Day 1 · 1 night
Orléans
What to see
- Sainte-Croix Cathedral A Gothic cathedral rebuilt after its destruction by the Huguenots in 1568.
- Place du Martroi Orléans' central square, around the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc.
🚗 Road trip
Loire Valley châteaux road trip: the driving itinerary, stop by stop
A week from Orléans to Saumur following the Loire downstream: Chambord, Blois, Cheverny, Chaumont, Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau and Fontevraud. Drives of one to two hours on toll-free country roads; the motorway is only for getting there from Paris and back.
291 kmin total
about 6 hoursof driving
6 stops6 nights
5 to 7 daysrecommended
Speed limits130, 110, 80 or 90 km/h
TollsA10 and A85 with toll barriers
Alcohol0.5 g/l
Speed camerasFixed and unmarked cars
Fuel (September 2026)≈ €2.15 per litre of SP95-E10 petrol, €2.40 for diesel
The map and the route plan
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
The itinerary, stop by stop
From April to September, long opening hours (until 19:00 at Azay-le-Rideau in July and August) and gardens in bloom at Villandry. In winter, almost everything stays open with shorter hours, but the château of Villandry closes from 12 to 27 November 2026 and the château of Saumur from 1 January to 5 February 2027.
-
1
DXR / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) -
2
Benh LIEU SONG / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) Day 2 · 1 nightBlois
🚗 75 km · 1h20 of driving from Orléans
The tolled A10 or the toll-free D2152 via Beaugency, then the Chambord forest. Château car park €8 a day.
What to see
- Château de Chambord The largest of the Loire châteaux. €21 (EEA), €31 otherwise.
- Royal Château of Blois The François I staircase on the façade. Entry €16, evening sound and light show €13.
- Maison de la Magie A museum of illusion devoted to Robert-Houdin, the illusionist born in Blois.
-
3
Gzen92 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) Day 3 · 1 nightAmboise
🚗 64 km · 1h30 of driving from Blois
The D765 to Cheverny, minor roads to Chaumont-sur-Loire, then the D751 along the Loire. No tolls.
What to see
- Château de Cheverny A furnished château that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall. €15.50, tickets on site only, free parking.
- Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire Château and International Garden Festival. €21, allow 3 hours for the festival.
- Royal Château of Amboise The presumed remains of Leonardo da Vinci in the Saint-Hubert chapel. €17.30.
- Clos Lucé Leonardo da Vinci's last home, with models of his machines in the basement. €20.
-
4
Antoine Montulé / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) Day 4 · 1 nightTours
🚗 56 km · 1h10 of driving from Amboise
Minor roads to Chenonceau, then the Cher valley on the D976 and D140 to Tours. No tolls.
What to see
- Château de Chenonceau A gallery built on arches over the Cher. €19 with a leaflet.
- Place Plumereau The heart of Old Tours, half-timbered houses and café terraces.
- Saint-Gatien Cathedral A Flamboyant Gothic façade and 13th-century medallion stained glass.
-
5
Felouch Kotek / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) Day 5 · 1 nightAzay-le-Rideau
🚗 28 km · 40 min of driving from Tours
The Loire embankment, then the D7 to Villandry, free parking, and the D39 to Azay-le-Rideau. A short drive with no tolls.
What to see
- Gardens of Villandry Ornamental kitchen garden and terraced gardens. €14, gardens only €8.50.
- Château d'Azay-le-Rideau A Renaissance château set on the Indre. €16 from April to September, €13 in winter.
-
6
Simon Mydliar / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) Day 6 · 1 nightSaumur
🚗 68 km · 1h35 of driving from Azay-le-Rideau
The D7 via Ussé, the D16 to Chinon, then the D751 via Candes-Saint-Martin and Fontevraud Abbey. Country roads only, no tolls.
What to see
- Château d'Ussé A turreted château; Perrault is said to have drawn on it for Sleeping Beauty.
- Royal Fortress of Chinon Above the Vienne; Charles VII received Joan of Arc there in 1429.
- Royal Abbey of Fontevraud Tomb effigies of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II. €15 until 4 October, €13 after.
- Château de Saumur A château-museum above the Loire, €9.50. Closed on Mondays outside July and August.
🛏️ Where to sleep in Saumur
Hôtel Saint Pierre Boutique-HôtelHôtel Anne d'Anjou, The Originals Collection
Less time? The 5-day version
Skip Orléans and Tours: from Paris, head straight to Chambord then Blois, and from Amboise reach Azay-le-Rideau via Chenonceau and Villandry. Nights: Blois 1, Amboise 1, Azay-le-Rideau 1, Saumur 1.
Hiring the car
Price per day
| Car hire only, Tours average | ≈ €39 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
|---|---|
| Small car, Clio type | ≈ €44 a day |
| Most expensive month, June | ≈ €53 a day |
| Cheapest month, January | ≈ €37 a day |
Good to know
| Your own car | The simplest option from Paris: the A10 to Orléans, returning from Saumur on the A85 and A10. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | In Tours: Avis has two branches there, Hertz is on rue Marcel-Tribut, near the centre. |
| Vehicle | A city car is enough: flat roads, village car parks sometimes tight. |
| Age | At Europcar, from 18 with 1 year's licence; under 26, €40 a day extra. |
⚠️ The route runs from Orléans to Saumur: returning the car in another town may cost extra. Otherwise, hire in Tours and use it as a base.
Driving rules and tips
Speed limits130, 110, 80 or 90 km/h
Motorways 130 (110 in the rain). Roads at 80, except for 9 to 15% of the network, at 90.
TollsA10 and A85 with toll barriers
Paris-Orléans €12, Tours-Paris €26. Between the châteaux, toll-free country roads.
Alcohol0.5 g/l
0.2 g/l on a probationary licence. Up to 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 points; above that, a criminal offence.
Speed camerasFixed and unmarked cars
Speed camera cars driven by private operators. Detectors are banned: up to €1,500 and 6 points.
Cyclists1.50 m outside built-up areas
Lots of bikes on the minor roads. To overtake a cyclist: 1 m in town, 1.50 m elsewhere.
Château car parksFree or €8
Chambord €8 a day; Cheverny, Villandry and the château of Saumur free.
Young drivers110, 100, 80 km/h
Probationary licence: 110 on motorways, 100 on expressways, 80 elsewhere.
Fuel, tolls and parking
Fuel
≈ €2.15 per litre of SP95-E10 petrol, €2.40 for diesel (23 Sept. 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 291 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €40 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
National averages from ministry data. Prices vary widely between stations: compare on prix-carburants.gouv.fr.
Tolls and parking
| A10 Paris-Orléans north | €12 (Vinci, rate from 1 February 2026) |
|---|---|
| A10 Tours-Paris | €26 |
| A85 Angers-Tours | €12.70 end to end; from Saumur, only part of it |
| Orléans-Chambord | The tolled A10, or the toll-free D2152 via Beaugency |
| Roads between the châteaux | Toll-free |
| Chambord car park | €8 a day; card for 10 parking sessions at €10 |
| Car parks at Cheverny, Villandry, château of Saumur | Free |
| Château de Chambord | €21 (European Economic Area), €31 for others, in 2026 |
| Chenonceau, Clos Lucé, Amboise | €19, €20, €17.30 |
| Blois, Cheverny, Chaumont | €16, €15.50, €21 |
| Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau | €14; €16 from April to September, €13 in winter |
| Fontevraud, château of Saumur | €15 (€13 after 4 October), €9.50 |
Seasonal road closures
| Château de Villandry | Closed from 12 to 27 November 2026; gardens open |
|---|---|
| Château de Saumur | Mondays outside July and August, and from 1 January to 5 February 2027 |
| Chambord, Blois, Chaumont | Closed on 1 January and 25 December |
| Château d'Azay-le-Rideau | Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December |
| Fontevraud, Museum of Modern Art | Closed from 5 to 30 October 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need to visit the Loire châteaux by car?
Allow 7 days for this route of 6 stages and 6 nights from Orléans to Saumur, with two or three châteaux a day. In 5 days, skip Orléans and Tours. A weekend is enough for a single area: Chambord, Blois and Cheverny, or Amboise, Chenonceau and Villandry.
How much does a Loire châteaux road trip cost?
With your own car, about €40 of petrol at September 2026 prices for about 300 km from stage to stage, €100 with the return trip from Paris (750 km), and €38 for the A10, plus part of the A85. Entry to the eleven sites mentioned comes to about €185 per adult. Hiring in Tours, add about €275 for 7 days at €39.
Do you need to book château tickets in advance?
Not everywhere. At Cheverny, tickets are sold on site only, with no booking. At the château of Saumur, there is no need to book a time slot. Chenonceau recommends its online ticket office to save time, and Chambord sells tickets and activities online. The Villandry ticket is valid for the day: you can go out for lunch and come back.
Are the Loire châteaux free for young people?
The state-run châteaux, partly: Chambord is free for under-26s who are European Union nationals, Azay-le-Rideau for under-18s and Europeans aged 18-25. Private châteaux charge: €15 at Chenonceau for ages 7-18, €11 at Amboise, €8 at Villandry for ages 8-17.
Where can you park at the Loire châteaux?
At Chambord, car parks cost €8 a day, paid by card at the machines, 600 to 850 m from the château. Cheverny, Villandry and the château of Saumur (Esplanade Hubert-Landais) have free car parks. Chenonceau has large car parks and charging points.
When is the best time to visit the Loire châteaux?
From April to September: long opening hours and gardens in bloom at Villandry and Chaumont. June is the most expensive month to hire a car in Tours (€53 a day on average), January the cheapest (€37). In winter, most châteaux stay open with shorter hours; Cheverny even opens on 25 December.
Sources
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
- chambord.org/fr/preparer-ma-visite/tarifs
- chambord.org/fr/preparer-ma-visite/comment-venir
- chenonceau.com/fr/tarifs
- chenonceau.com/infos-pratiques/services
- chateau-amboise.com/tarifs
- vinci-closluce.com/tarifs
- chateau-cheverny.fr/informations-pratiques/tarifs
- chateaudeblois.fr/2027-preparer-sa-visite.htm
- domaine-chaumont.fr/fr/informations-pratiques
- chateauvillandry.fr/informations-pratiques/tarifs-horaires-acces-modes-de-visite
- azay-le-rideau.fr/visiter/informations-pratiques
- chateau-saumur.fr/visiter/infos-pratiques
- fontevraud.fr/informations-pratiques
- vinci-autoroutes.com/fr/conseils/autoroute-mode-demploi/tarifs-peage-vinci-autoroutes
- vinci-autoroutes.com/static/b9b8279934080436ee3bba255c7835e2/vinci_autoroutes-tarifs-principales-liaisons-2026.pdf
- largus.fr/actualite-automobile/la-carte-de-france-des-departements-qui-repassent-a-90-kmh-10488403.html
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9passement
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Cheverny
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Amboise
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_du_Clos-Luc%C3%A9
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Uss%C3%A9
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbaye_Notre-Dame_de_Fontevraud
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C3%A9drale_Sainte-Croix_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans
- service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F19460
- securite-routiere.gouv.fr/actualites/compter-du-1er-avril-2024-la-carte-verte-et-la-vignette-disparaissent-des-vehicules
- radar-prive.fr
- prix-carburant.eu/article/prix-carburants-2026-09-23
- kayak.fr/Location-voiture-Tours.27454.cars.ksp
- serenitrip.fr/guide/location-voiture/acteurs/agences/europcar/conditions-de-location
- serenitrip.fr/guide/assurance-location-voiture/visa-premier
- wikidata.org/w/api.php?action=wbgetentities&sites=frwiki&props=claims&titles=Orl%C3%A9ans|Blois|Amboise|Tours|Azay-le-Rideau|Saumur
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/loire-valley-chateaux · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026