Loire Valley wine tours take you into the cellars of Vouvray, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur to taste at the estates that make the wine, while somebody else drives. You choose a half-day from Tours or Amboise, a full day with lunch, or your party alone.
A morning from the Tours tourist office to two Vouvray estates, tasting Chenin Blanc in limestone cellars with cheese and charcuterie. Eight guests at most, adults only, and you are back in town by lunchtime.
From $147 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two and a half hours at Château du Petit Thouars near Chinon: a tasting, then a picnic among the vines with a bottle of the estate's wine. You drive in and park beside the château.
From $89 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Four afternoon hours from the Tours or Amboise tourist office to two wine estates, with snacks and water in the vehicle. Adults only, eight guests at most, and back in town for dinner.
From $170 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Guided visits of two wine estates with local delicacies beside the tastings, in an air-conditioned Mercedes van. You meet at the Tours or Amboise tourist office for a four-hour outing.
From $167 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three hours at the Alain Robert vineyard in Chançay: the vines, the winery and the cellar, then wine with a food tasting. The lowest wine fare you can book here, and you drive there or take a taxi.
From $63 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Four and a half hours from the Tours tourist office to two local wineries with a driver-guide, who wears a hat so you can spot the group. Tastings are in the fare, and the group stays at eight.
From $116 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A day west of Tours: a winery near Chinon, lunch and free time in the town, then a second tasting in Bourgueil. Meals are yours to buy, and a Mercedes people carrier does the driving.
From $178 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Eight hours in red-wine country from the Tours tourist office: Chinon and Bourgueil estates with a driver-guide, for eight guests at most. Lunch is not in the fare, so bring money for a meal.
From $246 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The full wine day: two hours at Domaine Le Capitaine in Vouvray, two at Château de la Minière, lunch at the winery, then two hours in Chinon. It leaves the Tours tourist office at 9:00.
From $329 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Your party alone, from your hotel or gîte in Chinon, for three to seven hours of estates chosen around what you like to drink. Saumur pickup costs extra; adults only.
From $282 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private wine day or half-day from your address in Amboise or Tours, for adults. On the half-day a picnic or snack costs extra, and the longest version runs seven hours.
From $341 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A château day with wine at the end: Azay-le-Rideau and Villandry with entrance fees paid, then a winery and tasting in Vouvray. It suits a couple where one wants gardens and one wants a glass.
From $234 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Five to six hours on a bike through the Chinon vineyards with a picnic lunch and a helmet. You must be 16 or over to ride, and an e-bike costs €15 extra.
From $152 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
An e-bike day from Saumur by the Gratien et Meyer cellars, Souzay-Champigny, Montsoreau and Candes, with lunch included. Six riders at most, aged 16 and over.
From $198 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two Vouvray estates, Chenin Blanc in limestone cellars with cheese and charcuterie, and eight guests at most, from the Tours tourist office.
Check availabilityIt is a tasting at the estates themselves, with someone else at the wheel. A half-day from Tours or Amboise visits two estates in about four hours. A full day goes further west, to Chinon and Bourgueil, or pairs Vouvray with Chinon and lunch at a winery. Fares run from $63 to $341 a person.
The wines split along the river. East of Tours, Vouvray covers seven communes and is made from Chenin Blanc, dry to sweet and still to sparkling. West of Tours, Chinon's 26 communes and Bourgueil grow mostly Cabernet Franc. Saumur makes sparkling wine in cellars cut into tuffeau. The wine tasting guide covers each appellation.
The estates sit on country lanes outside the towns. On a tour the van waits outside, and every one of you can taste.
The Vouvray morning takes you into limestone cellars, and the Chançay walk shows you the vines, the winery and the cellar before you taste. You see where the wine is made, not just a counter.
Cheese and charcuterie on the Vouvray morning, local delicacies on the four-hour estate tour, lunch at the winery on the Vouvray and Chinon day, and a picnic among the vines near Chinon.
Take the morning in Vouvray and spend the afternoon at a château, or book the afternoon tour after a morning in Amboise.
Several château days end with a glass. Here is how that compares with a day built round the wine.
| Wine tour | Châteaux tour with a tasting | |
|---|---|---|
| Time with wine | Two and a half hours to a full day | One tasting stop |
| Estates | Two or more, by name | One cellar at the end of the day |
| Château admission | Only on the Azay-le-Rideau and Villandry day | In the fare on many |
| Who can book | Adults 18 and over on most | Families too; from age 7 on one Paris day |
| Length | Two and a half to nine hours | Eight to 13 hours |
| Fare | $63 to $341 a person | $234 to $328 a person |
If you came for the châteaux and a glass will do, the Loire Valley châteaux tours are the better buy. If the wine is the point, book a wine day and add one château on your own.
Domaine Le Capitaine in Vouvray, Château de la Minière, lunch at the winery and two hours in Chinon, from the Tours tourist office at 9:00.
Check availabilityCompare wine, château, bike and balloon days side by side on Loire Valley Tours.