Car with driver
2h 30min
From your front door to your destination address, with no changes and no luggage to carry.
Paris → the Loire Valley via the A10
Paris to Tours by private chauffeur
Tours is the capital of the Loire châteaux, but the châteaux themselves are out in the countryside. With a chauffeur, Chenonceau, Amboise and Villandry follow one another in a single day, with no tour coach and no train timetable.
Tours
240
km
Paris
→
Tours
→
Tours
- Distance
- 240 km
- Driving time
- 2h 30min
- Route
- A10
- Estimate
- €480
about €120 per person with 4 passengers
Unique to this route
A day of châteaux, starting from Paris
Our clients’ favourite plan: two châteaux, lunch on the banks of the Loire and a tasting to finish. A typical example, to adapt to your bookings.
-
07:30
Leave Paris
Pickup at your door, out of Paris on the A10 before the traffic builds.
-
10:00
Chenonceau
The Ladies’ Château, set across the Cher. Your chauffeur waits at the entrance to the estate.
-
12:30
Lunch in Amboise
At the foot of the royal château, facing the Loire.
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14:00
Amboise and Clos Lucé
The royal château, then Leonardo da Vinci’s last home.
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16:30
Vouvray
A cellar carved into the tuffeau stone for a tasting of Loire wines.
-
20:00
Back to Paris
Drop-off at your door. Nobody has driven all day.
An honest comparison
Door to door: private car or train?
VS
Train, door to door
2h 35min
1h 05min on the train, plus around 1h 30min to get to the station, wait for departure and complete the journey at the other end.
Our straight-talking verdict
The TGV takes about an hour to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps: for a meeting in Tours, it is faster. But for a day of châteaux, nothing compares with a car and driver: the sites are poorly served and far apart, and your chauffeur waits for you at every visit.
The Loire Valley, château after château
We leave Paris through Porte d’Orléans and onto the A10. The flat, endless Beauce rolls by as far as Orléans. Then the motorway follows the Loire valley past Blois, twenty minutes from Chambord, before reaching Tours.
The Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But its treasures are scattered: Chenonceau spans the Cher, Amboise overlooks the Loire, Villandry is famous for its gardens, Azay-le-Rideau is reflected in the Indre. No train links them all in a day.
That is exactly the chauffeur’s job: dropping you at the entrance of each château, waiting during the visit, taking you to lunch, then on to the next. A tasting stop in Vouvray or Chinon is no problem at all.
This route is also very popular with families heading for the ZooParc de Beauval, about an hour from Tours, and with professionals who have meetings in town or at the conference centre.
The road log
Paris → Tours, kilometre by kilometre
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0 km
Paris
-
50 km
Toll
Péage de Saint-Arnoult
A10 toll plaza in the Yvelines. Tolls are included in the quote.
-
130 km
Landmark
Orléans
We bypass the city and reach the Loire.
-
185 km
Rest stop
Blois
A possible break, with Chambord twenty minutes away for a detour.
-
215 km
Landmark
Amboise
Exit for Amboise and Chenonceau. Tours is twenty minutes away.
-
240 km · 2h 30min
Tours
Calendar
The best times to travel to Tours
Spring in the gardens
From April to June, the gardens of Villandry and Chaumont are at their finest. Perfect for a family day out.
Summer at the châteaux
Shows and night-time visits at several châteaux. Your chauffeur drives you back to Paris after the evening.
Christmas at the château
In December, Chenonceau and other châteaux are dressed in Christmas decorations. A magical day trip there and back.
The route
Paris → Tours on the map
240 kilometres via A10. The line on this map follows the route we take in normal traffic; it may vary with the time of day and road conditions.
Where we drop you off in Tours
- 01 Old Tours, Place Plumereau and the cathedral.
- 02 Tours and Saint-Pierre-des-Corps stations.
- 03 Le Vinci, the Tours conference centre.
- 04 Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau.
- 05 The ZooParc de Beauval and the Vouvray and Chinon vineyards.
Good to know before you set off
- → The châteaux are poorly served by public transport: a car is the only way to see several in one day.
- → In high season, book your tickets in advance: we plan the itinerary around your time slots.
- → Your chauffeur waits at every visit: a tasting in Vouvray is no problem at all.
- → The A10 is a toll motorway all the way to Tours: tolls are included in the quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a private driver from Paris to Tours? +
Our estimate is around €480 for 240 km, or about €120 per person for four. For a day of châteaux, the waiting time is included in the quote.
Can we visit several châteaux in one day? +
Yes, two or three châteaux fit comfortably into a day, with your chauffeur waiting for you at each stop.
Can you take us to the ZooParc de Beauval? +
Yes, the park is about an hour from Tours. Enter it as your destination and we will recalculate the estimate.
Can we go via Chambord? +
Yes, Chambord is about twenty minutes from the A10 near Blois. The detour can be built into the trip.
Do we book the visits ourselves? +
Yes, tickets are bought directly from the châteaux. Send us your time slots and we will organise the trip around them.
Your Paris → Tours trip, priced in 2 minutes
The calculator already includes the distance for this trip: just add your addresses, date, number of passengers and luggage. We then confirm the price and the vehicle.