Minibus Hire Across France

Tours and the Loire Châteaux by Minibus

Tours puts the Loire châteaux within easy reach, and a small group can see two or three in a day without rushing. With a minibus and driver you choose the order, linger in the gardens and still get back in time for dinner.

Châteaux close to town

Villandry, with its Renaissance gardens, is about 25 minutes away, and its free coach and minibus parking is 30 m from the entrance. Amboise, home to the Château royal and the Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's last home, is about 30 minutes; the Clos Lucé offers its own free coach car park some 300 m from the gate.

Chenonceau, the château spanning the Cher, is about 40 minutes, with free parking at the park entrance and a rest room for drivers. Groups must book audioguides there, but no group bookings are taken in July and August, so plan a summer visit with that in mind.

Executive Sprinter minibus, exterior
Executive Sprinter minibus, exterior

Further along the river

Blois, Cheverny and Chambord are each about an hour away. Blois has free coach and minibus parking about 400 m from the château; at Cheverny, coaches use car park P2, about 250 m from the entrance. At Chambord, show the P1 parking ticket when you buy or pick up 8 or more entry tickets and the coach parks free.

Squeezing Chenonceau, Amboise and Chambord into one day means some 200 km on the road. It can be done, but two château days with an evening in Tours between them is kinder on everyone, the driver included.

Flying in to Tours

Places your group will love in Tours

  • Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage site — The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes (about 280 km of river), inscribed in 2000
  • Château de Cheverny and Château royal de Blois — Cheverny has coach spaces in car park P2, about 250 m from the entrance; Blois has free coach and minibus parking about 400 m from the château
  • Château de Villandry — Renaissance gardens; group rates from 15 paying visitors; free coach and minibus parking 30 m from the entrance
  • Château de Chambord — Largest Loire château; group rates from 20 paying people; guided group tours on reservation
  • Château royal d'Amboise and the Château du Clos Lucé — Royal château and Leonardo da Vinci's last home; Amboise group guided visits by reservation only (from 20 people); Clos Lucé group rates on reservation from 15 people
  • Château de Chenonceau — Château spanning the Cher; group rates from 20 people; audioguide booking is compulsory for groups, but no group bookings are taken in July and August; rest room for drivers in the coach car park
  • Vieux Tours and the Place Plumereau — Half-timbered old quarter, near the Cathédrale Saint-Gatien

Where groups tend to stay

  • Amboise and the Loire riverside for château tours
  • Saint-Pierre-des-Corps TGV station area
  • Vieux Tours (Place Plumereau)
  • City centre (Tours station, Boulevard Heurteloup, Rue Nationale)

Wine and second-day ideas

The Vouvray vineyards are only about 15 minutes from the centre, an easy late-afternoon stop after a château morning. Chinon and Saumur, about 50 minutes and an hour away, make good outings for a second or third day.

Arriving in Tours

Gare de Tours sits right in town, facing the Palais des Congrès; the main TGV station is Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, just east of the city, with shuttle trains between the two. Paris-Orly is about 2 hours 30 minutes by road. Tours city centre has no published coach stop, so your driver confirms the meeting place.

Tours Métropole's low-emission zone bars coaches and other heavy vehicles registered before 30 September 2001, and a Crit'Air sticker is required. Check the current rules before travel.

Your questions, answered

Do we need to book the châteaux?

For several, yes. Amboise only does guided group visits on reservation, for 20 people or more, the Clos Lucé offers group terms on reservation from 15, and Chambord's guided group tours are booked ahead. Settle those slots before fixing the route.

Can we see the 24 Hours circuit from Tours?

The Circuit des 24 Heures at Le Mans is roughly 1 hour 10 minutes away by road, a comfortable day out for motorsport fans.

Which motorways will we use?

Tours is on the A10 between Paris and Bordeaux, and the A85 and A28 serve the area too. All three are toll motorways.

More days out you can book with us

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