How about this one , well need to update my introduction to Amboise several years back. Oh yes of course, been here done that, very familiar for many years since living in Versailles ,and then now from my Morbihan breton , of course this is Amboise. Well we get some of our house wines from across the Loire and oh yes darn it, there is a castle here in fact two one for a king and one for a genius so we saw both!
The wines are from the Domaine Dutertre (see post) across the Loire in Limeray. We tend to gravitate to the other side for the castle and its market days. Glorious within the two castles! Oh well, let me tell you a bit more on Amboise.
Let me repeat how to get here , we of course always do it by car. You can get to Amboise from Paris by road on the A10 direction Bordeaux and get off at exit /sortie 18 Château Renault D31 road that leads you right into the Loire river, here you can turn right before the river into the D952 to go across to Amboise on the D431 or cross the river from the D31 and come alongside it on the D761 into the city. All is well paneled with signs so it’s very easy. You can do so by train station TER from Paris Gare d’Austerlitz, (never done it) by Blvd. Gambetta./rue Charles Peguy and walk along rue Jules Ferry towards the river crossing it you are in Amboise and the castle upon you. Or by TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Saint Pierre-des-Corps (never done it) 20 km away and here by taxi or rental car. I come always by car and parking is very convenient by the castle at rue Victor Hugo above ground along castle walls, and others are place du Marché, le Mail, quai Charles Guinot, place Richelieu, parking du Château, avenue Léonard de Vinci, and rue du Clos Lucé.
I have other posts on the sights so pictures will be limited here but one to see is the Mini Châteaux park. Le parc des Mini-Châteaux / Parc de loisirs ; La Menaudière – D81 road, Amboise. And the La Pagode de Chanteloup D31 road, Amboise. And the Val de Touraine aquarium now call Grand Aquarium de Touraine Lieu dit les Hauts Bœufs – 37400 Lussault-sur-Loire ,and easy with a car arriving from Amboise, you will pass the village of Lussault and signs will indicate the direction on your left.
We have enjoyed eating here wonderful by the castle, over the years, one nice quick bite place is the Bigot Chocolatier-Pâtisserie-Boulangerie-Salon de Thé . For desserts our fav and bring home too; wonderful sweets of different tastes for all and very good. Maison Bigot webpage: https://maison-bigot-amboise.com/
One of our big meals favorite since our first trips here and continued is the Anne de Bretagne resto right in the corner before moving up to the castle, friendly place, nice talkative servers, and good food at reasonable price. On this particular occasion ,we had our onion soups, galette St Jacques (scallops) steak and fries, spaghetti bolognaise, galette canard confit (duck) croque madame sandwich (with the egg) plenty of Stella Artois beers, coffee expresso,and diabolo menthe , and of course we have come back again and again right up the hill going to the castle. Great resto with very friendly service always even if crowded/ Recommended; no webpage. Tel +33 (0) 2 47 57 05 46.
Others we have enjoyed there over the years are the Les Arpents, L’Ecluse, Brasserie de la Loire, Cafe des Arts, and La Terrace, on our visits to lovely Amboise. Another good one especially for coffees or ice creams is Amorino Amboise, 6 pl Michel Debré . And of course, we love biscuits , of all sorts so stop by the Biscuiterie d’Amboise 2 Place Michel Debré.
There is a wonderful walking town if a bit hilly towards Clos Lucé we enjoyed all the time. One specific street which is our hq for walking shopping eating all around as above is the up the castle at Place Michel Debré, this is a bit of its history I like
The Place Michel Debré was originally a street lined with houses on each side. The rampart was cleared under king Louis-Philippe and only the houses opposite it were preserved. Before the French revolution, it received the name of rue du Château; from the First Republic to the First Empire (1792-1814), it was the rue de la Citadelle. In 1833, it regained the name of rue du Château. Today, Place Michel Debré brings together the old Place du Château and the old rue du château. It was the most lively square in the medieval town. By a donation from Geoffroy Martel to Lisois de Basogers, we know that from the middle of the 11C the market took place there. It was also the square where the route d’Espagne separated from the route de Montrichard or even the link between the city and the Petit Fort before they were gathered in 1469. With the exception of the stone hotel at 4 place Michel Debré, only the half-timbered houses can date from the 15-16C. There are large facades like at 54 place Michel Debré: 9.2 meters!, and very narrow facades such as 8 place Michel Debré: about 3 meters!!. There is one of the two half-timbered houses which has kept its original sculpture at 54 place Michel Debré. One can imagine that the established houses dating from the 15-16C were most prestigious because of their privileged position in front of the king’s home (the castle).
There you go folks, can’t get away from wines and here the Amboise-Touraine has some good ones just do a nice walk in fancy gourmand Amboise, of my belle France. Right in above square is our fav for tasting before heading out into the properties, this is the Caveau Des Vignerons d’ Amboise 1, Place Michel Debré! webpage: https://caveauvins-amboise.monsite-orange.fr/ !
The city of Amboise on its heritage: https://www.ville-amboise.fr/12/patrimoine-et-histoire.htm
The Amboise Val de Loire tourist office on Amboise: https://www.amboise-valdeloire.co.uk/destination-amboise/amboise/
Amboise, see it , come on in, its a lot more than a castle for a king and a genius here, the ambiance, the walks, the architecture, and history is all around us and we love it. Hope you enjoy the brief tour of Amboise, in the Indre et Loire dept 37 of the Centre-Val de Loire region ; the real valley of the kings!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 