Chateau Chambord
Château Chambord

Finishing our list of 5 day trips from Paris is the Loire Valley. Much like a trip out to Normandy, an excursion to the Loire Valley requires quite a bit of land travel. Nonetheless, there are few places in all of France that offer an authentic peek into the lives of yesterday’s French royalty and aristocracy.

The Loire Valley is known throughout the country for its magnificent chateaux. While a visit to Versailles can often be overwhelming, stepping through the doors of one of the Loire Valley’s castles conjures images of royalty that are easier to grasp. The largest of the area castles is the Château de Chambord, an awe inspiring structure built for King Francois 1st as a hunting outpost. The area containing the Château de Chambord, Château d’Ambroise, Château de Villandry and Chenonceau was recently named a UNESCO world heritage site largely for the architecture of its Rennaissance castles. The castles mirror French history and tour guides often amaze guests with stories about their near destruction during the French Revolution and survival during the two World Wars, often as military headquarters. Today, many of the area castles are privately owned however some, like the massive Chambord, are open to the public and attract thousands of tourists every year. The number of chateaus in the Loire Valley is truly dizzying and visitors hoping to fit the trip into one day will need to be modest in the number of castles they hope to visit. The Loire Valley can be visited by train, rental car, or one of the many tour-operated buses that leave from Paris daily.

As mentioned earlier, the beauty of Paris day trips is that visitors can get a taste of France outside of the capital without having to leave the comfort of their New York Habitat accommodation in Paris. Dozens of New York Habitat apartments are available year-round. Below are a few to get your search started:
– This classic 1-bedroom vacation rental apartment in Invalides, Auteuil – Tour Eiffel (PA-3179) features hardwood floors, a decorative fireplace and elegant furnishings.
– This studio duplex rental in Luxembourg, Montparnasse – Porte de Versailles (PA-3663) offers alot of space, hardwood floors and plenty of direct sunlight.
– This 1-bedroom apartment rental in Luxembourg, St Michel – St Germain – Notre Dame (PA-2894) features an amazing private garden space, a true rarity for Paris accommodations.

What’s your favoirte Chateau in the Loire Valley?