Loire Valley Castles TourChenonceau and Chambord Tour from Tours
This Chenonceau and Chambord tour from Tours costs $240 per person and runs 8 hours in an air-conditioned vehicle for 8 travellers at most. Ophorus picks you up in front of the Tours Tourism Office, and the price covers entry tickets and a guided visit at both chateaux with an English-speaking licensed guide. Meals are excluded, so bring your own lunch money. The listing rates 4.9 from 56 reviews on Viator. One warning before you book: the operator says the Francois I wing of Chambord is closed for restoration and the route has been modified. Compare it with the other Loire Valley chateau tours.
About This Tour
Ophorus runs this small-group day from the Tours Tourism Office to Chateau de Chenonceau and Chateau de Chambord in an air-conditioned vehicle. A licensed English-speaking guide expert in Loire Valley castles travels with you, and tickets plus guided visits at both castles are included in the $240 per-person price.
The day lasts 8 hours in total. The listing states no per-site timings and no departure clock time, so treat the schedule as set by the operator on the day. Book ahead and cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
$240 per person, booked on Viator. Rates 4.9 from 56 reviews.
8 hours in total. No per-site timings are stated on the listing.
In front of the Tours Tourism Office, where the operator picks you up. No hotel pickup. The listing states no return point.
Up to 8 travellers. Guided in English only. Infant seats are available on request at booking.
Entry tickets and guided visits at Chenonceau and Chambord are included. The Francois I wing of Chambord is closed for restoration and the route has been modified.
Meals, drinks, gratuities, personal insurance and expenses are paid separately. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Check Dates and Availability
Places are limited to 8 per departure and children under 4 are not allowed. Check live dates and prices on the booking panel.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Price, duration and the closure at a glance
This Chenonceau and Chambord tour from Tours costs $240 per person for an 8-hour day in a group of up to 8, with entry tickets and guided visits at both castles included.
Key takeaways
- The pickup is in front of the Tours Tourism Office, with no hotel pickup.
- The Francois I wing of Chambord is closed for restoration and the tour route has been modified.
- Meals and drinks are not included, so budget for lunch on the day.
- Prefer a day with a sit-down lunch? The Loire Castles Tour with Lunch at a Chateau includes a meal at a family-owned chateau.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $240 covers the vehicle, the guide and both castle tickets. Food, tips and anything personal are on you.
Included in the $240
The listing names five inclusions: an English-speaking licensed guide expert in Loire Valley castles, an air-conditioned vehicle, pickup at the Tourism Office in Tours, and tickets and guided visits at Chambord Castle and Chenonceau Castle. Both castle admissions sit inside the tour price. Infant seats are available when you ask at the time of booking.
- English-speaking licensed guide
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Pickup at the Tours Tourism Office
- Tickets and guided visit of Chambord Castle
- Tickets and guided visit of Chenonceau Castle
Not Included
Three exclusions are named: meals and drinks, gratuities for the guide, and personal insurance and expenses. There is no lunch stop built into the listing, so check with the driver where food is available on the day and carry cash or a card for it. No optional paid extras are stated on the listing.
What You May Pay on the Day
Beyond lunch and drinks, the gratuity for the guide is the other cost the listing names, and it is at your discretion. Nothing else is listed as mandatory.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Air-conditioned vehicle | Yes | From the Tours Tourism Office |
| English-speaking licensed guide | Yes | Expert in Loire Valley castles |
| Chambord entry and guided visit | Yes | Francois I wing closed, route modified |
| Chenonceau entry and guided visit | Yes | Entry and guided visit |
| Lunch and drinks | No | Meals and drinks excluded |
| Gratuities | No | At your discretion |
| Personal insurance and expenses | No | Arrange your own |
How the Price Compares
At $240 for 8 hours, the Loire Valley Castles Tour from Tours and Amboise costs $231 for 9 hours and adds 2.5 hours in Amboise for lunch. From Paris, the Loire Valley Castles Day Trip with Wine Tasting starts at $115 but runs 12.5-13 hours in a larger coach. For a full picture, the homepage lists every Loire Valley chateau tour with prices and durations.
Sources: Chenonceau practical information and the Ophorus listing on Viator.
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives the meeting point, the two castles and the total of 8 hours. It does not publish clock times, so the sequence below is the likely shape of the day, not a timetable.
Meeting in Tours
The operator picks you up in front of the Tours Tourism Office. The listing states no departure time and no pickup window, so confirm your start time on your booking confirmation and arrive early. Public transportation options are available nearby.
If you arrive in Tours by TGV from Paris Montparnasse, note that most long-distance trains serve Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, which is linked to Tours station by rail shuttle.
The Drive and the First Castle
The vehicle is air-conditioned and carries 8 travellers at most, so the day feels small and flexible compared with a coach. The listing does not state which castle comes first or how long the drive takes, and no driving times are published. No per-site durations are stated, so the 8 hours cover both guided visits and the road between Tours and the two estates.
Chenonceau
The guided visit covers the chateau and its setting, where the gallery and arches span the River Cher. Chenonceau says it is open every day of the year, chateau and gardens, opening at 9:00 in April, September and October and at 9:30 in winter, with 9:00 to 19:00 hours in July and August. The chateau was built between 1513 and 1517 by Thomas Bohier and above all his wife Catherine Briconnet, and its owners are described as an almost uninterrupted succession of women.
Chambord, with a Modified Route
Chambord is enormous: the estate states 426 rooms, 282 chimneys and 77 staircases, and its walled park covers more than 5,000 hectares. The central double-helix staircase is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci by the estate and lets two people pass without meeting. The important caveat is that the Francois I wing has been closed since it shut for restoration, and because that area represents a significant part of the chateau, the tour route has been modified accordingly.
Back in Tours
The listing states no return time and no return point, so confirm where the day ends when you book. With the day free afterwards, Place Plumereau in Tours, a square surrounded by half-timbered houses, is a straightforward place for a drink or dinner.
Sources: Chambord opening hours, Chenonceau opening times.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is a good day for fit adults who want guided context at two chateaux without driving. Several travellers should book something else.
Families with Toddlers
Children under 4 are not allowed on the tour, and children aged 4 to 12 are priced separately from adults 13 to 99. Infant seats exist on request, but a baby cannot come at all. If you are touring with a toddler, look at the Private Loire Valley Castles Tour instead, which prices children 0-17 separately.
Travellers Wanting the Full Chambord
The Francois I wing of Chambord is closed for restoration with no confirmed reopening date, and the operator states plainly that this area represents a significant part of the chateau. If seeing that wing matters to your trip, delay your visit until the estate confirms the reopening, or spend the day elsewhere in the valley.
Anyone Needing Easy Access or Hotel Pickup
The listing is not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health, and asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness. Chateaux mean stairs and gravel, and there is no hotel pickup: you reach the Tours Tourism Office yourself. Pets are not allowed.
If you want a gentler half day, the Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau Half-Day Tour runs 4 hours from the same Tours meeting point.
Anyone Who Needs Lunch Organised
Meals and drinks are excluded, so the day has no included meal and no stated lunch stop. If a sit-down meal matters, the Loire Castles Tour with Lunch at a Chateau includes lunch at a family-owned chateau, and the Loire Valley Castles Tour from Tours and Amboise builds in 2.5 hours of free time in Amboise for food.
Getting There and What to Add
Tours is easy to reach by train from Paris, and the valley has more chateaux you can add before or after the tour.
Getting to the Meeting Point
The Tours tourist office counts 25 TGV connections a day from Paris Montparnasse in about 1 hour, and Paris Austerlitz trains take about 2 hours. Most TGV trains terminate at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps rather than Tours station, and the two stations are 5 minutes apart. By car, Tours is about 2 hours 40 minutes from Paris via the A10, which runs about 557 km from south of Paris to Bordeaux and is mostly tolled.
The listing notes public transportation options are available near the meeting point.
Add Amboise on Your Own
This tour does not enter the Chateau d'Amboise, so it is the natural add-on. Regional trains connect Amboise, Chenonceau and Chinon. Allow half a day for the chateau and the town, and read the Chateau d'Amboise guide before you go.
Clos Luce, covered in its own guide, sits in the same town.
Add Chaumont-sur-Loire
Chaumont-sur-Loire is a separate estate on the Loire that this tour does not enter, so allow a generous part of a day and check its opening hours before travelling. The Loire Valley map guide helps you place it against the other estates, and the Paris to Loire Valley by train guide covers the rail options if you stay longer.
Sources: Tours tourist office, Wikipedia: A10 autoroute).
Day by Day
The listing publishes no clock times, so the steps below are the likely shape of the 8-hour day, not a timetable.
-
Start
Pickup at the Tours Tourism Office
The operator collects you in front of the Tours Tourism Office in an air-conditioned vehicle. Confirm your departure time on your booking, arrive early, and meet your English-speaking licensed guide and up to 7 fellow travellers.
-
First stretch
Drive into the valley
The listing states no driving durations. Chenonceau lies 34 km from Tours. Use the ride to hear the guide's introduction to the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
-
Castle visit
Guided visit of Chenonceau
Tickets and a guided visit are included. The chateau's gallery and arches span the River Cher, and the collection includes works by Rubens, Tintoretto, Poussin and Van Dyck. The gardens are part of the estate.
-
Lunch
Lunch on your own
Meals and drinks are excluded, so eat from what is available at the site or brought with you. No restaurant is named on the listing, so ask the guide on the day.
-
Afternoon
Guided visit of Chambord, modified route
Tickets and a guided visit are included. Because the Francois I wing is closed for restoration with no confirmed reopening, the route inside the chateau has been modified. The listing does not say which parts of the building remain on the route.
-
End of day
Return to Tours
The listing states no return point or time, so confirm both when you book.
What Works and What Does Not
A balanced read of the listing, with the drawbacks and their fixes.
What we genuinely like
- Entry tickets and guided visits at both Chenonceau and Chambord are included, so you pay once and skip buying tickets separately.
- Groups cap at 8, so the day stays small and the guide stays reachable.
- The pickup point in front of the Tours Tourism Office is easy to reach, with 25 TGV connections a day from Paris Montparnasse in about 1 hour.
- It rates 4.9 from 56 verified reviews, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.
The honest downsides
- The Francois I wing of Chambord is closed for restoration with no confirmed reopening, and the operator says it is a significant part of the chateau. Decide whether the reduced Chambord justifies the day before you book.
- No lunch is included and no lunch stop is described. Pack food or ask the guide where to eat.
- There is no hotel pickup, so you must reach the Tours Tourism Office yourself.
- The 8-hour day includes real road time between Tours and two estates, and the fitness note asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness.
Who it's NOT for: Families with children under 4, travellers wanting the complete Chambord interior, and anyone who needs an included meal or hotel pickup should look at the alternatives.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the Chenonceau and Chambord tour from Tours cost?
It costs $240 per person and includes entry tickets and guided visits at both castles with an English-speaking licensed guide. Compare it with other small-group days from Tours and Amboise such as the Loire Valley Castles Tour from Tours and Amboise at $231.
Is lunch included?
No. Meals and drinks are excluded, as are gratuities and personal expenses. If you want a meal built in, the Loire Castles Tour with Lunch at a Chateau includes lunch at a family-owned chateau.
Where does the tour start and end?
The operator picks you up in front of the Tours Tourism Office The listing states no return point and there is no hotel pickup. The Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau Half-Day Tour uses the same Tours meeting point for a shorter 4-hour morning.
Is Chambord affected by restoration work?
Yes. The listing states the Francois I wing has been closed for restoration with no confirmed reopening and the tour route has been modified. For a standalone guided visit once it reopens, see the Guided Visit of Chambord Castle page.
Can I bring young children?
Children under 4 are not allowed. Children aged 4 to 12 are priced separately, and infant seats are available on request at booking. A Private Loire Valley Castles Tour gives more flexibility for mixed-age families.
How do I get to Tours from Paris for the tour?
Take the TGV from Paris Montparnasse, which reaches Tours in about 1 hour with 25 connections a day, or a train from Paris Austerlitz in about 2 hours. Most TGVs stop at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, which is 5 minutes from Tours station. The Paris to Loire Valley by train guide sets out the options.
What is the group size and language?
The group caps at 8 and the guiding is in English only. If you want a private vehicle for your own group, the Private Loire Valley Castles Tour runs from Paris with an art historian guide.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure