Half-day excursions

Enjoy the famous French Art de Vivre with this delightful morning including the visit of the elegant chateau of Azay-le-Rideau and the Chateau de Villandry and its unique gardens. An experience you will never forget! Your passionate guide will stay with you all along sharing many anecdotes that will make you feel part of those royal days.   Program:  9:30 am: Meet us in front of the Tourist office in Tours and get on our minivan, off to the Loire Chateaux!   You will start with a visit to the Château d'Azay le Rideau, which Honoré de Balzac described as "... A faceted cut diamond set by the Indre...". A true jewel of Renaissance architecture with its straight staircase called "ramp on ramp" and its main building of exemplary order, its history mixed with royalty, conspiracies and passion will not leave you indifferent.   Your passionate guide will accompany you on all the visits and will share with you the stories of the estate.   Then, arrival at the Château de Villandry, a jewel of French heritage built during the Renaissance. Your guide will accompany you through the remarkable formal gardens of Villandry, of breathtaking beauty and delicacy. What were the codes and meaning of such gardens? All this knowledge will be yours at the end of the visit. You will admire with him the vegetable garden, the maze, the water garden... We will show you hidden corners from where you will get the best views of this remarquable site.   1:30pm: Back to the Tourist Office in Tours

Since 2016, VinoLoire is a reference in Loire Valley wine tours starting from Tours city. As a wine professional for more than 20 years, Vincent will guide you with passion and will share his knowledge. This wine tour is a great introduction to the Loire Valley wines with a visit in the Vouvray vineyard and an extensive tasting of a variety of Loire valley wines (Chinon, Touraine, Bourgueil, ...)    Program 9:00 am: Pick up at the tourist office of Tours. Transport in a confortable minivan.   Visit in Vouvray vineyard First stop in the heart of  the vineyard : geography, first approach of the vine-grower work, ... Visit of the rock-hewn cellar belonging to the family for several generations  Taste different white wines typical from Vouvray  (Dry, Half dry,  Sparkling ) Wine and food pairing with local cheeses Second visit in Montlouis-sur-Loire vineyard Larger winery visit Tasting of a range of Montlouis wines Taste also a selection of red wines from the Loire Valley (Chinon, Bourgueil, Touraine …) Other local food pairing (Cheeses, Rillons, Rillettes, …) Around 12:30 pm: Drop off at the tourist office.

We will start our discovery with Acco Dispo by visiting the Chateau of Ussé - known as the "Sleeping Beauty’s Castle”, which inspired Charles Perrault. This property is a combination between Gothic and Renaissance architectures, as well as an expansion done in Classic style. We will finish our afternoon with the visit of the Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau, its elegant facades are like a jewel trapped between sky and river. You will discover its 500 years old framework, as well as furniture and tapestries from different periods, in the living rooms.

We will start our trip with Acco Dispo by visiting the French Gardens of the Chateau of Villandry, that makes it one of the most beautiful gardens in France. It is divided in 3 patios: the 1st one is a mix of vegetables, fruit trees and vines, the 2nd one is made of sculpted bushes, and the last one is a water garden. Then, we will visit the Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau, its elegant facades are like a jewel trapped between sky and river. You will discover its 500 years old framework, as well as furniture and tapestries from different periods, in the living rooms.