Loire Valley Day Tour – Villandry and More

See Two Historic Loire Valley Castles with a Small Group Day Trip from Paris


The exterior and garden of Villandry castle in the Loire Valley, France.

Book Now!

Click on the shopping cart symbol to the right after hitting “BOOK NOW” to checkout securely.


Loire Valley Day Trip to Villandry and More

Visit the majestic Loire castles of Azay-Le-Rideau and Villandry.  You’ll visit two castles in the morning, lunch in town near Villandry (not included) and then a lengthy winery visit in the afternoon for a great Vouvray wine tasting. 

All of our tours are small group excursions and often sell out; book now to reserve your preferred tour date.

Loire Valley Day Tour from Paris

Price: $225 per person ($380 with 2nd Class Rail, $459 with 1st Class Rail).

Departure Time: Before 8:00 a.m. from Gare Montparnasse in Paris.

Meeting Point: Tour meets at the tourist office outside of the rail station in the city of Tours.

Group Size: 8 persons maximum. Larger groups can be accommodated.

Included: Transport in a modern air-conditioned minibus in the Loire Valley and the entrance fees at all four castles.

Availability: Tour is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from February through the end of October.

This Tour Includes

  • Transport in a modern air-conditioned minibus
  • Entrance fees at each castle
  • 4-6 wine tastes.

Not included:

  • Lunch
  • Round trip transfers from your hotel or apartment in Paris to the Montparnasse train station

Any tour can be made private. Contact us for pricing and details.

Read our customer reviews.

Full Loire Valley Day Tour – Villandry and More Itinerary

You’ll depart Paris’ Gare Montparnasse in the morning, headed to the city of Tours via high-speed TGV train.  In less than an hour you’ll be over 145 miles away in the heart of the Loire Valley!  Upon arrival you’ll proceed to the Tours tourist office (a two minute walk) to meet your guide and begin an enchanting day discovering France’s wonderful château country.  You’ll visit the following castles during the day:

Chateau Azay-le-Rideau is dramatically situated on an island in the Indre river, its architecture appearing to rise right out of the water.

See chateau Azay-le-Rideau on our Loire Valley day tour
See chateau Azay-le-Rideau on our Loire Valley day tour

The plush interiors are decorated in the Italian Renaissance style popular when the castle was first built in the 16th century.

Villandry features the finest formal gardens in Europe. The gardens and castle were restored to their 16th century glory in the 1900’s by a wealthy American heiress and her husband.

The exterior and garden of Villandry castle in the Loire Valley, France.
The exterior and garden of Villandry castle in the Loire Valley, France.

It takes 8 gardeners working full time to plant, prune and care for the 60,000 vegetable plants and 45,000 other varietals set out each year. 

In the 1880’s, a twenty year restoration project began; much of the furniture and art purchased during this time is still on display.

Vouvray Wine Tasting

Embark on a wine adventure at 2:00 PM in Vouvray, an exquisite wine region filled with passionate winegrowers!

Discover a genuine French winemaker at a charming family-owned vineyard! Step into the traditional vat room (bring a coat as it can be chilly inside!). During this visit, you’ll expand your knowledge about the wine-making process and indulge in wine-tasting! Thanks to the terroir of this wine region and its principal grape variety, Chenin Blanc, you’ll taste an array of elegant white wines, ranging from dry to sweet and sparkling!

As the afternoon unfolds, you’ll gain a better understanding of the diversity of Loire wines. “Intense color, fruity aromas, a palate full of minerals…” Wait, what does this all mean? Don’t worry, your guide will assist you in learning the various stages of wine-tasting and teach you to identify a range of wine aromas. Benefit from our expert tips and tricks and taste like a professional!

We also offer a dedicated Vouvray wine tasting afternoon with no castle visits.

Back to Paris

After your day ends you’ll be dropped off at the Tours rails station for the one hour ride back to Paris.

Loire Valley Tour Map

Loire Valley Day Tour FAQ’s

The Loire Valley is a perfect day trip from Paris. High-speed TGV rail from Paris takes only one hour to get to the heart of the Loire Valley.

Overnight or multi-day trips are also an option. Biking excursions are also recommended as the region is relatively flat and easy to cycle.

In addition to our Villandry focused tour, we offer a Chambord and Chenonceau tour and multiple wine tours. Visit our Loire Valley day tour homepage for more details.

More Loire Valley Day Tour Information

Occasionally, last minute or high season rail prices will be higher than the prices listed above. We will always contact you before booking if this is the case. If you are not booking your rail through Link Paris, please do not book your train tickets until the correct rail times are confirmed by us. Rail tickets are emailed as a .pdf document for home printing. You’ll return to Paris via rail and be back in time for a late dinner in the lively Montparnasse area.

Off-season requests, can usually be accommodated, please contact us directly.

Check out the rest of our Loire Valley Day Tours From Paris.

Cancellation and Refund Policies

Due to the small group aspect of all of our tours, our cancellation policy is as follows. More than 7 days before tour date – 100% refundable; from 7 to 3 days before tour date – 50% refundable; less than 3 days – non-refundable. If cancelling please contact us as soon as possible to insure we can credit you properly.

Link Paris Reviews – What Others Say About Our Tours

Why we love the Loire Valley –  The scale and variety of Loire castles is amazing.  I love the gardens at Villandry.  You can buy heirloom seeds and cuttings for your home garden there. A little piece of the biggest privately-owned formal gardens in Europe, yay. Some take the bus from Paris, but we recommend Loire Valley tours from Paris by train always. – Laura