Do you love cheese? Do you want to sample some of the local goats cheeses that the Loire Valley is famous for? Let us know and we will design a tour that includes opportunities to learn about the cheese here -- a visit to a producer, a cheese boutique or a restaurant with an excellent cheese platter. You can taste, buy and find out the secrets of how they are made and what makes them special.
We've made a video about a tiny village near where we live. I hope you enjoy 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.
Heading back to the garage at the end of a lovely winter's day of touring with clients, this is the view we get of the sun setting over the Loire at Tours.
The Loire Valley is riddled with manmade caves. They were formed when limestone to build the famous chateaux and more modest houses was extracted, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Now they are reused in various ways -- as part of dwellings, as general storage spaces, as wine cellars, and to grow mushrooms. Our tours often include a visit underground in a winery or mushroom farm and if you are interested in learning how these places were and are used and visiting one for yourself let us know. We find them fascinating and are sure you will too. Don't worry -- you don't need to be a speleologist, and the caves we visit are not claustrophobic. People are coming and going in them all the time.
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| An entry to a troglodyte cave. |
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.
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 tour for couples wanting to celebrate a special day.
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| One of our classic Citroen Traction Avants, Célestine, in the grounds of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise. |
This exclusive half day tour allows you to do something out of the ordinary, something no other tour will offer you. You will get to drive in through the gates of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise, in a classic car, and park right outside the chateau itself. You will be the envy of everyone else around, and round off the afternoon by being served sparkling wine and canapés by your own private waiter in a private location in the chateau grounds.
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| Chateau Royal d'Amboise. |
In addition you will get a 'secret' view of the Chateau of Chenonceau as well as visit the stunning Chapel of Saint Hubert in the grounds of the Chateau of Amboise. The Chateau of Chenonceau cannot be viewed from the road or even from the front gate. But there is a spot, on the river, where you can see it.
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| A view of the Chateau of Chenonceau that is a bit of a local secret. |
Itinerary
*2 pm Pick up from your hotel in the Tours/Amboise area in a classic Citroen car.
*2. 30 pm Visit the secret view of Chenonceau.
*4
pm Arrive in style through the Lions Gate of the Royal Chateau of
Amboise, crossing the grounds to park in front of the chateau (watch
out, we will be mobbed by other visitors keen to see the car!).
Visit the superb Chapel of Saint Hubert and learn about the carvings, stained glass, and of course, Leonardo da Vinci.
*5
pm Aperitif is served, either on a private space on the terrace, or if
the weather is inclement, in the Minimes Tower. Local Vouvray wine
paired with specialities of the region.
*5. 45 pm Depart in the classic Citroen car for your hotel.
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| The chapel of St Hubert. |
This tour as a whole or partially, can be customized to fit your preferences - please inquire!
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| Enjoying an aperitif. |
I am an expert in the history and traditions of the Touraine Loire Valley. Most people know the Chapel of Saint Hubert as the burial place of Leonardo, but for me it's all about carvings. Visit with me and see if I'm not right!
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| Amboise. |
Pick up: At your hotel in or near Amboise.
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| Tomb of the Babou family, St Denis, Amboise. |
Duration: 4 hours.
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| Our classic Citroen Traction Avant Célestine in the grounds of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise. |
The tour timings have some wriggle room for those who may wish to explore the interior of the main Royal Chateau building, but it is best to indicate that you might want to do that when we meet rather than on arrival at the chateau. Visits to the troglodyte caves/granaries or the church are subject to availability, which may change at short notice (eg if there is a funeral).
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| Inside the Greniers de Césare troglodyte caves, Amboise. |
Transportation: A classic Citroen Traction Avant. This is a car that every French person will recognise and love. In their day they were used by professionals in the course of their work, and by middle class families. Almost every family in France would have owned one by the end of the 1960s. Note that the cars do not have air conditioning (we encourage you to wind down the windows). Nor do they have seat belts as they were made prior to the legislation requiring them and fitting them is problematic.
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| Grave of a member of the Babou family in St Denis, Amboise. |
Included:
Plus: Private aperitif (local sparkling wine and snacks). Visits to the troglodyte caves/granaries and the church are subject to availability, which may change at short notice (eg if there is a funeral).
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| A staircase to the surface in the Greniers de Césare troglodyte caves. |
About Your Guide: I specialise in story telling, the weaving together of this fact and that, this character and their relationship with another. It is a technique which brings alive the history of what is sometimes just stones to look at, but those stones may lead to something wonderfully evocative and provide a better understanding of the past. Much of the history of the Loire Valley is about important characters which you will have heard of, but there is a great deal of hidden history too -- characters who have been forgotten in modern times, motivations for deeds which seem inexplicable can become clear, how different life was then, but also how similar. If you want to know who would graffiti a royal chapel and why, and why it isn't who most guides will tell you it is, then take a tour with me. If you want to know about the history of bathing and personal hygiene, and how that isn't quite what you think it is, then take a tour with me. If you want to meet fascinating characters from history who really made a difference, often women, then take a tour with me.
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| Célestine, our classic Citroen Traction Avant in the grounds of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise. |
English speaking, born and raised in Australia, I lived for 12 years in England, where I worked for the National Trust in their Historic Buildings Conservation Department, and now in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Loire Valley for more than a decade. I am an active heritage and nature conservation professional with experience of working with conservators and curators to care for historic objects and buildings, and with ecologists caring for our natural environment. Deeply embedded in the local scene I speak quite good French and enjoy life in a small village near some fabulous chateaux and lovely countryside. I'm always happy to talk about life in France and am friends with many wine makers and local food producers. I love to cook and to eat and will make sure you have an authentic dining experience while you are in the Loire Valley. Interested in the quirky and little known local histories, and I can't wait to pass them on to you. I write a daily blog about life in the Loire Valley and when I am not guiding I will be cooking, gardening or working on various heritage and nature conservation projects.
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| Simon and I at a classic car event. |
I work with my husband, who
drives our elegant classic Citroen cars, Celestine and Claudette, on the
chauffeured tours. Our aim is to offer a comfortable day out in a
beautiful and historic area that makes you feel like you've spent time
with knowledgeable local friends. Our approach is to highlight the
things that you might not even notice if you were on your own, and to
tell stories that bind them into the broader historical narrative of the
Loire Valley and France. When we stop, the car is an instant ice
breaker and it is not uncommon for complete strangers to come up and
start conversations.
Formerly a professional musician and
teacher, my husband has travelled extensively over the last 30 years, as
a tourist and professionally. He loves just gently motoring a classic
Citroen down country roads. He thinks the ideal speed for sightseeing is
80km/h (about 50mph), and in a classic car other motorists are
perfectly willing to just let you travel at your own pace. A
knowledgeable photographer and photo editor he is always looking for a
new angle on things. This means he is always ready to stop the car for a
photo opportunity - all you have to do is ask.
In addition to
the chauffeured tours using the classic cars I am also available for
half day walking tours of Loches and the surrounding area.
La Galette des Rois is a flaky pastry dessert, traditionally served on Epiphany, aka Twelfth Night, 6 January. Hidden in the pastry is a ceramic token, the fêve or 'bean'. Whoever gets the token in their piece is crowned king for the evening. Epiphany is the celebration of the arrival of the three Magi in Bethlehem, so it all makes sense. It is not a public holiday, but it is widely celebrated with the last of the festive seasonal foods before we all get back to work or school again. If you want to join us in January for this treat, send us a message.
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| Two of our travellers enjoying the tradition of galette des rois in a workers restaurant. |