Tours Loire Valley

Gal44

A few girls in our 30's are hoping to fly into Tours Loire valley for a long weekend in May, don't want to stay in a city, can anyone recommend an area to head to? Countryside village small town type area. We won't be hiring a car so somewhere handy with public transport would be great Thanks

Living Off The Splash

The city of Tours is itself a lovely city. You can hop on the train or local bus to some of the Chateaux and save yourself a fortune on the organised day trips by coach.

Gal44

Thanks, i'm now in two minds to either stick with Tours or maybe fly to La Rochelle instead... cant decide where is best

Living Off The Splash

I have stayed in La Rochelle also. It's lovely. Very easy to get the bus from the airport. It drops you off at the bus station that is in the centre of town. You can get the number 3 bus from there to the Ile de Re. We have also stayed on Il de Re in St. Martin de Re. Really relaxing and lovely.
Ibis have 3 hotels in La Rochelle. They often have great hotel deals.

Another place to consider is Nantes. One hour and ten minutes flight. Really great restaurants and bars. We stayed in the Adagio hotel owned by the Accor Group (they also own the Ibis chain). You can sign up to Accor Rewards and get an immediate discount on your stays.
The Adagio is beside the train station. Get the train to the coast for a day trip or to the beautiful inland town of Clisson.

whiskeyman

La Rochelle is a lovely city and worthy of a city break, but you originally said you didn't really want that?
If you want countryside, are you happy with sleepy parts / not much nightlife etc?
As the other poster mentioned, there's lots of cool Castles dotted around the Loire Valley that could be reachable by coach tours from Tours itself.

Already mentioned was Il De Re - you could easily get the bus out here from La Rochelle. It's perfect for flat cycling with lots of cycle only tracks and beautiful quaint French towns perfect for lunches and walking around.
It's one of the hidden gems in France in my opinion.

Guess it all depends really what you want from the weekend?

Gal44

Thanks, I think for a weekend La Rochelle might be the handiest. Definitely will head to ile de re when we are there, sounds lovely

otnomart

How did you find La Rochelle, may I ask ?
Heading myself for the first time this August.
Have already found accomodation, would welcome recomendations for restaurants. Thanks in advance !

SeamusG97

Lots of places to eat and sit out near the Quai Dupperre and the Quai de Gabut to name just a few. It's all very touristy and pleasant. Restaurants tend to be busy but there are literally dozens to choose from - No one in particular stands out, being French they are generally very good anyway. There's usually a bit of street entertainment going on as well in the summer.

Mr rebel

If going to La Rochelle, you should definitely try and fit in a visit to Bordeaux which is only two hours away.

Louche Lad

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

The city of Tours is itself a lovely city. You can hop on the train or local bus to some of the Chateaux and save yourself a fortune on the organised day trips by coach.

Mr rebel wrote: »

If going to La Rochelle, you should definitely try and fit in a visit to Bordeaux which is only two hours away.

Tours and Bordeaux are my two favourite French cities. Both are full of life, with beautiful architecture.

otnomart

Agree, Bordeaux is great ! the Water Mirror is unique and the river front is such a great place to walk/run.