Chenonceau and Chambord with an English Guide Inside Both Castles

A full day in the Loire Valley with two châteaux and, in both of them, a guide who works in English. That last detail decides more than it sounds like it does. Plenty of day trips run the transport and hand you an audio guide at the door; here someone walks the rooms with the group and answers questions in both buildings.

Chenonceau is the first stop, and the guided tour goes inside. Chambord follows in the afternoon, also guided. Between the two there is a break for lunch in the surrounding area, taken at your own expense and at your own choice, which suits people who would rather pick a village restaurant than eat to a timetable.

What links the two châteaux is the valley itself, on the UNESCO list, and the century that built them: French Renaissance architecture set in formal gardens, with the Loire and the Cher doing the work of the setting.

Transport between every point is included. The day starts in front of the Tours Tourisme Office, and the group is collected there.