Loire Valley Private Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Loire Valley Tours team — last checked 2026-09-16.
Loire Valley private tours put your party alone in the vehicle, with a guide who shapes the day around you. Most collect you from your hotel or gîte, and you decide how long to stay at each château or estate.
Private tours in the Loire Valley
★★★★★ 5.0 (30 reviews · 3 to 7 hours)
From Tours or AmboiseYour group onlyAdults 18+Hotel pick-up
A wine day or half-day for your party alone, from three to seven hours, with pickup at your hotel or gîte in Amboise or Tours. Adults only; a picnic or snack on the half-day costs extra.
From $341 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (40 reviews · 3 to 7 hours)
In ChinonYour group onlyAdults 18+Hotel pick-up
The same private format in Cabernet Franc country: pickup at your hotel or gîte in Chinon, or in Saumur for an extra charge. Three to seven hours of estates, for adults only.
From $282 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (37 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes)
In ChartresYour group only
Ninety minutes inside Chartres Cathedral with a certified guide, priced per group of up to nine. You meet at the gift-shop entrance; Chartres sits on the road from Paris, not in the valley.
From $305 per group, up to 9
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (33 reviews · 8 hours)
Admission not listedFrom ChabrisYour group only
Eight hours from Chabris for up to six: about 90 minutes at Chenonceau, lunch and wine estates, with private transport. Wine you buy is extra, and the day is listed as wheelchair accessible.
From $793 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (38 reviews · 13 hours)
Admission not listedFrom ParisYour group onlyHotel pick-up
Thirteen hours from your Paris hotel with an art-historian guide and a private vehicle for up to seven. Amboise, Chenonceau and Chambord, with a drive past Clos Lucé; lunch is not in the fare.
From $899 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (16 reviews · 9 hours)
Château tickets includedFrom Tours or AmboiseYour group onlyHotel pick-up
Pickup in Tours, Amboise or Blois, château tickets paid, and 90 minutes each at Chenonceau and Chambord. A professional local guide leads, and a tasting at Caves Ambacia breaks up the day.
From $582 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (9 reviews · 2 days)
Château tickets includedFrom ParisYour group only
Two private days with the train from Paris, a night's stay, breakfast, dinner and two lunches in the fare. Skip-the-line tickets cover every monument, from Chambord to Chaumont. Cancel at least seven days ahead.
From $2,352 per person
Free cancellation up to 7 days in advance.
Two châteaux, your party only
Pickup in Tours, Amboise or Blois, château tickets paid, Chenonceau and Chambord, and a tasting in between.
Check availability
What a Loire Valley private tour is
A private tour sells you the guide and the vehicle, not a seat. Nobody else joins, so the day
bends to you: longer in Chenonceau's gallery over the Cher, a shorter stop when a grandparent tires,
a second estate because you liked the first wine.
The private days here do different jobs. Some are château days, from your Paris hotel or from
Tours, Amboise and Blois. Some are wine days from your hotel or gîte, three to seven hours long.
One is a single cathedral visit at Chartres, and one is two days with a night in the valley.
Per-person fares run from $282 to $2,352.
Why choose a private tour
The car comes to you
The wine days collect you in Amboise, Tours or Chinon, the château day in Tours, Amboise or
Blois, and the VIP day at your Paris hotel. There is no 9:00 walk to a tourist office.
Your pace at every château
On a shared day the group decides when to leave. On a private day you do, within the hours
you booked.
A specialist for your party alone
The VIP day brings an art historian. At Chartres a certified guide walks you through the
cathedral. On the wine days, the guide chooses estates around what you like to drink.
Room for the whole family
The private château days take parties of up to six, seven or eight, and the Chartres visit covers a group of up to nine
on one price.
Private tours vs small-group tours
The honest comparison is money against control. Here is what the extra buys.
| Private tour | Small-group tour |
|---|
| Who travels with you | Your party only | Up to eight, or 15 on one Paris day |
| Where it starts | Your hotel or gîte on most | A tourist office or Avenue de Wagram |
| Pace | Yours | The group's |
| Château days | $582 to $899 a person | $234 to $328 a person |
| Wine days | $282 to $341 a person | $63 to $329 a person |
| Cancellation | 24 hours; seven days on the train trip | 24 hours |
Check availability from $582
For two people who are happy to share, a small group is the better buy. For a family, a party
with a slow walker, or anyone who wants the day built round them, private starts to earn its fare.
The Loire Valley châteaux tours show the shared days side by
side.
What you get, and what you don't
- Château tickets: in the fare on the private day from Tours and on the train
trip. On the VIP day and the Chenonceau and wine day, confirm what the fare covers when you
book.
- Pickup: at your address on the wine days, the VIP day and the château day from
Tours. The Chenonceau and wine day starts in Chabris, the Chartres visit inside the cathedral, and
the train trip at Vendôme-Villiers station.
- Food: lunch on the Chenonceau and wine day, every meal on the train trip, and a
picnic or snack as a paid extra on the half-day wine tours. Lunch is not in the VIP fare.
- Wine: tastings on the wine days and the château day from Tours. Bottles you buy
are extra.
- Not included: gratuities, and extra hours beyond the ones you booked.
Or a private wine day from Chinon
Pickup at your hotel or gîte in Chinon and three to seven hours in Cabernet Franc country, for adults.
Check availability
Planning a private tour
- Price basis. Most private fares are quoted per person, so check the total for
your party at checkout. The Chartres visit is priced per group of up to nine.
- Say what you need. Ages, mobility, and what you want to see or drink. That is
what the fare pays for, so tell the operator when you book.
- Book early for summer. Each private day is built for one party, so book as
soon as your dates are fixed.
- Wine days are for adults. Travellers must be 18 or over. The train trip takes
travellers from 14.
- Cancellation. A full refund up to 24 hours ahead, except the two-day trip,
which needs seven days.
- Mobility. The Chenonceau and wine day and the Chartres visit are listed as
wheelchair accessible.
Who should choose something else
- If you are one or two on a budget. A small-group château day from Tours costs
$234 to $281 a person, and a half-day wine tour $63 to $170.
- If you want wine with children along. The wine days are for adults only. The
château days, or the Loire Valley hot air balloon tours from
age 6, work for a family.
- If you only want a lift. A private tour pays for a guide. If you just need to
reach Chenonceau, its station is 400 m from the ticket office;
getting to the Loire Valley has the trains.
- If you want to be on a bike. The Loire Valley bike
tours run in groups of six to ten, and none of them is private.
Frequently asked questions
Is a private tour worth the price?
If you want your own pace, a hotel pickup or a day built around your interests, yes. Check what the fare covers: some private days include château tickets and some leave them to you.
Are private tours priced per person or per group?
Most are quoted per person, so check the total for your party at checkout. The Chartres Cathedral visit is the exception: one price covers a group of up to nine.
Do tours pick you up from your hotel?
Some do: the Paris minivan days with audio-guided château visits, the VIP private day from Paris, the private wine tours from Amboise, Tours and Chinon, and the balloon ride near Amboise within 15 km. The small-group days from Tours meet at the tourist office.
Can children come on a private tour?
On the château days, yes, and the pace is yours. The private wine days are for adults 18 and over, and the two-day trip by train takes travellers from age 14.
Is Chartres in the Loire Valley?
No. Chartres lies between Paris and the Loire, and its cathedral tour is a separate private visit with a certified guide. It suits a day on the road from Paris rather than a stay in the valley.
Are the tours wheelchair accessible?
Most are not, because they use minivans and cellars reached by steps. The private Chenonceau and wine day and the Chartres Cathedral tour are listed as wheelchair accessible; ask the operator before you book any other.
Can I cancel a tour booking?
Nearly every tour refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. The exception is the 2-day tour from Paris by train, which needs seven days' notice.