Loire Valley Wine Tours
The Loire is the garden of France and its largest white-wine region: the crisp Sauvignons of Sancerre, the Chenin of Vouvray and Savennières, the Cabernet Franc reds of Chinon and Saumur-Champigny, the sparkling Crémant aged in tuffeau caves, and all of it strung between the royal châteaux along the river. This is our Loire hub. Below are the top-rated experiences, then our Touraine and château pages.
Top-rated Loire Valley wine experiences
Formats: Touraine wine tours from Tours and Amboise; château-and-wine day trips from Paris and Tours; cellar visits in the tuffeau caves; bike-and-wine outings along the river.
What you taste: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (Sauvignon), Vouvray and Savennières (Chenin), Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny (Cabernet Franc), Crémant de Loire, Muscadet, and Rosé d’Anjou.
France’s white-wine river
The Loire runs west to the Atlantic through four broad wine countries. In the east, around Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, Sauvignon Blanc is at its flinty best. In the centre, Touraine gives the Chenin of Vouvray and Montlouis and the Cabernet Franc reds of Chinon and Bourgueil. West again, Anjou-Saumur makes sparkling Saumur and Crémant de Loire, the dry Chenin of Savennières, the sweet Coteaux du Layon, and Saumur-Champigny; and at the mouth, around Nantes, the oyster-friendly Muscadet. It is the largest source of white and sparkling wine in France.
Wine and châteaux together
What makes the Loire unlike any other wine region is the castles. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, and its royal and Renaissance châteaux – Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, Villandry and its gardens, Azay-le-Rideau – sit among the vineyards, so the classic day pairs a castle with a cellar. Many of those cellars are cut into the soft tuffeau limestone, and the same caves age the sparkling wine. See our château-and-wine day trips.
How to visit, and the food
Base in Tours or Amboise for the centre of the valley, or come as a day trip from Paris (about two hours). The food follows the wine: rillettes de Tours, the goat cheeses Sainte-Maure and Crottin de Chavignol, river fish with beurre blanc, and tarte Tatin from the Sologne. Spring and autumn are loveliest; harvest is September-October.
Read next: Champagne vs Crémant: the difference
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Loire Valley Wine Tours
Frequently asked questions
Why the Loire?
Because nowhere else pairs great wine with fairy-tale castles so easily - a morning at Chenonceau, an afternoon in a troglodyte cellar tasting Vouvray - an easy day from Paris or a stay around Tours.
Can I do the Loire Valley as a day trip from Paris?
Yes; full-day tours from Paris visit one or two châteaux and a winery with tastings, about two hours each way. To go deeper, stay around Tours or Amboise. See our château day trips.
What wine is the Loire best known for?
Crisp whites above all - Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé from Sauvignon, Vouvray and Savennières from Chenin - plus Cabernet Franc reds (Chinon, Saumur-Champigny) and sparkling Crémant.
Where should I base myself?
Tours or Amboise for the central valley and the best mix of châteaux and cellars; Saumur for the sparkling wine; Sancerre for the eastern Sauvignons.