February can be grey, cold and wet in the Loire Valley but it is your chance to visit the famous chateaux in the UNESCO World Heritage listed area without the crowds. At the Chateau de Chenonceau they keep the big front doors closed in weather like this and my client Jay took the opportunity to clown around a bit. There wasn't anyone else trying to come in or out so we could have fun without inconveniencing other visitors.
Of course most people visit the Loire Valley in the summer when the weather is glorious and gardens are looking their best. But if you don't like the crowds and don't mind having grey skies, late September can be rewarding. The days are still long enough, the temperature is cool but not cold, and the light has that autumnal quality that can make your photographs quite special. The photo shows the Chateau de Chenonceau in late September. The little row boats that visitors can hire to go out on the river have finished for the season and have accumulated a little rain in the bottom. They'll very soon be packed up and stored for the winter. But for now they are lined up at the 16th century quay where Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici would have stepped off.
If you are a rose fancier then the best time for you to visit the Loire Valley is May and June. The roses here are world class and we would be delighted to design a day tour for you that visits some of the more spectacular chateaux gardens and villages crammed full of roses. Remember -- the most famous rose breeder in the world is French! And roses love the soil and climate along the Loire. Plus they just look fabulous against a backdrop of old limestone buildings. Your photographs and memories are going to be magnificent!!
