Loire Valley
Situated less than 2 hours southwest of Paris, this beautiful region along the Loire River makes for a great destination to visit while in France. There are many grand châteaux with delightful gardens that are open to the public. Clos Lucé, former home of Leonardo da Vinci, is also open for tours and is within walking distance of Amboise’s town centre. There are market days where locals gather to buy the freshest produce, cheeses, and other culinary delights. And the well-marked bicycle paths make for a lovely ride through the enchanted land of vineyards.
Besides its majestic castles and châteaux, the Loire Valley (Val de Loire en français) is famous for its elegant, yet affordable wines. While often associated with Vouvray, an aromatic and flavorful white wine made from Chenin Blanc grapes, the region is actually quite diverse and is home to other grape varietals such as Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) and Sauvignon Blanc for white wine. Cabernet Franc is popular here for reds as well as Cabernet Sauvignon.
There’s a few stops in the Loire region that are easily accessible by train from Paris and they include Blois, Amboise, Tours and Angers. The place I chose to stay for a couple of days was Amboise, a charming small town with many of the activities within walking distance or a bike ride away. Just one quick warning about bicycling though- there are some hills, although not too many. But going up the hills especially on a hot summer day is no joke! I’m at the gym 4-5 times per week doing high-impact cardio and still I had to cheat and walk the bike up those hills on a few occasions. So that’s just a heads-up 😉
Gites (or countryside vacation rentals), are plentiful here in the region and offer a nice option as far as places to stay. Madame Chantal, a very warm and welcoming French lady, offers La Porte Bleue as a spacious and comfortable home-away-from-home within walking distance of major sights, restaurants, and cafés.
Château d’Amboise
If you go further out (here’s where taking a bicycle ride would be a great option), you’ll see signs that say “vignoble” or “dégustation” where wines and tastings are available at vineyards nearby. You can follow the signs to Chenonceau Castle and along that same route is where you’ll see signs pointing you to the different vineyards.
Montrichard, a town about 30 minutes east of Amboise by car, is yet another option for tasting great wine. Thanks to a friend, Leslie of Niko’s Wine Corner in Lawrenceville, GA, I was able to attend a private tasting at the winery of Paul Buisse. The wines by Buisse are fantastic and very inexpensive. ! I regret I was not able to get a couple of cases to bring back home. The U.S. really should relax its policies on shipment of wines purchased internationally!
Update Oct 2015: I was at the Cost Plus World Market Buckhead and saw that they now carry the Paul Buisse white wine. Super!
