The Loire Valley is a good choice for the long post-marathon extension because it requires almost no urgent decision-making once you arrive. Base yourself in Tours or Amboise and the châteaux come to you by taxi or local bus in manageable half-day visits; there is no pressure to see everything at once, and April spring light in the valley's vineyards and formal gardens rewards a slower pace.
TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Tours Saint-Pierre-des-Corps takes around 55 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes depending on the service, with trains running throughout the day. Blois is reached by Intercités in around 1 hour 45 minutes. Tours offers the widest accommodation choice and the best restaurant access; Amboise is smaller, better placed for Chenonceau, and noticeably quieter on weekday evenings.
Book the rail tickets in advance. April is a popular period for Loire tourism and TGV advance fares are significantly cheaper than walk-up prices.
Château de Chenonceau
The most visited private château in France and the most distinctive on the course of the Loire: the Château de Chenonceau spans the river Cher on a series of arches, with a two-storey gallery running over the water above them. It was built from 1514, extended in the 1550s under Diane de Poitiers and then Catherine de Medici, and passed through private ownership continuously, which protected it from Revolutionary-era damage.
From Amboise, Chenonceau is accessible by taxi in about 12 minutes or by the regional Fil Vert bus from Tours. The château and gardens open daily; entry runs approximately €15 to €20 depending on option. April brings spring flowers in the formal gardens on either side of the entrance drive without the summer queues. Allow two hours including the garden walk.
Château de Chambord
Chambord is the largest of the Loire châteaux and the most architectural: François I's hunting lodge grown to 440 rooms, a roofline of turrets and chimneys and the double-helix staircase in the central keep, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci in design if not in construction. From Tours or Blois, Chambord is not accessible by direct public transport without a significant journey; the most practical approach is a taxi or rental car for the roughly 45-minute drive from Blois.
The château sits within a 54 square kilometre walled estate, the largest walled park in Europe. Entry runs approximately €14. Plan for a morning or afternoon visit and build in time to walk the rooftop terrace, which gives the best view of the roofline and the estate beyond.
Château d'Amboise
Amboise is the most accessible château from the town of the same name: the royal fortress sits directly above the river from the town centre and can be reached by a short climb up from the Rue Nationale. It was the residence of the French royal court under Charles VIII, Louis XII and François I, and Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life as a guest in the adjacent manor house at Clos Lucé.
Le Clos Lucé, now a Leonardo da Vinci museum, houses scale models of his machine designs and reconstructions of his workshop in rooms he actually occupied between 1516 and his death in 1519. The garden adds a further 30 to 40 minutes of flat walking. Entry to Clos Lucé runs approximately €17; the château entry is separate at approximately €15.
The Wines
The Loire Valley produces wines across a range of grapes that become considerably cheaper and more varied when bought at source rather than in Paris. The white wines of the Vouvray appellation, produced from Chenin Blanc directly east of Tours, range from bone-dry to late-harvest sweet depending on the producer and the year; the wine village of Vouvray itself is 10 minutes by taxi from central Tours. Chinon, south-west of Tours on the Vienne river, produces the valley's best Cabernet Franc reds, structured enough to improve for 10 years but approachable in the spring after harvest.
Maison de la Loire and Les Caves du Père Augustin in Amboise offer wine-tasting rooms open without appointment; the latter is in the cave system carved into the tufa cliff below the château. Most of the region's appellations are accessible by taxi day trip from Tours or Amboise, and a half-day wine itinerary replacing one château visit works well for the slower days.
Getting Back
TGV from Tours Saint-Pierre-des-Corps to Paris Montparnasse runs frequently throughout the afternoon and evening, with the journey under 70 minutes. From Blois, the Intercités journey back is around 1 hour 45 minutes with services through the day. Book the return journey before leaving Paris.