided to correct it. I flew into Nantes and took a day trip along the Loire to Chenonceau, Amboise and Saumur.

My first stop in the morning was Chenonceau. Technically Chenonceau is not on the Loire, but on a side branch. Therefore it was not originally included in the inscription. It was added in 2017. Without a doubt it's an iconic structure and taking the proximity to Amboise and the Loire into account, I have no objection that it was included. As pointed out by Hubert, the main gallery over the river is great. I also really enjoyed the surrounding gardens.

From Chenonceau, I walked to Amboise crossing several vineyards. I imagined following some French nobles footsteps as they went from their castle to a dinner in neighboring Amboise. In Amboise, I walked through the town and it was impressive. I did not have the time to visit the Chateaus, though.

My last stop was Saumur. Saumur is really different from the first two sites I visited. It's way less touristy and it's clearly less of a representative building and more of a defensive castle.

Of the three sites, Chenonceau is the clear highlight. I would assume only Chambord comes close or exceeds it. Amboise is more about the town, while Saumur is more about the castle. In sum, I felt I got a good overview of the inscribed sites.

Getting There

I probably mention this in every review I write on France: Public transport in France is terrible. In the case of the Loire Valley I ran into multiple problems. I stayed in Nantes on the Loire with my cousin and her family and wanted to visit a few castles along the Loire as a day trip.

• There was only one direct train in the morning at 7:00H connecting Nantes to Tours. The next train ran at 11:00h.
• I had to walk from Chenonceaux to Amboise as there was no bus connection. The alternative would have been to wait for hours and take the train back to Tours.
• The walk itself was along the roadside, not really pleasant. Supposedly, there is a trail, but it was not sign posted and I couldn't find it.

Nonetheless, I still managed to see three sites in day. It did involve a little running, though:

• Amboise: Trains running between Tours and Orleans stop here. Further stops along the same line are Blois and Chambord station (castle way further off). Due to train connections, I only visited the town, not the impressive castle.
• Chenonceau: Trains running between Tours and Bourges stop here.
• Saumur: Trains running between Tours and Angers/Nantes stop here.

Personally, I also enjoyed the views from the train window as the train line runs in parts parallel to the river.

When coming from Paris, you may want to check out organized tours. It's probably the most efficient way to see multiple castles.