Merry Christmas From the Loire Valley

 

We wish all our clients a very merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best out of a Guided Tour

If your tour is chauffeured, be specific about where you want the pick up and drop off points to be, or take the guide's advice about where they should be. It helps the driver to plan the best route and work out a price. When a guide asks you where you are staying, provide the name of the hotel, not just the town. That way the guide is more likely to agree to pick you up at your accommodation rather than at another mutually agreed point. 

Susan with our brewer friend Katie from Artisan Ale in Amboise and Célestine one of our classic Citroen's.

A Favourite Memory From the Loire Valley

 Many people tell us that one of their favourite memories from doing a tour with us are the carved stone dogs on the entrance steps to the Logis royal in Loches. Not many of our clients have heard of Loches before they do a tour with us, but it ends up being the highlight of their visit.

Why not come and see them for yourself? We would be delighted to create a tour for you that includes the carved stone dogs of Loches.
 

A Top Tip for Getting the Best Out of a Guided Tour

Don't have expectations of what you want to see that are too fixed. Consult your guide before your tour about what they would recommend and what they would skip. Your guide will have seen hundreds of people's reactions to different aspects of a tour, and will know the well known things which are actually a disappointment, and conversely, the things you've never heard of that will turn out to be a highlight of your tour. Try to allow the guide to work to their strengths, by visiting the sites they recommend.

Traditional river boat on the Loire.

Croissants in the Loire Valley

Is one of the highlights of your trip to France always the delicious pastries? Is your favourite the good old croissant? We like them too, and always know where the good ones can be found. Come on a tour with us and we can go hunting for that (not too) elusive best croissant experience together.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best Out of a Guided Tour

If you have specific interests please mention them to the guide before you book a tour. Freelance guides are often happy to customise tours to highlight aspects that will particularly interest their clients, and are often knowledgeable far beyond the obvious and most commonly presented tours.

An artisan made windvane on a private house in the Loire Valley.

Visiting the Loire Valley in January

There are some advantages to visiting the Loire Valley in the winter. No crowds at the chateaux, for one, except during the school holidays (Christmas to New Year and two weeks in February). All the big name chateaux remain open throughout the year, and if you come in January you could have these places virtually to yourself. Think of the opportunities for fabulous photos! You can take them yourself, we can take them on your camera/phone or we can arrange for a professional photographer to meet us as part of your tour. Let us know what you'd like to do.

 

A Top Tip for Getting the Best from a Guided Tour

 If someone in your group has mobility issues, please discuss what they can and can't do before settling on an itinerary with a guide. All chateaux have quite a few stairs and it is usually a 15 minute walk from the car park to the front door. I can still remember when I first moved to Europe from Australia more than 20 years ago what a shock the number of stairs in general there are here. Let your guide know if someone in your group will need frequent rest stops or will move slowly. That way the guide can suggest strategies for seeing the highlights and making sure everyone has a great visitor experience. Most guides are flexible about how they present tours, but it is always better if they are forewarned about issues that may require this skill.

17th century staircase in Loches.

The Neapolitan Nativity Scene at the Chateau Royal d'Amboise

Every year the Chateau Royal d'Amboise brings its impressive Neapolitan nativity scene out of storage and displays it in the Great Hall. 

Traditionally the setting up of these nativity scenes begins on 30 November, and is finished by 8 December. The background for the Holy Family is typically a ruined temple in which the stable is housed, with beautiful angels flying above. The peasants are dressed in Neapolitan and Sicilian regional costumes. In the really expensive sets the jewels adorning the Kings and their entourage are real. The 'oriental' band is also a typical feature.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best out of a Guided Tour

If your tour includes a meal organised by the guide do make sure you mention if you have dietary requirements and be specific about them before you settle on an itinerary and book. The guide will take these into consideration when booking or recommending restaurants. 

Valencay cheese, one of the famous Loire Valley goats cheese.

 
In rural France particularly, restaurants often do not offer extensive a la carte menus, but daily changing seasonal limited choice set menus. Don't wait until you are seated in the restaurant to tell your guide that you are vegan, coeliac or lactose intolerant. That will be too late and the restaurant, no matter how sympathetic, may not be able to meet your dietary requirements in a way that you find satisfactory.

The ingredients in the kitchen on a daily basis will be limited and seasonal. Restaurants operate in this way because it is illegal, uneconomical, and disrespectful to waste food in France.  Most French diners in traditional French restaurants have grown up trusting the chefs in these places to produce a delicious meal. Almost everyone will choose the dish of the day. No one will request anything not on the menu, or that a dish is changed to suit them, unless they have diagnosed food allergies.

Visiting the Gardens of Villandry in the Loire Valley

Because the framework of the gardens at Villandry as a whole are so good it is worth visiting at any time of year. But because the most famous part of the garden relies on formal parterres planted with vegetables for their decorative effect, this is not really a spring garden as so many others are. This is a garden which peaks in late summer and early autumn, when all the fruit and vegetables have matured.

This photo was taken on a dull November day at about 5pm when sunset is at 5.30 pm, so light conditions were not the best for taking stunning photographs. Nevertheless, I think you can still get a good idea of how impressive these gardens are.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Visit Chenonceau at Any Time

We are often asked if we do tours all year round. The answer is yes and no. We don't generally do chauffeured tours in our classic cars from the beginning of November to the end of March. The cars don't have any heating and the weather can be damp, so not ideal for taking a classic car out of the garage. But I am very happy to meet clients at the chateau of their choice and give a guided tour lasting a couple of hours. I also offer themed visits where we focus on subjects such as tapestries, graffiti or roof spaces -- just ask me about them. The big advantage of visiting the Loire Valley in the winter is that there aren't any crowds, and the chateaux are beautifully decorated over the holiday period. It can be very special.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Doing a Photoshoot on Your Loire Valley Holiday

If you would like to remember your holiday in the Loire Valley with a set of professionally taken photographs let us know. We can work together with a professional photographer colleague and provide the highlight of your visit. At certain times of year (during the low season) we are even able to get to areas that visitors are normally not allowed at certain chateaux. None of your friends will have photos like yours, and it is a lot of fun to do. Just ask us if you want a photo session as part of your tour.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best out of a Guided Tour

If your tour is chauffeured, be specific about where you want the pick up and drop off points to be, or take the guide's advice about where they should be. It helps the driver to plan the best route and work out a price. When a guide asks you where you are staying, provide the name of the hotel, not just the town. That way the guide is more likely to agree to pick you up at your accommodation rather than at another mutually agreed point. 

Susan with our brewer friend Katie from Artisan Ale in Amboise and Célestine one of our classic Citroen's.

Where to Stay in the Loire Valley

We are always very happy to recommend tried and trusted accommodation providers to visitors in the Loire Valley. We can advise on chateau-hotels, charming B&Bs, self-catering apartments or modern city hotels. The newest one on the scene is the Hilton in Tours, situated right by the best restaurants, museums, the Loire itself, and, as you can see in the photo, the ferris wheel on the river bank. Just tell us the sort of place you like to stay and we'll suggest a couple of accommodation providers we are confident you will love.

Has The Loire Disappeared?

View of the Loire taken from the Chateau Royal d'Amboise on 30 July 2022.

Some of you may be worrying that if you visit the Loire Valley there will be nothing to see. There are stories all over the media about how the Loire River has dried up. This is absolutely not true. At Amboise the river is low and shallow, but it always is in the summer. Further west the river bed looks even more dramatic but the photos are misleading. The Loire divides into two or more channels in many places, forming islands mid river. Sometimes one channel will dry up, even in a normal year, and the other takes all the water. So don't worry. The Loire is just as picturesque as ever (although it is true that the weather has been exceptionally hot and dry this summer).

A Favourite Memory From the Loire Valley

Many people tell us that one of their favourite memories from doing a tour with us are the carved stone dogs on the entrance steps to the Logis royal in Loches. Not many of our clients have heard of Loches before they do a tour with us, but it ends up being the highlight of their visit.

Why not come and see them for yourself? We would be delighted to create a tour for you that includes the carved stone dogs of Loches.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best Out of a Guided Tour

Don't have expectations of what you want to see that are too fixed. Consult your guide before your tour about what they would recommend and what they would skip. Your guide will have seen hundreds of people's reactions to different aspects of a tour, and will know the well known things which are actually a disappointment, and conversely, the things you've never heard of that will turn out to be a highlight of your tour. Try to allow the guide to work to their strengths, by visiting the sites they recommend.

Traditional river boat on the Loire.

Doing a Photoshoot on Your Loire Valley Holiday

If you would like to remember your holiday in the Loire Valley with a set of professionally taken photographs let us know. We can work together with a professional photographer colleague and provide the highlight of your visit. At certain times of year (during the low season) we are even able to get to areas that visitors are normally not allowed at certain chateaux. None of your friends will have photos like yours, and it is a lot of fun to do. Just ask us if you want a photo session as part of your tour.

 

Shopping in the Loire Valley

The City of Tours, and smaller towns like Amboise, Azay le Rideau, Chinon, Blois and Loches have a nice selection of independent boutiques selling fashion (new and second-hand), lingerie, fashion accessories, leather goods, household linen, kitchenware, jewellery, cosmetics, wine, cheese, baked goods, art, antiques and flowers. If you would like to spend a half day shopping for unique gifts and souvenirs just let us know and we can plan an itinerary for you.

Kitchenware shop in Loches.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

First Estonian Clients

Recently we had our first Estonian clients, a charming family who gave us some delicious Estonian praline at the end of their tour.

Photo Opportunities in the Loire Valley

Visiting the Loire Valley chateaux gives you many opportunities for wonderful arty photographic shots. If you are a keen photographer let us know and we will build plenty of photo opportunities into your tour.

Driving Through a Medieval Village in the Loire Valley

 Le Louroux is a charming small village with an impressive medieval monastic fortified farm on one side, and the largest hand dug lake in Europe on the other. The lake is now a nature reserve, great for bird watchers, gentle walkers (it's flat, so not much huffing and puffing required) and plenty of nice wetland flora for the botanically inclined. You too could drive through Le Louroux with us in a classic car, and we can stop to explore and take photos.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best From a Guided Tour

If you have specific interests please mention them to the guide before you book a tour. Freelance guides are often happy to customise tours to highlight aspects that will particularly interest their clients, and are often knowledgeable far beyond the obvious and most commonly presented tours.

An artisan made windvane on a private house in the Loire Valley.

Review of Chenonceau Walking Tour

Here is a lovely review from Jere, from the United States, who did our walking tour of Chenonceau with his wife Diane and another couple they were travelling with.

Rating *****

Tour: Half Day Walking Tour of the Chateau of Chenonceau.
Date: May 17, 2022

"Susan was wonderful! Her knowledge of history and her ability to share that knowledge was superb!"

 

Thank you so much Jere!

 

 

Costume and Textile Tours in the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is home to some unique embroidery styles, such as Broderie Richelieu and Jour d'Angle. I have a lifelong interest in textiles and costume and would be delighted to create a custom half day tour to visit sites that have good embroidery, tapestry or costume collections. We might even be able to visit a working artisan. Please contact me to ask what would be possible.

Costume display at the Chateau of Ussé, where they have a very fine collection.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

A Nice Review From a Client

 Marc and his daughter Mary toured with us in December, visiting the Chateau de Chenonceau, the Manoir de Clos Lucé (where they had lunch in the Renaissance themed Auberge du Prieuré, with costumed servers and storytellers) and the Chateau Royal d'Amboise. They came down on the train to Amboise from Paris for the day. He was kind enough to leave this review:

"Susan did a great job. She is very knowledgeable and we customized our tour to fit our goals."

 Thanks so much Marc!

Visit the Loire Valley in January

There are some advantages to visiting the Loire Valley in the winter. No crowds at the chateaux, for one, except during the school holidays (Christmas to New Year and two weeks in February). All the big name chateaux remain open throughout the year, and if you come in January you could have these places virtually to yourself. Think of the opportunities for fabulous photos! You can take them yourself, we can take them on your camera/phone or we can arrange for a professional photographer to meet us as part of your tour. Let us know what you'd like to do.

Doing a Photoshoot on Your Loire Valley Holiday

If you would like to remember your holiday in the Loire Valley with a set of professionally taken photographs let us know. We can work together with a professional photographer colleague and provide the highlight of your visit. At certain times of year (during the low season) we are even able to get to areas that visitors are normally not allowed at certain chateaux. None of your friends will have photos like yours, and it is a lot of fun to do. Just ask us if you want a photo session as part of your tour.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best out of a Guided Tour

 If someone in your group has mobility issues, please discuss what they can and can't do before settling on an itinerary with a guide. All chateaux have quite a few stairs and it is usually a 15 minute walk from the car park to the front door. I can still remember when I first moved to Europe from Australia more than 20 years ago what a shock the number of stairs in general there are here. Let your guide know if someone in your group will need frequent rest stops or will move slowly. That way the guide can suggest strategies for seeing the highlights and making sure everyone has a great visitor experience. Most guides are flexible about how they present tours, but it is always better if they are forewarned about issues that may require this skill.

17th century staircase in Loches.

Visiting the Loire Valley at Christmas Time

If you visit the Loire Valley at Christmas time you are in for a real treat. Seven of the famous chateaux participate in a programme to decorate for Christmas and each tries to outdo the other with the beauty and creativity of their decorations. The added bonus for visitors who can come in December before Christmas, they will have all this splendour almost to themselves. Imagine being about to get just the shot you want, without strangers photobombing! 

Eating Cake in the Loire Valley

You can't come to France and not sample a few of the stunning cakes in the pastry shops. And if you come to the Loire Valley we will happily advise you on what is good, and what is even better. We know all the best pastry shops -- the ones who have won prizes for their work and the ones who make local specialities. And the great pastry shops that are in out of the way places that the tourists don't find. If you want to sample some delicious French pastries, or even just photograph or gaze at the displays admiringly, let us know and we will include somewhere sweet in your tour.

A Review of Our Amboise and Chenonceau Chateaux Tour

A terrific review of a tour with us by Ward, from Florida.

Tour: Amboise and Chenonceau Chateaux.

Date: Dec 28, 2021

 

"A really fantastic day trip that my wife and I took from Paris. Susan and Simon were great hosts and we had great fun driving around in Claudette, the 1956 Citroen Traction Avant! For anyone wanting an experienced, knowledgable guide, I would highly advise that you contact Susan. Regrettably, it was just one day!"

 

 

Visiting a Wine Boutique in the Loire Valley

Sometimes visiting a winery isn't possible on a tour for reasons of time or availability. But we can nearly always take you to a wine boutique, where you can learn about a variety of local wines, taste them and buy them. 

The Neapolitan Nativity Scene at the Chateau Royal d'Amboise

At Christmas time every year the Chateau Royal d'Amboise sets up its impressive Neapolitan  nativity scene.

Neapolitan churches have featured nativity scenes at Christmas time since at least the 11th century. At first the figures were made of polychrome painted and carved wood and were life size, stood in front of a painted background. After the 16th century the size had begun to reduce and the background began to be increasingly three dimensional panoramas of the City of Naples. With the 18th century Enlightenment and the Baroque style, the figures were put into secular locations, in wealthy private homes, and an attention to detail and hyper realism became a hallmark.

Ask Me Anything in the Loire Valley!

The chapel at the Chateau de Chenonceau is decorated in the most spectacular style at Christmas time. In December 2021 it was a large hanging wreath, suspended from chains coming through a neat hole in the ceiling. My clients wanted to know if the hole was original, or had been drilled in modern times just for the Christmas decorations. I was pleased to be able to tell them that the hole is entirely original, and would once have been how the rope for the bell was fed through so it could be rung. If you like to know small details like that, contact us and book a tour.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best Out of a Guided Tour

If your tour includes a meal organised by the guide do make sure you mention if you have dietary requirements and be specific about them before you settle on an itinerary and book. The guide will take these into consideration when booking or recommending restaurants. 

Valencay cheese, one of the famous Loire Valley goats cheese.

 
In rural France particularly, restaurants often do not offer extensive a la carte menus, but daily changing seasonal limited choice set menus. Don't wait until you are seated in the restaurant to tell your guide that you are vegan, coeliac or lactose intolerant. That will be too late and the restaurant, no matter how sympathetic, may not be able to meet your dietary requirements in a way that you find satisfactory.

The ingredients in the kitchen on a daily basis will be limited and seasonal. Restaurants operate in this way because it is illegal, uneconomical, and disrespectful to waste food in France.  Most French diners in traditional French restaurants have grown up trusting the chefs in these places to produce a delicious meal. Almost everyone will choose the dish of the day. No one will request anything not on the menu, or that a dish is changed to suit them, unless they have diagnosed food allergies.

See the Sunflowers in the Loire Valley

This year will be a great year to come and see sunflowers in the Loire Valley. In April, many farmers responded to the shortage of sunflower oil we are currently experiencing by sowing extra hectares of sunflower seed. It is going to be glorious in July!

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

The Lives of Medieval Women Tour in Loches

This one and a half hour introductory tour focuses on the lives of three significant women -- Joan of Arc, Anne of Brittany and Agnes Sorel. Anne and Agnes were typical in many ways, but also extraordinary, through circumstance and personality. And there is no question that Joan was extraordinary through and through. All died young, despite their many privileges. The tour takes place on the Royal Citadel of Loches, where both Anne and Agnes lived for a time, and Joan visited, in the 15C. 
 

Thanks to Gaynor for taking this nice picture of Lisa and I in Loches, during my Lives of Medieval Women Tour.

Learn what they ate, how they kept clean, what they wore, their role in society, their education and status.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Shopping in the Loire Valley

The City of Tours, and smaller towns like Amboise, Azay le Rideau, Chinon, Blois and Loches have a nice selection of independent boutiques selling fashion (new and second-hand), lingerie, fashion accessories, leather goods, household linen, kitchenware, jewellery, cosmetics, wine, cheese, baked goods, art, antiques and flowers. If you would like to spend a half day shopping for unique gifts and souvenirs just let us know and we can plan an itinerary for you.

Creamery, selling cheese, ice cream and other dairy products, in Loches.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Unexpected Juxtapositions in the Loire Valley

You never know what you are going to see in the Loire Valley. Turning up one day for a tour of the Chateau of Chambord with an American couple on a dull and drizzly day at the end of October, I came round the corner of the Chateau to discover the team from the Equestrian and Raptors Show in full costume and exercising their horses. Patrolling amongst them was a team of modern day soldiers. It was quite a startling sight. Chambord is owned by the State and is home to a troop of the Republican Guard, so it is very common to encounter mounted police in the grounds too. Everyone is super friendly though and I guess there is no need to worry about security in the grounds.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Fairytale Toadstools in the Loire Valley

Have you ever wanted to see for real the red toadstools with white spots that appear in every fairy story illustration you've ever seen? Did you realise they grow wild in the Loire Valley? We can't guarantee you will see them on a tour with us, but they appear in the forests in the autumn, and we will be sure to point them out to you if we can. And no, they aren't edible, but do have a reputation for giving you visions and making you vomit if you do eat them.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Viewing and Photographing the Chateau of Chenonceau

Because the Chateau of Chenonceau sits on the River Cher there are a number of vantage points from which you can view the chateau and take some lovely photographs. Let us take you to the places that offer you those magical scenes.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Visiting the Chateau of Cande in the Loire Valley

One of the least known of the chateaux in the Loire Valley the Chateau of Candé gets remarkably few visitors. The chateau itself was built for the Briconnet family in 1508, so the same family and the same time as Chenonceau. Then in the mid-19th century it was sympathetically tripled in size by the Drake del Castillo family. The intriguing Franco-American businessman Charles Bedaux bought the chateau in 1927 and retrofitted modern utilities. The stories of these successive families, all wealthy but otherwise quite different in their interests and outlooks, mean that the building can tell a fascinating history based story.

I bet you can't tell which is the original part and which is the 'new' part.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Visiting the Gardens of Villandry in the Loire Valley

Because the framework of the gardens at Villandry as a whole are so good it is worth visiting at any time of year. But because the most famous part of the garden relies on formal parterres planted with vegetables for their decorative effect, this is not really a spring garden as so many others are. This is a garden which peaks in late summer and early autumn, when all the fruit and vegetables have matured.

This photo was taken on a dull November day at about 5pm when sunset is at 5.30 pm, so light conditions were not the best for taking stunning photographs. Nevertheless, I think you can still get a good idea of how impressive these gardens are.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Mushroom Farming in the Loire Valley

The mushroom caves in the Loire Valley are extraordinary places. Originally quarries where the beautiful white limestone used to build the chateaux was extracted, by the end of the 19th century the quarrymen had run out of stone and needed come up with a new way of making a living. The most enterprising learned how to grow mushrooms in these unique places, and one of our most fascinating visits takes us to our favourite mushroom 'farm'. It is one of the last such places still operating, and still in the hands of the family who started it a century ago. They grow top quality mushrooms for high end restaurants and the pharmaceutical industry. Come with us and learn all about how they do it, and the fascinating evolution of the family business.

The underground village at our favourite mushroom producers.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

The Incredible Flower Arrangements at the Chateau of Chenonceau

Despite the fact that the Chateau of Chenonceau is the most visited of all the Loire Valley chateaux, it has a feature that seems to come as a surprise to almost all first time visitors. The Chateau employs two full time professional florists, and their job is to provide flower arrangements for every room in the Chateau, every day of the year. Some of the arrangements are enormous, some are small and delicate. They are always different and they are one of the wonders of the Loire Valley. Somehow though, they don't seem to get much publicity, but they are a guaranteed way to make the people we take there go 'Wow!!' and it means that a visit at any time of year is still an outstanding experience, because even if the day outside is grey and damp, inside will be an explosion of colour and floral creativity.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Costume and Textile Tours of the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is home to some unique embroidery styles, such as Broderie Richelieu and Jour d'Angle. I have a lifelong interest in textiles and costume and would be delighted to create a custom half day tour to visit sites that have good embroidery, tapestry or costume collections. We might even be able to visit a working artisan. Please contact me to ask what would be possible.

Altar cloth in Point de Richelieu (cutwork), Sainte Catherine de Fierbois church.

 

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Driving Through a Loire Valley Village in a Classic Citroen Car

Join us for a drive.

 

 

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Classic Car Fun in France

This was a fun day out, recreating a classic traffic jam in the style of the 1970s when everyone went on holidays to the coast at the same time.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Driving a Classic French Route in a Classic French Car

This is the famous N10, the route many French people took when they headed for their summer holidays on the Atlantic coast. It is also the route of the old pilgrim road to Spain. Why not join us and do part of it in style, in a vehicle entirely suited to the road's heyday.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Driving Through Canola Fields in the Loire Valley in a Classic Citroen Car

This is the view from our classic Citroen cars in the springtime in the Loire Valley. Why not come and join us?

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Take the Train to the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is easy to visit from Paris. There is an excellent fast train (TGV) service from Paris Montparnasse to Saint Pierre des Corps (Tours) that gets you to the centre of chateaux country in an hour. You can do a tour with us as a day trip from Paris, or come down for a few days and stay in the attractive and affordable small city of Tours. We have a garage in Saint Pierre des Corps where we keep one of our classic Citroen Traction Avants that will be your stylish transport, and we will meet you at the train station or at your accommodation. Nothing could be easier.

Looking Like We Own the Place

'You look like you own the place' was the comment of one of our colleagues when we parked in front of the Chateau Royal of Amboise for a photo session with Photograph France. If you want to do the same let us know. The experiences we can offer include professional photography tutoring in a great location like the Chateau or a private and romantic aperitif served in the grounds.

Arrive in style in one of our classic cars and benefit from our expert historical knowledge of all aspects of life at the Chateau in Medieval times.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

Driving Through a Small Town in the Loire Valley

Join us for a drive. To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Slow Travel in the Loire Valley

 Join us for a drive through a village in the Loire Valley.

 

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

The Lives of Medieval Women Tour in the Loire Valley

My new Lives of Medieval Women tour is proving popular. Here is a recent review of it by Barbara from Georgia (US). "We really enjoyed Susan's tour. Clearly, she has a vast amount of knowledge and was able to share with us in a unique and interesting way. She was very adaptable and considerate of our needs. Loches is beautiful and the perfect backdrop for Susan's presentation of the lives of these three influential, yet very different, women."

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice review! We really appreciate it.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Heritage Engineering in the Loire Valley

We are big fans of heritage engineering, and find that our clients are too. Consequently, if you take a tour with us and we pass something like an Eolienne Bollee, we will stop for you to see it, and we will tell you the history of these splendid wind turbines.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Leonardo da Vinci in Amboise Tour

Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life in Amboise. Talk to us about a very special experience that we can offer, immersing you in the places Leonardo knew. See where he lived, learn about his work and visit his grave.

Chateau du Clos Lucé

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.