5.0 · 35 reviews
Scarlett_P
May 2024
The whole day was very interesting and informative. Sophie was a great tour guide who provided plenty of historical information and illustrations. The lunch at a private château was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Highly recommended.
823reidl
May 2024
What an amazing day for our last outing in La Loire. The pick up was easy to find and on time. We had a delightful guide: an excellant ambassadeur, very knowledgeable and an excellent driver who created a lovely rapport with the group. The chateau visit programs were a perfect blend of guided tour and free time. We appreciated our choice of tour without a meal at a private chateau in favour or more chateau time . 5 star day, highly recommended.
Jim_P
April 2024
Camille was a really fun, personal, and knowledgeable guide. She took care to ensure everyone understood the critical information and was patient with some of us older folks. Chenonceaux was by itself worth the price of the entire tour.
David_B
April 2024
On top of the historic and beautiful chateaux we toured, our guide Stephen was fantastic. He was so knowledgeable of the history behind each of the chateaux and so enthusiastic in telling us about them. And any question we had he answered with so much information and insight. It was a perfect day.
Henry_Y
April 2024
Seeing the chateaus and just seeing the scenery and experiencing the smaller towns in France. The tour guide was fantastic.
Colin_H
April 2024
Amazing experience. Our guide was kind and very knowledgeable! They made the experience amazing. Would book with same company again.
jphnyc
March 2024
Had fantastic small group tour of Chenonceau and Chambord. It was nice having a guided tour at each place followed by time for each of us to explore on our own. Our guide Alex was superb!
OldJoan07
March 2024
A fantastic day with Alex as our guide. We toured both chateaus with Alex’s knowledge and had the most fantastic lunch at a private chateau. Thank you to the tour operator and thank you Alex! Joan/Annie/Q
Wanderer14788225839
February 2024
The instructions regarding departure time were confusing so that I ended up waiting 40 minutes before the guide arrived. I don't know who or what organization was responsible for the misinformation, but it was annoying in the extreme. To top it off, I'd re-scheduled the day of my trip in order to avoid bad weather; my new date was confirmed by Viator, but when the guide, Dimitri, asked me my name, he said I wasn't on his list. After talking with his tour company - I forgot to ask for the name of his company - it turned out there was enough room in the van so I was able to go. There were a total of five of us at Tours and we left around 09:40 (my information was that we would leave Tours at 09:00). We stopped briefly at Ambroise to get another passenger (again, my understanding of the tour timings was that we'd be leaving Ambroise at 09:30, but it was about 10:10 at this point). So, there were a total of six passengers and one guide. We went to Chenonceau first. Dimitri bought our tickets and provided us with information about the chateau as we walked up to it, and we were able to take some photos before entering the chateau. Dimitri then provided a bit more info and took us to a few of the rooms before giving us about 1.5 hours of free time, during which we were also to make time to eat our lunch (buy it or eat what we'd brought). Dimitri had shown us a bakery/cafe near the chateau where we could buy lunch if we wanted. I was happy with the amount of time we were given at Chenonceau, and also happy with the amount of info Dimitri provided - not too much, and not too little. The only drawback, which no one could do anything about, was the cloudy skies. At least it wasn't raining! We went to Chambord next; it was about an hour's drive. Along the way, Dimitri either pointed out other chateaux we were passing provided info about the area. He didn't talk the whole time though, which I appreciated. Some guides drone on and on and I find that that gives me a headache. Chambord was magnificent! And the weather got a bit better by this time so that we actually saw some blue sky. Once again, Dimitri gave us some info about the chateau as we walked toward the entrance, and we were able to take some photos outside. Dimitri took us to a few rooms in the chateau, gave us some info about them, and then gave us about an hour of free time to explore. We left Chambord around 16:10 and drove to Ambroise to drop off one passenger then headed to Tours, where we arrived around 17:20. My comments about our guide, Dimitri, are that he was knowledgeable and his English was okay; I had little difficulty understanding him although I don't know how well the two German-speaking guys or the Japanese-speaking guy understood him. The other two passengers were English-speakers and I think they understood him well. Dimitri's driving was fine and, as I said, I liked that he didn't talk the whole time. The only negative comment I have is that I didn't think he needed to go into any detail regarding some of the physical relationship issues between Francis I and his wife Catherine de Medici (comments made while we were at Chenonceau). Dimitri wasn't lewd, but I felt he could have refrained from explaining more than what was necessary to understand the issues between husband and wife. Regarding the tour itself, as I've already mentioned, the departure timings were confusing and turned out to be incorrect for both Tours and Amboise. The tour was expensive, in my opinion, so losing time meant paying for waiting, which didn't make me happy. It also seemed that we could have stayed at Chambord past the 16:10 time we were told to be at the tour van as we arrived back at Tours a bit early. All in all, the tour was expensive - too expensive for what was provided - but it seems that tour companies providing tours to Loire Valley chateaux can charge what they want as it's not possible (or at least it's difficult) to take public transport to many of the chateaux. I wasn't happy with the timings and the cost, but I enjoyed seeing the chateaux and having a guide.
barbaran536
February 2024
I was traveling from Asia and planned my trip, purchased my train tickets from Paris and confirmed one night hotel stay in Tours (all non refundable) based on the confirmation of this tour to Chambord and Chenonceau. I was informed on a Friday that the tour I booked on Wednesday, will not take place because they "anticipated" the guide will be sick. The operator told me to contact the tourism office to sort it out other options myself and to no surprise, the they told me it was low season (Feb) and there were NO tours available. I believe another American tourist also book the same for Friday (same week) and they also got cancelled last minute. A la Francaise the tour operator takes no responsibility for cancelling their tours. Clearly February is a low season, and it is obvious there were not enough people so the tour for a few does not scale which I believe is the real reason for the cancellation! It is fine if that was the case but DON'T promote or indicate tours of such is available online for Feb! All the other operators simply indicates nothing is available until later months! Promoting and selling tours that is unlikely to take place, their complete lack of accountability/responsibility is simply unacceptable. The stress and inconvenience they have caused! On that note, I leave you to judge the integrity of A La Francaise and the type of operator they are!
sameyck
October 2019
This tour is great for anyone who doesn't have their own transportation while in the area. Our guide for the day was Lara and she was lovely and very knowledgeable about everything we saw. Even though it was a rainy day we had a great time and were thankful for the thoughtful little touches Lara brought to our day, including the umbrellas! Thank-you again Lara, we had a wonderful time.
kona1956
October 2019
This tour was truly one of the highlights of our trip! From the French pastries and coffee in the morning, to the incredible private chateaux lunch, to the wine and chocolates at the end of the day - with two gorgeous chateaux in between - it was a perfect day. Lara was not only very informative; she also made the day fun! If you are traveling to the Loire Valley, we would highly recommend this tour.
Anshu08
October 2019
Lara has been a great guide. She took us around 2 castles and explained everything very well. Eating in an Castle was the highlight. I also did appreciate small gestures like offering a sweet and coffee in the beginning of the trip and ending with Region's famous wine plus some chocolates. These things surely add up more to the experience.
Traveler755625
October 2019
Very Enjoyable! It was a relaxing, comfortable and convenient way to visit the french countryside. Our guild Lara was excellent, both in knowing english and knowledgeable about the area and things we toured.
PEDRO_A
September 2019
We found this tour on internet and we chose it because it was a small group tour. We were 5 person in the group. We’ve been picked up in Amboise a little late, but they give us the corresponding apologies (2 person never arrived at Tours). After 15 minutes driving we get to the Beautiful Château de Chenonceau. Then we have lunch in a private Château in Villesavin. The owner cooked for us an amazing french lunch!! Then we go to the stunning chateau De Chambord. After we leave, we take a petit picnic in the area. Agate was our Guide, and she was incredible!! She made the visit memorable and take care of everything that we needed. We totally recommend this trip.
Peter N
September 2019
Everythung was perfect about the day and the guide. We did feel a bit cramped though....four couples is a bit more than the van needs. But well worth it. Daphne is a fun, high energy guide!
Annisa91
July 2019
The day was really nice, the transportation was comfortable, the guide was very knowledgeable about the area & each of the chateaus - she shared great stories about each of the chateaus. Lunch at the private chateau was delicious & included a glass of wine. We even were given snacks before getting back on the road to head home. The whole day was great! Well worth it.
timeofthetone
July 2019
This was an amazing day! Upon arrival in Amboise, we were warmly greeted by our gracious tour guide Daphne. Daphne spoke perfect English and she was informative, personable, and most accommodating. Apart from visiting and learning about the chateaus we visited, Daphne made the entire day memorable. We had a splendid lunch with a count & countess at their chateau who were equally gracious and personable. Even though our tour landed on one of the hottest days of the late June heatwave, Daphne helped make the tour one of the best experiences we had in France. The van was comfortable and AC kept us nice and cool during our
MARTA S
July 2019
This was an easy and convenient way to see three chateaus in one day. Our tour guide, Fabre, was very knowledgeable and easily answered all of our questions. The lunch was simple but tasty and a welcome break between the two major chateaus. It also gave us the opportunity to meet some lovely people from the US and UK. Stress-free tourism, would do again!
Happiness227607
July 2019
What a great day! We had a small group of 8 for a full day of chateau exploring. Or guide, Simon, was outstanding. He was knowledgeable and humorous. The lunch at the private chateaux was delicious. Everything was at the peak of freshness and seasonal. And who can complain when your day ends with wine, dried figs and apricots, and a bit of baguette with dark chocolate! Highly recommend Simon and this tour!!

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