Where to stay in the Loire Valley Castles ? Here are the best options !

When you want to come for SEVERAL DAYS TO THE LOIRE CASTLES, the first question is obviously to know the castles you want to visit, but the question is “where to stay”. To find the good location to sleep, the good city to not make too much road and run in all the directions, and to find a small cosy nest.

To know in which city to sleep, I will give you some advice below. We will see that it is actually quite simple and it will depend on your visits.

Then, as the hotel offer is really excellent in the region, you will really find great accommodations, magnificent houses, castles, cute inns or efficient and cheap hotels. Without counting the unusual lodgings to have a little pleasure. Really, we will find some for all the tastes and all the purses without exception!

In which city around the Loire castles should you sleep

So it will depend on the castles you will visit.
The main castles of the Loire are located :

• between Blois and Tours
• between Tours and Angers

So according to the castles, I advise you to put yourself between these cities. And more precisely around Amboise if you are going to see the castles of the area (Chaumont, Chenonceau, Amboise or even CHAMBORD) because from there you are at about 1 hour from almost everything.

In Amboise you will find mostly BEAUTIFUL GUEST HOUSES and CASTLES to sleep in (we will see it below)

Tours (some accomodations here) is also a very good choice in terms of hotels, both high-end and low-cost.
But if you want to visit Chinon, Saumur or Azay le Rideau, then we will also have quality accommodations between Tours and Angers. Let’s have a look!

Sleeping in a castle in the heart of the Loire Valley castles is possible!

That’s a bit of a dream when you go to the Loire castles, to be able to sleep in a real castle. I did it 3 years ago and it’s really nice. My princess side.

The good thing is that there is a little bit of choice and frankly, it is not that expensive I think!

Sleep in a troglodyte house around the Loire Valley castles!

In the heart of the castles of the Loire Valley and especially in the Cher Valley, near Chenonceau, we will find several troglodyte sites. And inevitably, we will find lodgings, gites which are thus in the cliff. It is surprising, totally different, a good way to enjoy the region. Here are some examples:

Out od the ordinary accommodations in the Loire Valley

Obviously, as there is nature everywhere and a lot of quality accommodations, we will also find more unusual losgings. Yurts, caravans, perched houses, here is a small selection.

Sleeping in beautiful guest rooms in the Loire Valley Castles

Il n’y a pas que des châteaux là bas! On trouvé également d’autres magnifiques demeures dans  lesquelles on peut dormir, un cadre superbe et un accueil de qualité. Et franchement il y a le choix! Voyons tout ça

Low cost accomodations

Because we don’t have an unlimited budget, there are fortunately a LOT of cheap accommodations. There are some good and some not so good, so you have to be able to sort them out.

So I’m going to propose you here some accommodations for less than 100€, some for 50€, but which remain in a certain comfort so that a bad night doesn’t spoil your discovery of the castles!

Useful information about the Loire Valley Castles

How far in advance to book your accommodation

Oh well, the sooner the better! Then it depends on the season. In low season, many accommodations are closed, so it limits a bit the choice but since there are not many tourists, you can book at the last moment.

But the most popular accommodations, like castles, must be booked several weeks in advance. For example, as I write this article (January), some dates are already unavailable in September.

My advice would be to book as soon as you think it’s good, and take advantage of the free cancellation. Really. After that, if the accommodation is not too important for you then you can book at the last moment, except in high season when it could be very expensive.

What is the best season to come to the Loire Valley Castles

All seasons are good. Mid-spring to mid-September is the real good season, but June to the end of August is very crowded. In autumn and winter, it is good because there is nobody or almost nobody, but the gardens will not be in bloom. And the accommodations are cheaper too.

I really like spring and early autumn, not too many people yet, the weather is nice, it’s really pleasant 🙂

What are the most beautiful castles to see

Already, I propose you this 3 days itinerary, which takes in the indispensable castles of the Loire between Orleans and Tours. But if I had to suggest 10 (there are REALLY many), it would be these ones:

• Chambord because it is sumptuous
• Chenonceau because it is different and beautiful
• Azay le Rideau, a real renaissance castle
• Clos Lucé because it is the most interesting, thanks to Da Vinci
• Amboise because it was THE royal residence and the city is very beautiful
• Villandry for its gardens
• Langeais for its medieval side which surprises
• Chaumont because it is a cross between medieval and renaissance
• Angers because it is totally different with its bricks
• Cheverny also for its difference and its crazy charm

Should you book your tickets in advance

It depends on the period (otherwise it’s too easy).
For my part I do it for 2 reasons:

• to be sure to enter the castle
• to save time

Because it happened to me to stay at the door of the castle because all the tickets were sold or to wait for ages in the queue.

As it’s the same price, there is a free cancellation, now I take in advance on internet. Not long in advance, just the day before, sometimes more if I plan a longer trip, that’s enough.

And to take several tickets at once, I buy them either on GETYOURGUIDE or on TIQETS. Two authorized resellers who also offer ticket packs. Like this pack Chambord / Chenonceau / Bois for 39€.

Book your tickets for the Loire Valley Castles !

Map of the Loire Valley

Another important element for discovering the region is a map of the Loire Valley Castles. You’ll find ALL the castles to visit,  many lodgings, restaurants and places you need to visit. This should come in pretty handy 🙂

⭐️ Click here to go directly to the map! ⭐️

Conclusion

Here we are! It is obviously impossible to present you all the accommodations of the Loire Valley, because there are so many of them. And the problem is that there are a lot of good ones, so it’s hard to make a choice!

You will have to choose according to the castles you want to visit to avoid driving too much, your budget obviously because there is everything, the type of accommodation. A yurt or a castle, it is not the same experience!

But, having done it, if you can afford to sleep in a small castle, it is really a beautiful experience, and out of season it is not a big investment.

If you need more information, don't hesitate to ask me by clicking here 🙂How can I help you ?

Other resources about Loire Valley

I’ve written a few articles about Castles of the Loire, I hope it can help you to plan your journey :

• How to visit the Loire Valley Castles
• The 15 best castles in the Loire Valley
• the Google map to visist the Loire Valley.
• your PDF travel guide to visit the Castles of Loire Valley
• How to visit Chambord castle
• What to do in Amboise