Recommended Loire Valley hotels and vacation apartments

The Loire Valley is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful regions in France. It has a winning combination of majestic castles, charming villages, historic cities and a lot of culinary delights. Have I convinced you that it's time to visit? Great. Now you just have to decide where to live.

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Hotels in the Loire Valley or vacation apartments – which is better?

Before we start talking about the places where it's worth living, we need to resolve the question of which is better: hotels or vacation apartments? Like many questions of this kind, there is no single definitive answer, but it's impossible to solve it without anything. So here's my opinion.

The advantages of hotels in the Loire Valley

Hotels in the Loire Valley are suitable for travelers who are looking for a nice base from which to explore. These people don't intend to stay too long at their accommodation and all they are looking for is a clean and pleasant place to sleep and eat breakfast.

Also, in my opinion, hotels are particularly suitable for a single person or a couple, who do not need too much space, but rather the comfort that comes from having a reception that can receive them at any time and daily cleaning services.

To all these people, my recommendation is unequivocal: get a hotel that will serve as a base for your trips in the Loire Valley.

The advantages of holiday apartments in the Loire Valley

I think vacation apartments are suitable for families with children because they provide enough space and even several bedrooms, so that everyone has their own privacy. Of course, you can achieve the same result by renting several rooms in a hotel or a suite, but the price of this will usually be much more expensive.

Another type of person who will prefer vacation apartments to hotels are those who like to take their trip slowly. These are usually advanced Francophiles who have already traveled to the Loire Valley once or twice and who came not to check off castles but to have fun. Such Francophiles will be happy to take advantage of the fully equipped kitchen that each apartment provides and go to the village to cook themselves wonderful breakfasts and maybe even dinners. Of course, this cannot be done in a hotel.

By the way, those who still insist on enjoying hotel services (reception, cleaning, etc.) but still live in a spacious apartment will be happy to discover great apartment hotels in my recommendations. They will usually be a little more expensive than just apartments, but many times it can be worth it.

So after we've finished debating between hotels and apartments, it's time to answer the question: Where should you stay during your vacation in the Loire Valley?

Accommodation in the Loire Valley – What are the best places for stargazing?

France, as you know, is a very large country where it is sometimes necessary to travel many hours by car to get from place to place. The Loire Valley, located southwest of Paris, is a very large region of land and full of castles and other beautiful places. Therefore, if you are interested in discovering its secrets, it is highly recommended that you live not far from one of the main cities in the valley and go on stargazing trips from there.

As you can see on the map above, the Loire Valley is divided into several parts. In its easternmost part is the city of Orleans. Southwest of it is the town of Blois (Blois) which has one of my favorite castles in the Loire Valley. And finally if we continue west we will reach the city of Tours, one of the largest cities in the Loire Valley. And finally at the western end (which for some reason is not seen on the map) there is the city of Angers which covers the western end of the Loire Valley.

In my opinion, each of these cities and towns has quite a few advantages, and if you decide to get to know the Loire Valley in depth, it is recommended to live in at least two of them (one in the eastern part and one in the western part of the valley) and take star tours.

In the following lines, I will briefly write about each of these towns and review their advantages.

Orleans

The city of Orléans is located in the northeastern part of the Loire Valley and is about a two-hour drive from Paris. It is one of the oldest cities in France and as such is worth a visit in its own right. If you decide to make the city your base for star trips in the Loire Valley you will enjoy access to several charming castles in the area including the famous Chambord Castle and the castles of Meung Sur Loire and La Ferté-Saint-Aubin and Sully Sur Loire.

Another advantage is the proximity to shops and restaurants in the city center, which is worth a lot because it gives you a lot of flexibility. It also allows you to diversify your trip with a short shopping trip after visiting some of the area's castles.

A final and no less important advantage of living in Orleans is its relative proximity to Paris. This allows you to return your rental car in Orleans itself and take a train to Paris, or to arrive very quickly in Paris on the last day of your trip to the Loire Valley and return the car there without paying for an additional day of rental.

If you have decided to live in the city of Orléans, you are welcome to read the article. Accommodation in Orleans – recommended hotels and vacation apartments.

Blois

The city of Blois is one of my favorite cities for star tours in the Loire Valley. First of all, it is a charming city whose secrets are really fun to discover (especially the old town, which still has quite a few buildings from the 16th century). You will also find quite a few excellent restaurants and places to spend a pleasant evening after a day full of castles.

The second advantage of living in Blois is of course theHer castleIn my opinion, it is one of the most impressive castles in France due to its fascinating history and is a must-see castle. The advantage of staying in Blois or the surrounding area is that you can watch the castle's audiovisual show that takes place in the evening without having to drive hours at night to your hotel or apartment (the roads in the Loire Valley are excellent but it is never fun to drive late at night).

However, the biggest advantage of living in Blois is its proximity to some of the most important castles of the Loire Valley, including the castles of Chambord, Chenonceauand Cheverny.

So if you listened to my advice and decided to live in the city of Blois or its surroundings, you are welcome to read the article. Accommodation in Blois.

the city of Tours

Let me confess something small. In 2014, I visited Tours as part of an in-depth tour of the Loire Valley. I did so towards the end of a tiring day in which I had seen several important castles and gave it the last third of the day. I arrived in the city, walked around it and even dined in the famous PLUMERAU square. What can I say? I wasn't really impressed.

On the other hand, it may have been the fatigue or the fact that I arrived in Tours towards the end of a long trip in which I saw so many beautiful places, which raised my threshold of sensitivity to beauty. What is certain is that quite a few Francophiles actually love Tours and, more importantly, the city is simply wonderfully located. From there you can reach famous castles such as Amboise, the home of Leonardo da Vinci inClos Lucé או Villandry Castle.

So if you have decided to live in the city of Tours, let me recommend this article to you. Overnight in the city of Tours.

Angers

I lived in Angers in 1999 and I really liked it. In those days I didn't have a license yet and I was dependent on public transportation. Despite that, I was able to get out of Angers easily and visitFontevrault Abbey בCity of Nantes And in some of the castles in the area (the castle that left the strongest impression on me is Brissac Castle and I intend to dedicate an article to it in the future).

Beyond its excellent location in the west of the Loire Valley, you can also visitAngers Castle Itself, one of the last remaining medieval castles in the area (and it is definitely worth a visit). The city itself also turned out to be very nice and I remember the seafood platter I ate there fondly.

So if I've convinced you to give this charming city a chance, you're welcome to read the article. Accommodation in Angers And choose a recommended hotel or apartment for you.

Additional accommodation options in the Loire Valley

If you are looking for additional options for stargazing bases in the Loire Valley, here are some more ideas:

• Amboise – In terms of geographical location, it can definitely replace Blois.
• Saumur – Excellent if you want to discover the castles of the western Loire Valley.
• Le Mans – Although it is not located in the Loire Valley itself, but in the Sarthe region, it is easy to reach a large part of the castles in the western part of the Loire Valley. At the time, I had the opportunity to stay in an apartment Le Gite de la Muraille And I really enjoyed it.
• Nantes – Although Nantes is in the region Brittany But it is close to the western part of the Loire Valley. If you are interested in living there, you are welcome to enter the articles Hotels in Nantes וApartments in Nantes To find some recommendations from me and other Francophiles.

Want to live in a castle in the Loire Valley?

If you've already been to see castles in the Loire Valley, why not stay in one? If you really want to pamper yourself, I've found some castles that have been converted into great boutique hotels. You can find all the information in the article Live like a marquis for a few days or stay in castles in the Loire Valley (and not far from there either).