Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux

Château de Chenonceau for me was the best of the châteaux that we saw. It is a magnificent chateau with its landscaped gardens, bien sûr, but moreover its well-restored and maintained interiors. It is awe-inspiring with its reach across the River Cher. The audio tour, which we always make use of, has a children's version that for the little visitors with shorter attention spans worked very well.

Contemporary, delightful cuisine at Le Patio, Amboise

Le Patio in Amboise did not disappoint. We steered fairly clear of the restaurants right in front of the Château after reading reviews such as "overpriced tourist traps...", and made our way to the contemporary Le Patio. With its modern decor and contemporary menu which did not offer the usual french fare, it also proved to be great value for money.

The delightful meal began with a creamy leek with magret du canard, and carrot with  prawn soups, and pan-fried duck liver on pear; which were followed by a roasted partridge -  a taste between chicken and duck; salmon and dorado from the menu du marché , and dessert of chocolate mousse on crème de la vanille and rice pudding brulée - the latter was the only disappointing selection from the menu. The restaurant also offers a tasting menu from their menu d'inspiration. Overall the experience was excellent and just what we needed in between our châteaux viewing.

Château d'Amboise and Clos Lucé, Amboise

The Château d'Amboise was our first stop in Amboise - a tour that lasted about 45 minutes. We we there during the week, so it was not as crowded as expected. Beautiful landscaped gardens and gorgeous views of the  river Loire. A short 10 minute walk from this château is the Château Clos Lucé - famous for being the official residence of Leonardo da Vinci between 1516 and 1519.

Scenes around Tours, Loire Valley

Tours makes for a good base for exploring the châteaux of the Loire. Small, animated - especially in the evenings- and a short drive from the famous Amboise and Chenonceau chateaux. Its famous Cathedral and old town are its main draws and while its château is not as remarkable as the others in the Loire, it is a lively city, with its university town feel, pavement cafés, cobbled streets and bustling Place Plumereau, which proved to be the perfect place for enjoying the warm late fall weather.

A taste of Tours at Odéon

One of the pleasures of travel within France is the ease of it. A fairly short train or car ride and you find yourself in a part of the country offering another piece of the country's history. We finally went to the Loire Valley - yes unfortunately the ease of travel must also equate with the availability of time - or maybe that's my poor excuse for why it took us so long to make a trip there.

As always though, despite proper planning we only just made it there in the early afternoon, which on its own is not a problem, but for my family always is. Food is always the first point of call, and you'd think knowing this we'd plan accordingly.