Would you like to visit the Loire Valley and are wondering whether to go to Tours or Amboise?
We love both destinations. The choice is difficult, but we're here to help you with our opinions on specific criteria.
Here's our battle of Tours vs Amboise with tips and photos.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Tours or Amboise: quick response
Tours is a large, busy city, while Amboise is a small, mainly tourist town. For a more relaxing vacation, we recommend Amboise. But if you're looking for a wide choice of bars for your evenings out and museums, the city of Tours will be a better option.
The other advantage of Amboise is that there are already 3 châteaux in the town!
Amboise is closer to Chambord and Chenonceau.
Tours offers easier access to the western part of the Loire Valley.
WHERE TO STAY IN THE Loire Valley
Our independent picks for the accommodation of your dreams:
Access + Location to explore the region
Location
The two towns are close to each other. They provide easy access to the same castles and attractions.
Let's take a look at the road ahead to help you understand:
- Tours to Amboise: 30 min drive
- Amboise to Blois: 35 min drive
- Tours to Saumur: 1h drive
Here is a map to help you find your way:
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
- Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
Access
Both cities can be reached by train.
However, as Tours is a larger city, you'll have more train options.
If you're coming from Paris, you'll arrive at Tour and have to change trains to get to Amboise.
See the available schedules and book your train tickets now.
Nearby Loire castles
Castles around Tours
Tours is a very central location for exploring the Loire castles. They're all around you, to the west and east.
Among the closest, you'll find:
Château de Villandry (30 min east)
With its magnificent gardens
>> Book your tickets
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (30 min west)
one of the most romantic
>> Book your tickets
Château de Chenonceau (45 min east)
One of the best known, very elegant
>> Book your tickets
See our article on the most beautiful châteaux around Tours, with photos and tips.
Castles around Amboise
Amboise is very close to Chenonceau and even closer to Chambord. This covers the two best-known châteaux in the Loire Valley. But you'll have to drive a bit further to explore the western castles.
Among the nearest, apart from the 3 castles in the town, you'll find:
Château de Chenonceau (20 min east)
One of the best known, very elegant
>> Book your tickets
Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire (25 min to the east)
With its park and modern gardens
>> Book your tickets
Château de Blois (35 min east)
One of the richest châteaux in the Loire Valley, with a wealth of furnishings
>> Book your tickets
See our article on the most beautiful châteaux around Amboise with photos and tips.
Our review
Equality. Both towns offer easy access to many of the Loire Valley's châteaux, including some of the most beautiful!
Hotels: Tours vs Amboise
Hotels in Tours
The hotel offer in Tours is varied, with a 5-star hotel, historic buildings and charming small hotels.
We recommend you:
5-star Hôtel Les Trésorières, with indoor pool and spacious rooms
See photos, prices and availability
Hotel Oceania L'Univers, in a renovated historic building in the heart of the city.
See photos, prices and availability
Hôtel Ferdinand, a charming little hotel in the city center, where we really appreciated the design and the welcome.
See photos, prices and availability
For more ideas, read our article on the best hotels in Tours.
Hotels in Amboise
The hotel offer in Amboise is a little different. The city is smaller.
You'll find plenty of accommodation in historic sites.
The advantage is that you can choose to stay in the city center or in the surrounding countryside, without ever being far from the city.
Here are some of our favorite hotels:
Hôtel Château de Perreux, surrounded by 5 hectares of wooded parkland
See photos, prices and availability
Hôtel Le Manoir Saint-Thomas, centrally located with swimming pool
See photos, prices and availability
Hotel Le Château de Nazelles, 3 stars, green setting and spa
See photos, prices and availability
For more ideas, read our article on the best hotels in Amboise.
A LITTLE MORE patience
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Attractions, museums and monuments
Attractions in Tours
Tours' main attractions are:
- Visit Tours Cathedral with its dazzling stained-glass windows
- Rediscovering the poet Ronsard at Prieuré Saint-Cosme
- Explore old Tours with its historic houses
- Discover the collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours, from the Renaissance to the 20th century
- Climbing the Charlemagne Tower
- Stroll through the botanical gardens
- Learn more about arts and crafts at the Musée du Compagnonnage
- …
Find out more in our article on the best attractions in Tours.
Amboise Attractions
Amboise's main attractions are:
- Visit the Château d'Amboise
- Discover Leonardo da Vinci's inventions at Le Clos-Lucé
- Strolling along the Loire
- Travelling to Italy at Château Gaillard
- Feel like a giant at the miniature castle park
- …
Find out more in our article on Amboise's top attractions.
Our review
As Tours is a larger city, you have a wider choice of museums and activities than in Amboise.
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
Most beautiful villages nearby
With the two towns so close together, you have access to much the same villages in the Loire Valley. Here are some of the closest:
Chédigny
The garden village known for its rosebushes along the main road
40 min from Tours, 1 h from Amboise
Crissay-sur-Manse
Off the beaten track, with some beautiful buildings and a very pleasant calm.
40 min from Tours, 1h from Amboise
Lavardin
a trip back to medieval times, with castle ruins and a fascinating church.
50 min from Tours, 45 min from Amboise
Montrésor
The most beautiful village in the Loire Valley, in our opinion, with a small château.
1h from Tours, 45 min from Amboise
Candes-Saint-Martin and Montsoreau
Elegant villages on the banks of the Loire
50 min from Tours and 1h10 from Amboise
See the full list in our article on the most beautiful villages near Tours.
It's time to book!
Compare everything: companies, prices, schedules and availability.
Best gastronomic offer
Restaurants in Tours
Tours is not the best city for discovering French gastronomy, but it does offer a fine selection of international restaurants and wine bars. A real treat!
Among our favorite restaurants:
- Restaurant La Deuvalière, a bistronomic break in a beautiful stone room
- Restaurant Makeda, Ethiopian dishes full of flavour
- Restaurant Espace Hades, for a light lunch featuring delicious lightly battered crêpes.
- Restaurant "Tutu à loire et à manger", a wine bar near Les Halles
Discover our selection of the best restaurants in Tours.
Restaurants in Amboise
Amboise is a mix of restaurants for tourists and very good French and regional gastronomy.
Among our favorite restaurants:
- Restaurant BERTHELOT in La Brèche, a gourmet restaurant that will surprise your taste buds
- Restaurant Les Arpents, for a poetic moment full of freshness
- Restaurant Bigot, an ice cream parlour for your afternoon snack
Discover our selection of the best restaurants in Amboise.
Avis
The two offers are very different.
If this is your first time in the Loire Valley, Amboise has more to offer, in our opinion.
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Easy to get around these cities
Amboise is a small town, so it's easy to get in and out and explore the region.
In the city of Tours, there will be some traffic jams and it will take some time to get out of the city to visit the castles and villages.
And why not other cities/regions?
Along the Loire, you'll find other great places to stay, including Saumur, Blois and Angers.
See our list of the most beautiful towns on the Loire.
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN
Loire Valley
The castles of the Loire Valley
Other places to explore
Practice
