- Category
- Excursions and Day Trips
- Duration
- 10.5 hours
- Location
- Paris
Loire Valley Tour
Transforming Medieval Fortresses
Transitioning to Decadence
Château de Chambord
Take Aways
FAQ
You will meet your guide at the train station in Paris, and travel together by train to Tours, where you will meet the driver. The guide will then accompany you back to Paris by train at the end of the excursion.
We'll buy your train and castle entrance tickets in advance. You're responsible for the cost of lunch.
We normally buy second-class train tickets for the TGV, but if you let us know in advance we can purchase first-class tickets. Please note that the prices fluctuate and we buy them based on availability.
Contact us to discuss the possibility of doing this tour with a larger group and car.
Please contact us to discuss this possibility and pricing.

Marine comes from Marseille in the South of France but has been living in Paris for 12 years. A licensed tour guide since 2014, she first studied Art History at the Ecole du Louvre and then History at Nanterre University, from which she was awarded a Master's degree. She also spent a semester in Italy, at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. In addition to her academic work in history and art history, she has a diploma in enology from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Before becoming a tour guide, Marine worked for museums and art foundations. Now, in addition to guiding, she teaches History of Architecture at the Ecole du Louvre. She is passionate about architecture, the history of fashion and street art.

Lauren first began guiding in 2009 at the Vatican. Realizing her passion for teaching, the experience propelled her into graduate study. She completed a master’s degree in art history at the Courtauld Institute in London. In 2015 she moved to Paris on a Fulbright scholarship to conduct dissertation research. She completed her PhD from Rutgers University and now lectures at the Paris Institute for Critical Thinking. Her specialization is modern art in France with a focus on gender studies and women artists. Lauren’s writings have appeared in academic journals, and she is currently expanding her PhD dissertation into a book on early 20th c female artists and their representations of the nude. Beyond art, she is passionate about wine and frequently travels around Italy with her sister who is a sommelier. When not writing or traveling, you can find her in the Louvre, Orsay or at the Pompidou. Since 2009 Lauren has led around 1,000 tours in museums in Paris and Rome. As a licensed guide, her goal is to make art and history come to life and create lasting memories. She offers her expertise in a way that is engaging and relatable to visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

Born in Savoie in the French Alps, Sylvie studied economy and foreign language (English and Spanish). Having a strong interest in perfumes and luxury, she decided to move to Paris after her bachelor graduation to start working in marketing and sales at L’Oréal Paris - Perfumes and Cosmetics. After this outstanding experience, she decided to go back to university and study French History and Art to become a certified Tour Guide. She wrote her thesis on Louis XIV, the Sun King, « Art strengthens power », the propaganda of Louis XIV in Paris and Versailles ». She is now an expert in French palaces such as Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fontainebleau, and Chantilly and also the châteaux of the Renaissance in the Loire Valley : Chambord, Chenonceaux, Amboise, and the Clos Lucé and everything related to the life of Leonardo da Vinci. She loves to share with her guests her passion and love for the "Art de vivre à la Française" during the 17th and 18th centuries in châteaux and hôtels particuliers (private mansions) in France. Her other expertise in the Art of the table and French gastronomy allowed her to develop and create a custom tour on iconic muses such as Madame de Pompadour, the queen Marie Antoinette and the Empress Eugenie and Paris as the capital of luxury. She will also be delighted to tell you the history of Impressionism and take you on a tour on Claude Monet in Giverny or Auguste Renoir in Montmartre, or tell you more about the Bohemian life of Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.
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