Loire Private Wine Day from Paris: Castle, 6 Tastings & Lunch

Overall, our day with Lionel was great. We were a little disappointed that he was 45 minutes late, but he had forewarned us that traffic might cause a small delay. Forty-five minutes is not a small delay. He picked us up and off we ventured while he shared the plan for the day. He told us we’d stop for a croissant as we got closer. The croissant and pain au chocolate from the patisserie near Chambord Castle were phenomenal. My very American husband had hoped for a cup of coffee immediately after being picked up, but was not offered one at all. Future travelers beware that a French breakfast is a croissant and get yourself a cup of coffee ahead of your adventure. We arrived at Chambord Castle a few minutes after our French breakfast. The castle is overwhelming to look at. Lionel was very kind and accommodating regarding my limited mobility. He dropped us off as close to the castle as he could, then went to park the car. He met us at the castle, bought our tickets and gave us our audio tour equipment. Although the audio guide was fine, I wish Lionel had been able to stay with us and give us a personal tour. The tour description very clearly states, however, that the trip includes an audio guided visit and that’s what we got! Chambord Castle is a visually stunning place and we could have meandered there longer than the hour we had, but we got a great overview and learned a lot. Lionel gave us a good general concept of the historic background. Oddly, the visual magnificence of the castle is the main thing that’s magnificent about the Chambord Castle and the grounds. The castle was typically unoccupied by the gentry. Aside from some magnificent tapestries and the double helix central staircase it’s rather barren on the inside. That being said, my visit was shorter than I would have liked and perhaps I missed a great deal. After leaving Chambord, we then drove along the Loire River while Lionel shared stories and anecdotes of the area. We stopped at a lovely winery and were treated to a pumpkin Veloute, a delicious charcuterie board of meat, fish and cheese, a crème brulee and, of course, wine. I was thrilled that Lionel joined us for lunch. On our previous tours with Viator, guides have not dined with us so this was a treat. Lionel is a real Frenchman and has a strong background in the wine business. His explanations gave us a much better understanding of the connection between the wine and the region. His commentary on France and politics and culture was enlightening. After lunch we were on our way to Domaine Marc Brédif for a tour of the caves and a wine tasting. The caves were so awesome. I loved walking through them. We then did a tasting of five different wines which is always so fun to do. I enjoyed this whole experience very much. Lionel met us back at the winery when I messaged him that we were done and we headed back towards Paris. It was an 11-hour day with lots of car time, but what we got from it was very much worth the drive. And honestly, part of the adventure for us is seeing parts of France we haven’t seen before. It is definitely a lot for one day! Merci Lionel! C’etait merveilleux de passer la journee avec toi.

This tour was an absolute dream! Our guide was fantastic, so friendly and passionate about wine and history. After we visited the stunning Chenonceau Castle, we had an incredible lunch paired with local wines. Driving through the vineyards and stopping for a tasting in the nature was a unique experience. Everything was well organized and personalized to our interests. Highly recommend if you want to see the best of the Loire Valley in one day!

We had such a wonderful day! The castle was so impressive, and it felt special to visit such a historic place together. Lunch was a real treat, it was delicious, with great local wine to go with it. The wine tasting was definitely our favorite part. It was fun learning about the different types of wines and trying them in such a beautiful setting. Go for it!

An unforgettable day in the Loire Valley! Chambord Castle is absolutely stunning, and our guide brought its history to life. Lunch at the winery was delicious, perfectly paired with exceptional wines. The winery tour was informative and enjoyable. A must-do experience for anyone visiting the region!

We had the most amazing day on our private Loire Valley trip! Our guide was fantastic and made sure we got the most out of every moment. The highlight of the day was definitely visiting Château de Chambord and it’s absolutely breathtaking. After that, we headed to a charming winery for lunch, where we were treated to a delicious, locally sourced meal paired with wines. To top it off, we then enjoyed a guided tour of another winery, learning about the winemaking process and tasting some of their finest bottles. Highly recommend!

This is a must-to-do ! I didn't think it would be so interesting and diversify ! This experience is clearly the best day of our tour in France ! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the region, its history and obviously the wines. Our day started perfectly with a visit of one the most beautiful castle I have ever seen : Chambord. I found the double helix staircase so fascinating. I'm pretty sure that with spring coming the gardens will be prettier day by day. For the lunch we were welcomed like super guests at Cave Ambacia : the lunch was delicious but not as much as the wines we tasted ! Finally, we had a visit and tasting at Montdomaine wine estate and I'm so glad to have learnt so much about Loire wine grapes and wines. To conclude, thank you to the WineDays team for their accompany and all the precisions and details they sent us before to go. I will definitively and highly recommend to go on tour with them !

We had a wonderful time in the Loire Valley ! From morning pick up at our hotel, to visiting Chambord castle (so beautiful) and discovering delicious wines and lovely winemakers ! I recommend 100% - I won’t have been able to do it alone ! Have a lovely day ! Thanks so much to my WineDays !

We greatly enjoyed having a private tour for this portion of our trip, and Alex was a fantastic tour guide. From picking us up at our hotel with breakfast and bottled water, to his experienced driving, we had a great trip outside of Paris. While at Chambord, he gave us an in-depth explanation of the history of the Chateau and answered all of our questions in a friendly manner. We had a fantastic lunch in a historical restaurant followed by an amazing wine tasting. Alex was familiar with the winery which allowed us to begin our tasting early, which we appreciated immensely. Alex also boasted a very impressive knowledge of wine. As a distributor and winery owner, he was able to educate us on French wine throughout the day and provided some fantastic recommendations for us to try while eating in Paris. The wines he suggested were absolutely fantastic! If you're booking a trip of this style via Viator, ask for Alex. You won't be disappointed!

The bad: Paris traffic. Everything else was great. Chateau Chambord has an awesome interactive experience and was a great visit. Bredif had an excellent cave, but middling wine. Great tour. Vignoble Alain Robert has excellent white wines. The best part was the tour guide, Chris, whom we nicknamed, Tim. Very personable, knowledgeable, et helpful. I would do this again. A fun time.