The Loire Valley Birding and Culture Tour

The Loire Valley and Birding and Culture Tour

Birding the Amazing Castles and Forests of the Loire Valley

This 10-day tour will focus on birding the castles, gardens, and forests of the Loire Valley, France.  We will spend two full days in Paris and four full days birding the Loire Valley from our home base in the royal village of Amboise. 

Printable Bird List
(This is a checklist of birds that we have seen in northern France)

• Travel Dates: 
• April 8 - 17, 2027, spots left = 4
• Additional dates by request
• Group Size:  4 people
• Trip Length: 10 days
• Rates: Rate per person = $4,650 (based on double occupancy), an extra $1,350 for single occupancy
• Rates include: Transfer and travel within France, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, entrance fees, and basic travel insurance.
• Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, snack in between meals, and trip cancellation insurance.
• Adventure level:  Easy, please check the “Welcome” page for definition
• Reservations:  To reserve a spot on the trip, a non-refundable $800 per person deposit is required, and the non-refundable balance is due six months prior to the trip.

Basic Itinerary*

*This itinerary only includes 2-days in Paris, and we do not visit any museums.  If you are interested in visiting museums and historic sites, we recommend an additional 3 - 5 day visit.  You can arrive a few days early or stay a few days after the tour ends and we are happy to help you with places to visit and how to make timed-entry reservations.  You can also book an extension to this tour.  Please contact us for details and pricing. 

Day 1: Arrival day
Flights are usually overnight with early morning arrival at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) in Paris.  You will be met at the airport and shuttled to the hotel, where we will be staying for 2-nights at the Hotel Paix Republique. This great hotel is located in the heart of Place de la République, which is a wonderful neighborhood in Paris and provides easy access to all the great sights. Activities for the day will depend on your arrival time in Paris.

Day 2: Full day in Paris 
Paris has many beautiful gardens and parks.  In the morning we will visit and bird the Jardin du Luxembourg. eBird: Jardin du Luxembourg. For lunch we will be talking a 2-hour boat trip along the Seine River to view all the great sites of Paris.  After lunch, we will continue birding the parks and gardens of Paris with a visit to the Jardin des Plantes. eBird:  Jardin des Plantes

Day 3: Travel to Amboise
From Paris we will take the train to the city of Tours, which takes about 1 hour.  From Tours we will travel by car to the Loire Valley.  Our home base for the next 5-nights will be in the village of Amboise at the Hôtel Le Pavillon des Lys. Amboise is a picturesque village overlooking the Loire River.  It was once home to the French Royal Court. Even Joan of Arc visited here in 1429.  In the afternoon we will have time to visit Château du Clos Lucé, the former home of Leonardo De Vinci, and also the Château Royal d'Amboise of Amboise to bird the gardens. eBird list:  Amboise

Day 4: The Loire Valley
Our hotel is perfectly located in the heart of the Loire Valley.  From here, each day we can drive a short distance to visit a different castle estate for birding.  Our first location to visit for the day is Château de Cheverny  Originally built in 1315, the castle has 247 acres of wonderful gardens and woodlands. And of course there will be time to tour the castle as well.  eBird:  Cheverny  Just outside of the town of Amboise is the Chanteloup Pagoda built in 1775 and you can walk to the top for great views and raptor sightings. 

Day 5: Loire Valley
Today we will spend the day at Château de Chaumont birding and walking the surrounding gardens and forests. There will be 2-hours of birding the estate before lunch, with time to visit the castle, and after lunch more birding the gardens. There are 80 acres here and the property overlooks the Loire River and includes  parks and walking areas. eBird:  Chaumont

Day 6: Loire Valley
Today we will spend the day at Chenonceaux birding and walking the surrounding gardens and forests. There will be 2-hours of birding the estate before lunch, with time to visit the castle, and after lunch more birding.  This castle crosses over the Cher River.  There are over 600 acres of gardens and forests for birding along the river and woodlands. eBird:  Chenonceaux

Day 7: Loire Valley
Today we head out to see one of the finest castles in France:  Chambord.  This castle contains 426 rooms and 282 fireplaces. But most impressive is the 13,500 acres of forest that surround the castle grounds.  The National Estate of Chambord is the largest wall-enclosed park in Europe.  This makes for excellent birding and long beautiful walks. eBird: Chambord

Day 8: Travel to Paris
we will be taking the midday train, 1 hour, back to Paris, where we will be staying once again at Hotel Paix Republique for 2-nights. 

Day 9: Versailles
A full day visit to the Chateau de Versailles.  Here you will find amazing architectural design, incredible interior design, fashion, great works of art, and beautiful gardens and forests to explore. There are an additional 2,000 acres of forested parkland adjacent to the palace. eBird: Versailles

Day 10: Departure day
Activities for the day will depend on your flight departure schedule.  There will be a shuttle to the airport.