I'm sorry to say that you cannot do 'THE LOIRE' and its castles in a day. Perhaps the best solution is to decide which one you are going to visit and then book a railway ticket to the nearest big town and hire a car from there to actually get to the château you wish to visit.

However, I believe that there are coach tours (a VERY long day!) from central Paris that do cover a quick taster of the Loire valley and its châteaux. You might try looking up Office de Tourisme de Paris and then try to find something on coach tours on the web. This is a pricey but practical solution. However, it is not advisable if you are a) coach sick or b) a child likely to be bored. Take money for a pricey lunch and plenty of water! Bonne chance.

Alsacienne is right, there is so much to do in Paris, that for us in UK (as opposed to tourists from the USA who "do" the whole of Europe in one go!), it might be better to come to France again specially for a Loire trip, and spend longet there.

But yes, there are coach trips to the Loire. When we were in Paris recently, we booked a Paris coach tour through Thomson's, and they used this firm.....see link.....

http://www.parisvision.com/fr/index.cfm?rubrik=intro&ki=gb4j93v0ut

Their offices are quite easy to find in the Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Tuileries gardens, so you could probably go and think about it while you're there, and see how you feel nearer the time. I'm sure as alsacienne says, it would be a long day, but if you don't think you would be able to do it any other way, then it's worth trying.

Hope you have a good time anyway

thax for the info! just wondering if not loire valley, than what? how about versailles?? plz advice, is it worth it & how to go there?

Are you worried about getting bored? Cos you'd have a job!
We were in Paris for 5 days, and honestly, we didn't see half of what's there!

What sort of things do you like to do?

There's a thread about Paris in the City breaks section, have a look here for ideas

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=22263

Not that we want to put you off a long coach trip.......

ok. so its not a day trip! thing is i am going to alps also, is there a train that i can take till the chateaus & spend a day there & then carry on to the alpa( chamonix)
thanks

I suggest you buy a map of France!

The Loire valley and the Alps are in exactly opposite directions and each is a good days travel from Paris by bus!

I think you are trying to cram too much into a 5 day trip, why don't you just enjoy Paris and save the Loire valley for another time.
There is lots to do and see in the Loire Valey and on the coast which you will miss and you will spend most of your time travelling.
Hope you have a lovely time.

Sandy,

Loking at some of your posts you seem to be intent on packing too much into 5 days. Futuroscope, the Loire Valley, the alps!

France is 4 times the size of the UK and although the roads are very good you will spend most of your 5 days on them. I suggest you just enjoy Paris and it's surroundings. There is plenty to do with theme parks, palaces, museums, cathedrals and everything else in easy reach.

Save the other areas for next time and the time after that. We have had many holidays in France, some of them 5 and 6 weeks in length and we have only scratched the surface.

hi again,
let me make it clear i dont intend to do alps in five days, for that i have three extra days! i hope it is worth it? i have complete five days in paris only! please advice!

I realise your Alps trip is a separate part of your holiday.

I don't know exactly how you should get there, I think you will have to do some research on the internet. Or get a book. I see you can get the Thomas Cook Rail map of Europe from amazon.co.uk or probably at your local bookshop. I can also find easily on the internet the infromation that you can go by French TGV train to Chamonix from Paris (Gare de Lyon). It takes over 6 hours each way though! I estimate the distance is over 300 miles.

France is a big country!

In the winter you can get direct "ski trains" from London (Eurostar) to the Alps, but not in summer. (mind you, you have to cross Paris by metro on the way!)

Good luck with your planning

The Palace of Versailles is an easy day-trip with it being only about 30 minutes away from Paris. It's also easy to spend the whole day there as the palace and grounds are huge. Try and visit on a day when the fountains are turned on (weekends and public holidays I think) as the formal gardens look so much better when they are and you walk around to a background of classical music being played. The Hamlet area is also very attractive, designed by Marie-Antoinette herself. You can get there by train by catching the RER (regional express) line C5 to the Versailles Rive Gauche station and from there catch the shuttle bus to the palace. The palace isn't open on Mondays although the park and gardens still are.