Loire castles day trip

Sue, I would suggest you check on strike situation when you get to Paris, as transportation industry unions have a stormy relationship with the government. If you absolutely, positively need to get somewhere by a certain time, half an hour is too close for my comfort. You might consider just booking a hotel or Gite and renting a car. I would expect that hotel rates in the Loire valley are much less than Paris.

On the one hand, a tour-bus visit provides convenience of a guide that can give you all sorts of information ahead of time, so that the visit can be made appreciating the history. On the other hand, I am more like Jean in that I like to read the Michelin Green guide, and pick out the places I want to visit. Obviously, that means renting a car for a few days. Also, a visit to the "Information" office might have interesting spur-of-the-moment things to do (we once found a farm north of Blois that way that raised boar for the gourmet food industry, and got there in time for my 3 kids to help feed the boars).

As for Chateaux, they are spread up and down the Loire, and even in a car, it is hard to really visit more than two a day. Among my favorites are Angers, Amboise, Chenonceaux, Azay-le-Rideau, Blois, Chambord, and Saumur. Many have Son et Lumiere in the summer, which are really nice. There are many lesser ones that can be spectacular in their own right.

I'm not keen on hiring a car and would rather go with a tour. I'm just hunting around for the cheapest option, the exchange rate for the aussie dollar is appalling and we will be travelling for 7 weeks.
I've checked the train timetables and we can get into Tours by 9am all going well and pick up a tour at 9.30am.
I don't know whether or not that is cutting it too fine but I'm assuming French trains are reliable.

That's where the Michelin Green Guide to the Loire Valley comes into its on, both for advance reading and reading while visiting the various châteaux. Most of them offer guided tours, and some can only be visited with a local guide.

I agree with Jean, but I do think there's value in joining a tour rather than going on your own. The tour guide will give you information such as the history of the chateau, its residents, etc. which is interesting and enhances the experience. You won't get this if you go on your own.

First, one caution: most of the Loire Valley châteaux are not what you would think of as castles; they're more huge mansions. A few, such as Azay le Rideau (with its moat) look like fortified castles, but most do not. We found that Chenonceau was one of the best to visit, as it retains some of its furniture and is thus more interesting than the châteaux with bare rooms. Chambord is interesting because of its sheer size, and Saumur is quite beautiful and rather fairy-tale-like in appearance.

There are several Paris tour companies; the two main ones are Paris Vision and Cityrama. You can check into them when you get to Paris--no great need to book ahead. But the tours are expensive, and I doubt tht you'll get any lower prices there.

One alternative would be to take the train to Tours and then pick up a rental car. That would be expensive for just one day but probably cheaper than a drive-and-guide tour.

I'm trying to decide best option to see Loire castles from Paris. Have checked on line but tours seem very expensive. I'm investigating going to Tours and doing 2 half day tours from Tourist Office- cheaper but have to get into Tours before 9.30am. I'm wondering if we(there are 4 adults,1 child) can get a good deal when we actually get to Paris and book through a company there. Will it be cheaper?
thanks for any help