Two Wonderful Days in Amboise, France

Amboise, France is the perfect homebase for exploring the eastern part of the Loire Valley. From Amboise, you have convenient access to stunning French châteaux and vineyards. What really makes it work as a homebase, though, is its own two chateaux and many cafes for you to explore without stepping in a car.

Before you read, it’s important to note the following information is based on a trip from late 2019. I did my best to research that everything is still open, including reaching out to the Amboise Tourist Office, but please realize everything may not be completely up to date. I appreciate any feedback from anyone who has visited more recently!

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Getting to Amboise, France

By Train

The easiest way to get to Amboise is by train unless you already have a car. Amboise has a small train station, Gare d’Amboise, that services SNCF trains from Paris, Orleans and Tours.

Another option is to take a train to the larger station at Tours, and then rent a car at one of the convenient rental agencies. Europcar, Avis or Hertz all have offices close to the station. This is the easier option if you will be driving around the Loire Valley from Amboise. Amboise does have car rental agencies, but they are not easily walkable from its train station or town center.

Visit Rail Europe to book train tickets.

By Car

You might already have a car and therefore don’t need a train to Amboise. Great! Amboise is about 2.5 hours from Paris in the north, 4 hours from Dijon to the east, 3.5 hours from Bordeux in the south and 2.5 hours from Nantes to the west.

If you decided to take the train in to Tours and then rent a car, the drive from Tours is simple. It’s about a 30-minute drive east via D751. The drive itself mostly runs along the Loire River, so it creates some nice scenery as you start your visit to the Loire Valley.

Where to Stay in Amboise, France

Amboise has several hotels to choose from for your stay. We opted for an Airbnb right in the center of town, though, because of its great location and price.

We booked with Raphael on Airbnb. Raphael has several rentals located right next to the Tour de l’Horloge (the clocktower). His rentals are just minutes away from many of Amboise’s top destinations.

This is the specific rental we stayed in while we were at Amboise. We picked this one because it has a washer/dryer unit (it was the middle of a two-week trip to England and France) and air conditioning.

Just be warned, everything is in French (or was when we visited) so it was a learning curve figuring out how to use the appliances. In fact, come to think of it, we never did learn how to turn on the air conditioning…

Château d’Amboise

Château d’Amboise is the main attraction in Amboise for reasons that are obvious as soon as you enter the town. It’s a literal towering presence over the town. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you only observe it from the town, though.

A visit to Château d’Amboise takes you to Leonardo da Vinci’s rumored resting place, through rooms with impressive period tapestries and out on to the ramparts where you’re treated to amazing views of Amboise.

Perhaps the best part is once you’re done, you can easily wander back out across the road to one of Amboise’s cafés to have some wine while you reflect on your visit!

Café du Château

If I’m being completely upfront here, there is nothing special about Café du Château. It’s standard French café fare: plenty of outdoor seating, reasonably priced wine and good people watching. It’s right across from Château d’Amboise which is an added bonus but so are several other cafés.

They did seem to have a little slower service than is standard in France. Nonetheless, this didn’t really detract from our experience as we were content with taking our time after touring the château.

So, if it isn’t anything special, why am I making a point to write about it? Simple. It was the first French café Michelle and I experienced on this trip! It could have had terrible wine (it didn’t), been way overpriced (it wasn’t) and had rude service (it doesn’t), and we still would have enjoyed it because of the newness for us.

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Le Shaker

Sitting on Amboise’s L’ile d’Or in the Loire River, Le Shaker is worth checking out for a nightcap at the very least. The reason for this is because of the stunning views Le Shaker offers of the bridge and Château d’Amboise from the island.

They have a dinner menu if you’d like to have a meal with your view. I don’t remember what I had, but I remember it was good. Nothing spectacular.

Le Shaker is open during daylight hours if you can’t visit at night. However, you should really try to visit at night if possible. The château is lit up in the evening creating a fairytale scene for you to admire while sipping on a wine. It’s a wonderful way to end a day in Amboise.

Go for an Early Morning Run

(You could always go for a walk, too, if you don’t run!)

This is one of my favorite ways to see new places as long as time and weather cooperate. It may be just a quick view, but you get to see so much more of the area than you otherwise would.

My run took me through some of the residential areas south of the touristy town center and along the river. The trail along the river was quite lovely. It wasn’t quite up there with my runs along the Seine in Paris, but it certainly is worth checking out!

It’s always nice going through a town center when no one is around early in the morning, too. You don’t realize how pretty these areas can be when they’re crowded with people, and Amboise is no different. Take time to marvel at the château on the hill and some of the café facades as you make your way along Rue Victor Hugo.

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Explore the Loire Valley

Amboise is great, but this is the real reason for staying here. You should plan to do any exploring on your second day so you have as much of the day as needed to see the sights.

The two châteaux listed here are by no means a definitive list. We chose these two because of their proximity to Amboise and each other, and because they each offer slightly different experiences. We liked the fact they were all close to each other because it allowed plenty of time to tour at our leisure and still have time to relax in Amboise after.

However, there are plenty of other places worth visiting if you want to go farther afield. The châteaux in Blois, Cheverny and Chambord are particularly beautiful in pictures and have great reviews.

You can also add in some vineyards if that is more your style. We opted to only visit châteaux since we were getting plenty of wine in Amboise and I wanted to see some European castles.

Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chenonceau was our first stop. It’s only about 25 minutes away from Amboise via car on easily drivable roads.

This château is considered one of the best in the Loire region. As you make your way up the tree-lined path and the château comes into view, you quickly realize why it is so highly regarded. It’s one of those places that lives up to the expectations you set in your mind and then manages to exceed them.

Beyond the building itself, there are two different gardens and a number of manicured paths to explore. The inside of the château is equally beautiful, with room after room offering impressive design and decor.

Château de Chenonceau is the perfect combination of gorgeous panoramic views and exquisite intricate detail. Take your time seeing all it has to offer!

Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire

There are other grander châteaux in the region than Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire. Nevertheless, I demanded we see this one because I wanted to see one epic “castle” while in France, and this was it.

If you grew up playing with toy knights and castles, Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire looks like something from your childhood imagination. In fact, I’m almost positive I had a Lego set that looked very similar to this château.

In addition to the fantastic exteriors, there is also a wondrous garden worth exploring called the International Garden Festival. This garden is unique from the more traditional château gardens throughout the Loire Valley in that it not only changes yearly, but it also has more modern themes. Truth be told, it’s more of an art exhibit than a garden.

Unfortunately, the interiors left a little to be desired. The artistic theme carried over into the château with the chapel having a modern art exhibit in it and much of the upper floor being dedicated to exhibits from a Japanese artist. I actually quite liked these exhibits, but I would have preferred seeing the rooms in their original state.

I didn’t regret my visit because the exteriors and gardens made up for everything else. If neither of those tickle your fancy, you may want to consider a different château.

Caveau des Vignerons d’Amboise

This small wine bar sits right under Château d’Amboise along Rue Victor Hugo. They have a variety of local wines to meet whatever palate walks in. You can also purchase local cheeses and meats to pair with your wine.

The real allure of this wine bar is its location carved into the rock the château sits on. Because of this, it has great atmosphere for a wine bar.

There’s not much else to say about Caveau dex Vignerons d’Amboise. If you want a fun little wine bar with knowledgeable staff in the side of a rocky cliff, add this to your itinerary!

La Florentine

La Florentine is one of several cafés located across from Château d’Amboise. We chose it essentially at random but could not have been more pleased with the experience.

The prices were reasonable compared to the rest of the restaurants along Rue Victor Hugo (the main road through Amboise), and we were able to get seated quickly. These were the two main reasons we chose La Florentine.

The food was excellent! We shared a pasta and pizza. Unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly what we had so I can’t give a recommendation. I will recommend getting one of each to share like we did so you can sample both.

It’s worth mentioning that when I researched information for this article, some recent Yelp reviews mention rude staff. I can assure you this was not the case when we visited in 2019. I have no qualms recommending La Florentine based on my experience. Every person’s experience is unique, though, so I can’t speak to what is said on Yelp reviews.

Other Attractions in Amboise, France

In addition to the attractions I described above, here are two other popular things to do in Amboise that Michelle and I didn’t get to. There are also many other cafes to have regional wine while people watching if you just want more time to relax and take in the views.

Château du Clos Lucé

Château du Clos Lucé isn’t as epic in scale as Château d’Amboise, but it does pack some interesting local history.

During the latter stages of his life, Leonardo da Vinci was invited to live in Amboise by King Frances I in 1516. da Vinci accepted and was named the “Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King.” He went on to live there until his death in 1519.

Now, the château houses exhibits showcasing da Vinci’s life, art and various inventions. You can also walk through the house to view rooms as they were decorated when da Vinci lived there. As an added bonus, there are hands-on exhibits and a playground making this chateau ideal for families with young children.

Advanced tickets are recommended. Adult tickets are $20.44 and children’s $14.20.

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Caves Duhard

Just a short distance east along the Loire River from Château d’Amboise, Caves Duhard is a wine experience for the oenophiles out there. These caves have been in use for various purposes over the past five centuries but have been used for storing wine since 1874.

They offer several different experiences for your visit ranging from a tasting with a sommelier to an audio-visual tour of the caves.

Visit their website for more information and to purchase tickets in advance.

Resources to Book Your Trip to Amboise

Whether you’re looking for tours, hotels or flights, here are some tools to help get you started planning your trip to France!

Look for activities and tours offered through GetYourGuide or Viator!

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out my travel essentials pages for more of my recommendations.

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