A day trip from Paris to Tours -- worth it?

We are considering this vs. crowded Versalles. Your advice is very appreciated.

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There are several Castles in the Loire Valley that are wonderful to see. However, you will either need to drive a car to get to them or take an escorted tour. We went with Cityrama tours and loved the day we had in this area. If you want something more like Versalles consider Fountianbleau. Smaller version. Less crowded and more furnishings.

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Tours is about an hour from Paris by TGV. You can rent cars at the train station. There are plenty of chateaux within a short (20-50Km) drive.

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Chartres, Chantilly, Vaux-le-Vicomte...

The Loire really deserves much more than a day. I hate to tell you this, but many of the chateaux will be very crowded at the height of the tourist season. Perhaps not quite as many people as Versailles, but since most of the chateaux are MUCH smaller, they might even seem more crowded...

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;We are considering this vs. crowded Versalles. Your advice is very appreciated.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Based on your personal research of each and what they have to offer, WHAT DO YOU THINK ?? It%26#39;s your precious time, your particular interests, preferences and priorities. BOTH ARE WELL WORTH IT (crowds and all) for a variety of different reasons.

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I love small European cities -- for example last year in Austria we spend an amazing day in Grinzing (correct spelling?). I enjoy that part of Europe as much as big cities, huge museums and famous monuments.

As guess my question is %26quot;Is it doable?%26quot;. Are there direct trains/buses, early morning trains from Paris to Tours, late afternon trains from Tours to Paris?

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Yes, it is certainly %26quot;doable.%26quot; The TGV will take you to Tours in little more than an hour, and they are frequent.

I do know Tours quite well, and I%26#39;m not sure that I would pick it as the best small city day-trip I could come up with. It%26#39;s a pleasant enough place, but really not terribly interesting. A fair bit of the city was destroyed in WW2, and has since been rebuilt. But it does have a pleasant and lively, though small, old quarter, a cathedral and a pleasant art museum. And there are good restaurants and cafes. (I tend to think of it as a place I%26#39;d rather live in than visit, if that makes sense.)

I think I would probably pick Rouen rather than Tours, also about an hour out of Paris, and overall a more interesting place to just wander around. Architecturally and historically I think it has more to offer. (There is the Joan of Arc connection.) The old town is fascinating. And the cathedral is splendid.

I%26#39;ve been trying to come up with the Austrian city you mention that you enjoyed so much, so that I could recommend something similar. But the closest I can come is Bregenz and you surely don%26#39;t mean that. Or do you?

Anyway, www.sncf.com will give you timetables for trains to and from Tours (or Rouen for that matter).

Have a great day whatever you decide!

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IrishRov, thank you for an advice. You are the best! And thank you for a nice comment about my daughter on a different posting.

Grinzing is a small city outside of Vienna, It is famous by it%26#39;s small taverns -- maybe that why I liked it so much! :)

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You are most welcome!

I know (finally) what the Grinzing reference was about. I think I must have been having a senior moment! Anyway I think of it really as a district of Vienna rather than a separate place. And I also think of it more as a village than a %26quot;city.%26quot;

Anyway both Rouen and Tours are quite large - perhaps 150,000 population - but if you are looking for an experience a bit like Grinzing I think the old town in Rouen would be better than Tours. And besides the cathedral and the Joan of Arc sites, there are several good museums...

(Others may have different suggestions for you too..)

There is a restaurant in Rouen I think you would like for lunch - Le Beffroy, on rue du Beffroy. Wonderful Cuisine Normande in a lovely traditional setting. Very friendly and hospitable. Not exactly cheap but worth every penny, IMO. And Denys (I think it was..) posted another recommendation in a recent thread about Rouen and Honfleur.

http://www.rouentourisme.com/

Have fun!

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I back Irishrovr, for something doable in one day, i would say Rouen instead of TOurs. T ours is nice but just a base for exploring the chateaux around, the town itself has a beatiful square with old houses. But MANY streets in ROuen have the same houses, not just one square. So i vote for Rouen for one day, for Tours and the Ch��teaux if you have several days at least 2 or 3.