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The Loire Valley has something unique: its chateaux, peaceful atmosphere, and incredible wine! Join me on a private day trip and let's go on a road trip to experience the Loire valley. Discover the beautiful castles along the river, the local wine production, and excellent culinary traditions.

Destination

Paris, France

Category

Wine Beer Tours

Duration

12 hours

Transport mode

Car

Available languages

English, Français

Included

• Entrance tickets
• Private guide
• Meals
• Driver
• Pick-up Included

Excluded

• extra food and drinks

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Michel.

1. Meeting point

   You will be picked up anywhere in Paris. Your local host will contact you regarding the exact pickup point.

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Chambord

   Visit the Chateau of Chambord, a unique masterpiece of the Renaissance era

4. Winery Visit & Tasting

   Taste some fabulous local wines in a family-owned winery in Cheverny, close to Chambord

5. Lunch Time

   Enjoy a lunch paired with my personal selection of local wines, in one of the region's best bistros

6. Artisan Wine Tasting

   Delicious tastings in an artisan winery close to Chenonceaux, in Touraine

7. Chenonceaux

   Marvel at the Chenonceaux castle, a 16th century jewel build over the river

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Melissa🇺🇸 United States

16 May 2024

We are so thankful for Michel. Our previous booked tour through Viator was cancelled so I had to find a new tour at the last minute. We didn't want to typical museum type tour, we wanted a custom, show me the landmarks tour. And add in some wine! We visited Chenonceau Castle, took our photos, then went to a charming village for lunch. After that it was wine tasting time at Domaine Merieau winery. Yummy affordable wines. I may have bought a few bottles. We weren't super needed, but Michel took great care of us! Great guide made the trip fabulous

Mark🇺🇸 United States

11 October 2022

I thoroughly enjoyed the wineries that Michel took me to back in May. I had a unique request that he pick me up in the Loire Valley and end the tour in Paris (instead of starting and ending in Paris) to which he gracefully complied. The wineries were very nice and his insight into the wines was a great addition. Several points are lost due to his lack of following through with his promise to ship wines. At the end of the tour I left eight bottles with him and a list of ten more from the wineries that we'd visited. He said these would be shipped within 4-6 weeks. This was in the first week of May. By late June, after asking for updates a few times, he said that he had the wines and that he'd send them out shortly. They never arrived. On Aug 1 I asked again and he said he'd send them after the heat wave. Now it is the second week of October and I don't have my wines. He still has the eight bottles that I purchased (about €80). I'm tired of chasing after him to do what he said he'd do. The wines I planned on sharing with my family talking about the tour will never arrive. So, if you do decide to do this tour (which is on the higher end of tour prices), you'll experience several nice small wineries with good insight from a knowledgeable guide. Just make sure to purchase all the bottles you want and ship them yourself. 9/10 for the tour, 1/10 for wine shipment

Swayam🇮🇳 India

12 November 2021

We went to Loire valley with Michel. It was a great experience. Michel is quite a wine aficionado. Learnt a lot about the regional wine production. Would recommend a tour with him. Quite an impressive tour

Stephen🇺🇸 United States

13 October 2021

Michel is very knowledgeable of both wines and the history of the Loire region. A very accommodating host. Highly recommended. Travel with Michel

Murray🇨🇦 Canada

1 September 2021

Were initially looking at Loire wine tours with a group but instead chose to go with Michel for a more intimate experience. Was a great day exploring chateaus and visiting a couple family run wineries. Great experience to be off the beaten track meeting with wine artisans rather than being herded through big name wineries like cattle 😁. We had a wonderful and far more personal experience being the only visitors at the wineries… allowing for more in depth discussions with both Michel and our winery hosts Highly recommend Excellent Intimate Experience

Heather🇺🇸 United States

22 March 2020

Michel was a great host and full of great historical stories and information during the castle tours but he really shined during the wine tastings! He has an amazing passion for wine and the techniques that the local French use for creating that wine. We had an amazing day learning about so much history, the castles, and the wine as well as a beautiful lunch. Will definitely look him up on our next visit to Paris!Castle and Wine Tour

Cindy🇭🇰 Hong Kong

19 September 2019

Michel is easy, courteous, genuine, down to earth, good sense of humor... and the description can go on. We did the Loire Valley tour. Needless to say, the wine tasting was fantastic, the chateaux was impressive, the lunch and wine pairing selected by Michel himself was excellent. I think the best part of the entire trip, was the company. We came back with new insights about French people, knowledge about French food and wine, and memory of beautiful countryside scenery. This is hands down the best part of our trip so far.Best Part of the Paris Trip So Far

Wenny🇺🇸 United States

3 September 2019

Michel is extremely knowledgeable, and he tailored the Loire Valley/Château de Chambord tour for us. We came away inspired by the history and character of the Château, the local wine producing regions, and our warm hosts at the tastings. We highly recommend this experience! :) Wonderful Guide and Tour!

Mark🇺🇸 United States

20 July 2019

We took family of 6 on this tour and it was fabulous. We are not wine aficionados but Michels taught us about that he Loire region in an engaging way that was on our level. He exceeded our expectations! We started at Château of Chambord, went to 2 wineries and had a wonderful lunch. If you are traveling to Paris and want to get to the countryside, be chauffeured and drink wine, this tour is for you!5 star castle and wine tour. Not to be missed

Amy🇺🇸 United States

13 July 2019

Thank you Michel for a lovely day in the county. The two wineries were wonderful and your knowledge was fantastic. We would certainly do this again.Perfect

Michael🇺🇸 United States

12 July 2019

Michel was the perfect host on our private Loire Valley wine and castle tour. Pastries in the morning, the renewing Chenonceauc tour followed by surprisingly bold reds at a cave winery. Lunch and wine paring in the countryside, topped off with wine tastings cheverny. Must do if you are looking to really visit the Loire Valley! Amazing Castles and Wine Tasting

Phongthon🇹🇭 Thailand

16 April 2019

Michel gave us experience as if we have friend in Paris. Thank you for such a good memory of France.City escape from paris

Jennifer🇺🇸 United States

17 December 2024

Highly recommend this tour with Michel to experience the Champagne region. He is a knowledgeable tour guide - we learned so much during our day together! Loved the experience of trying champagne from two unique wineries. Truly one of our trip highlights! Amazing experience!

Mitch

10 October 2024

Michel is a very knowledgeable tour guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire day!Excellent Tour

Kelly🇺🇸 United States

18 September 2024

Michel was a terrific, knowledgeable , and a fun guide. We were two couples that spent the day in the Champagne region with Michel! He took us to a vineyard, commercial winery and a boutique winery. It really was amazing! He even included a “special” lunch for us. I highly recommend this tour and Michel. A Day in Champagne

Chris🇺🇸 United States

23 April 2024

Michel, was a fantastic guide. This was one of the highlights of our two week trip. He is passionate about wine, Champagne and France in general. He is full of history regarding many topics. We were able to visit a couple of small producers as well as a mega producer with amazing caves. Michel is very accommodating. If there is a specific house you want to visit, make sure you let him know. On top of everything, he helped select a few great local wines for us to take with us. He worked with a local wine shop and had everything ready for us to swing by, purchase and be on our way. He also recommended a great restaurant that was one of our highlights. We accidentally left a passport at the restaurant and Michel took it upon himself to help track us down which avoided a catastrophe. I’m a raving fan….!!!Amazing day

Stan🇺🇸 United States

2 May 2023

We had a great wine tasting experience with Michel. He helped better learn about what wines are from which regions. We tasted some really great wines and had some good food with the tastings. Michel is very knowledgeable. We had gone on a tour with him to the Champagne region a few years ago, so we knew this one would be another great tour. Stan & HollyA great experience

Wei🇺🇸 United States

10 January 2023

Michel picked us up from our apartment in the center for Paris. We toured 2 small champagne houses (per our request). We were able to learn the champagn making process from the wine makers themselves. Michel was very knowledgeable and engaging. The cherry on top was a very well thought out lunch. Overall, it’s experience that I’ll remember fondly for years to come. A fun, informative, and unique experience

Jeanne🇺🇸 United States

4 October 2022

Michel picked us up at our hotel and we were off the see Champagne. We had some great lessons on the terrain and a lovely albeit foggy at times drive from Paris to the Champagne region. Michel was good about switching plans as it was very foggy in areas that he wanted to share with us. We went to Bonnet-Ponson and had a great tour and tasting of that facility. Then off to lunch, which was a lengthy event (but delicious). Our last stop was in Reims where we went through the very fascinating caves of Pommery. Lots of time in the car and in Paris traffic but all in all a worthy experience.Great day in Champagne

Brandon 🇺🇸 United States

28 August 2022

We were excited to hire a local to take us to Champagne. Michael had a 5 star rating, which seemed quite promising. We found ourselves very disappointed in the experience. To start Michal indicated that we would be picked up in a luxury vehicle with all the comforts. He showed up is a Mazda that had very little room in the back and was not clean. I’m about 6’4” and had a difficult time fitting in the back. We asked if we could stop and grab a croissant and coffee. He showed up with some sweet pastries and we didn’t get coffee for a while. Once we got to champagne his first stop was to pullover in the road and grab a bottle of champagne and some cheese. Champagne was ok but there was little to no thought into this moment. From there he drove like a bat out of hell with the windows down until I got motion sick from his jerky driving. I had to move up front. He took us to a small winery. He kept mentioning that he wanted to add them to his portfolio. The owners were very nice but not prepared for our arrival. They seemed surprised. The tasting was basic and we were tasting wine from a previous tasting they did that had lost most of their bubbles by that point. It was very lack luster. We bought a few bottles to be polite and moved on. Michael then packed his car with a private purchase he made for his wine company. We moved on. I was expecting to try and few more wineries but then we went to lunch and I was told that was it. We did see a large church that was interesting, and then went to the Pommery, a request I had to make. It was more of a art exhibit than a wine tasting. For the price we paid I was expecting to taste a few more places. Very disappointing and I would not recommend this tour. It felt like we were passengers to ride with him to pick up wine at this winery he was adding to his portfolio. Save your money. Also, don’t do in August.Not what we expected

Amber🇺🇸 United States

2 August 2022

We were lucky to have found this private tour with Michel. It was, undoubtedly one of the highlights of our three-week trip abroad. While we both like to drink champagne, we knew we would enjoy having a good overview of the area, the process and the products from a local expert. He did not disappoint! Michel was a top-notch guide through and through. He was an excellent communicator, both before the trip to make sure things went smoothly and throughout our day with him. He was professional, a great conversationalist (we appreciated his excellent English skills), competent and knowledgeable. We felt he personalized our experience based on our basic knowledge and tailored our day accordingly. We got a great mix of experiences from visiting a vineyard, learning about the region and the grapes, seeing several producers of champagne, including visits to Pommery and an organic family producer. A highlight of our day was a lunch personalized to our own tastes with a local small family-owned cafe. There were train strikes on the day of our tour which added considerable traffic congestion, but Michel planned accordingly and took it in stride, making sure we still got a full experience with no rushing despite a later return to our hotel equating to a longer day for him. We would highly recommend Michel for this tour. We could tell he had a vast knowledge of the Champagne region and the production and while we were thankful that he personalized a baisc tour for our preferences, we could tell he had a vast array of knowledge and an engaging personality to share it.A fantastic day exploring Champagne with Michel

Patrik🇸🇪 Sweden

28 July 2022

Our day tour in Champagne with Michel was an unforgettable experience. Michel’s knowledge and friendliness made for an exceptional day. I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in wine making and champagne. A really great experience

Jason🇺🇸 United States

10 July 2022

Michel is an excellent host. You’ll be lucky to snag him. Wonderful, accommodating, kind, knowledgeable

Kiki🇸🇪 Sweden

8 July 2022

We had the best time with Michel in Champagne. An interesting selection of champagne houses and Michel really gave us an insight in the processes of champagne making. We really recommend this full day trip! You won’t regret it!🥂We just loved it

Unknown

7 July 2022

It was excellent! Thank you, Ralf

Brent🇺🇸 United States

23 May 2022

Michele was the ultimate host. Our day long experience was well timed and his attention to detail was impressive. Such a pleasant man. Each of our stops , including lunch in a small village, were easily conversed and felt like family. Without a doubt ye highlight of our quick 2 day trip to Paris and clothe majestic champagne region. Thank you Michel.. such a class act. Incredible day

Jim🇺🇸 United States

16 March 2022

I had a wonderful time learning about and sampling French wines with Michel. He was very knowledgeable and did a great job introducing us to the many regions of wine in France. I especially appreciated how well he answered my many many questions. Highly recommend!A great introduction to French wines

Margaret🇺🇸 United States

12 January 2022

We wanted a unique wine experience and found it with Michel. During the Christmas holiday, my husband, me, my brother and his wife enjoyed a remarkable wine tasting experience at Cave Sapien in the 7th. Hosted by Michel, he thoughtfully asked us what we were looking to achieve, and we decided upon an overview of key French wine regions. We were somewhat knowledgeable on wine, but Michel took it to a whole new level. Starting with Champagne - something my husband never liked, but he had never tried the unique, smaller boutique houses that Michel shared with us. Further, he spent much time explaining the "why" of the taste and the wine was phenomenal. Further, he shared less well known regions for Chardonnay (Jura) and newer areas with terrific reds. All in all, we had a fantastic time, drank great wine, found a wonderful new wine shop to visit when we are in Paris. We plan more tastings with Michel when we return next year.Wonderful Wine Tasting and More!

Sean🇺🇸 United States

27 December 2021

Booking and communication with Michel were simple. He picked us up at our hotel and off we went. He kindly accommodated a special request of mine, which was to stop by the Cimetière Américain du bois Belleau and visit the American Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen that fought in the region during the First World War. Afterward, we went to two smaller wineries with a nice lunch in between. One of the aspects of this tour that I enjoyed the most was Michel’s approach to selecting the wineries we visited; these were two smaller but more innovative winemakers in the region and we were able to enjoy a deeper dive with our tour of the facilities and, of course, excellent tasting flights! All along the way, Michel was very informative and educational in discussing the history and happenings in the Champagne wine region. Highly and enthusiastically recommend this tour as a perfect day trip out of Paris. Thank you, Michel!A Perfect Visit to Champagne

Jonathan🇬🇧 United Kingdom

23 October 2021

My Partner and I had a personalised wine tasting from Michel. We both Love Alsace wines an Michel personalised this with Alsace wines as-well as lots of other great French region wines. Michel has a great knowledge and it was great to sit and learn and talk with him. Will definitely be booking a tour with him when we come back to Paris.A must in Paris

Edson🇺🇸 United States

23 October 2021

We had a wonderful time with Michael touring Champagne. He shared with us the fascinating history of the region and the making of champagne 🍾. We tasted extensively and met the families who grow the vineyards and make the champagne. A wonderful time and some excellent new tastes. A true pleasure. Beautiful Day

sally🇺🇸 United States

21 September 2021

Michel was excellent and incredibly knowledgable. He gave us tons of information with each wine we tasted, knew all about the various regions of France, and shared plenty of personal experience to make the tasting even more special. The wines selected by Michel were also tailored to our preferences (which happened to fall more on the red side). Michel also had a great relationship with the wine shop in which we were located. It was intimate, personal, and all around an excellent experience. I would recommend Michel and this experience to anyone who enjoys wines from a total novice to an avid enjoyer.Great experience!

Pam🇺🇸 United States

19 September 2021

Michel corresponded with us prior to our day with him. He was early to pick us up. Our day was extremely well planned out and we learned so much about the area and the great wines. It was great to meet the wine makers and hear first hand how they do business. It was great timing to be in Chablis just before the harvest. Our lunch was delicious. Michel thought about everything we would need. It was a pleasure to meet Michel and we look forward to meeting again in the future. You could not pick a better guide. Fantastic Day in Chablis with Michel

Tanya🇺🇸 United States

8 July 2021

My son and I had a great and very tasty time with Michel. From the time when we scheduled this tour he was organized and attentive to details. Asked for our preferences and likes. Also he asked where we would like to meet … and in general communication was effortless. We learned a lot about Paris neighborhoods, diversity of food and best places to taste Parisienne delicacies. Michel is a somelier. Sharing his passion for wine and food was a highlight for me. Three hours went quite fast. Wish it was longer. Merci Michel! Delicious time with Michel

Bernhard🇦🇹 Austria

23 October 2020

I had asked for an offer for a food focused day in Paris from 9 am to 8 pm and Michel delivered a perfect experience for a food lover like me. He knows spots that are reasonably priced while serving top quality food. Any food I had in mind he knew a spot that was great to try. While walking from food to food we explored architecture off the beaten path and Michel explained to me the history of what we were passing - very knowledgeable! I can fully recommend Michel when it comes to food and wine he knows what he is doing very very well and if i come back to Paris I will book again to do further exploring of french cuisine, wines and architecture. Thanks!Perfect Foodie Day in Paris

Tarozzi🇮🇹 Italy

24 February 2020

Michel is EXTREMELY professional, a real teacher in his field. We didn't expect such a knowledgeable personAbsolute professionality

Anne🇺🇸 United States

18 February 2020

My husband and I had a wonderful experience wine tasting with Michel. He was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging and eager to customize the experience to be exactly what we were looking for. The wine shop he chose for our tasting was also fantastic. It was a quaint little shop in a lovely location and the staff was very helpful, friendly and wonderful to chat with. Would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a great afternoon of drinking and learning about delicious French wines. Exploring French wines with Michel

Lennart🇺🇸 United States

4 January 2020

Our family took a trip to Paris at the end of December 2019 and spent a wonderful afternoon with Michel. He was very knowledgeable and enjoyable and had arranged for us to experience a wine and charcuterie/cheese shop followed by lunch at an excellent Bistro followed by dessert at a very nice dessert shop. The afternoon was one of the highlights of our trip!!Outstanding food and wine tour experience

Audrey🇺🇸 United States

1 January 2020

Michel took my family to Reims champagne tasting. He was able to make it a great day for all of us, including my teenagers. We all learned a lot and enjoyed the tastings and lunch. We highly recommend the tour.Fantastic day with Michel

carlos🇺🇸 United States

30 December 2019

Michel is great, this is His passion. The trip to Champagne was an amazing experience . Michel was very knowledgeable. You will appreciate the very difficult process needed to create champagne, from the beginning until it is Poured in your glass. The restaurant selected was excellent, and the tour in Reims, great . Everything was excellent. Just Great!

Caryl🇺🇸 United States

6 December 2019

We had a wonderful day in Champagne with Michel! He picked us up with bottled water and breakfast bites on our journey to Champagne. Stopping for cafe at a charming spot on the way, we ventured through the fog into Champagne. The cold weather did not hinder our stop by vines & taste of a delicious rose champagne. The frost actually lended to the photos and the experience. Michel is most accommodating for any photo stop as we hopped out for pictures along the beautiful Avenue de Champagne. Michel is a wealth of wine & food knowledge and happy to answer any questions on French culture, foods, & wine. After a private personal tasting at the fabulous Chapuy Champagne house, we indulged in a delicious lunch complete with a bottle of Champagne. Going in December ended up being a wonderful time to beat the crowds, see the land wrapped in soft fog & vines kissed with frost and toasting to the magic of the holidays. This is a second trip with Michel, and we don't feel on a tour, but out for the day with a friend. We highly recommend any of Michel's experiences. Can't wait for the next one!Great December Day in Champagne!

Luanne

6 December 2019

Girls trip. The 4 of us spent a great day w Michel traveling the champagne region. Knowledgeable of France, Paris, wine, champagne and all things local. It was time well spent and we all enjoyed the day. And the champagne! 🥂

Brenda🇺🇸 United States

4 December 2019

My review has a few factors that influences the experience and rating. I was not feeling 100%, it was pouring rain, the Farmers staged a protest that day ( the Farmers did not disrupt anything, caused some traffic ) and Michel had other things on his mind. Our first stop was at Chapuy. What the facilities lack in atmosphere the champagne flight is impressive. Our next stop was La Maison Penet, we had a tour of the caves ( simply amazing), then enjoyed a delicious lunch with a champagne pairing. La Maison Penet has several champagnes and each one we tasted was terrific. Our final stop was at Pommery. Michel took us on a tour of the extensive caves - very impressive. After the caves we sampled a glass of champagne. The cost included three stops with lunch, transportation to/from with a pick up/drop off at our hotel ( Michel drove us). Overall we had a good time. Okay

Lucy🇺🇸 United States

25 November 2019

Michel was professional, accommodating, and extremely knowledgeable. He took us to places we would have never seen on a typical bus tour or wine tasting. He catered to special dietary needs and was went out of his way to ensure the experience was one of its kind. We booked two experiences with him and each was awesome! I would book with Michel again. Michel is fantastic! You feel like you are family!

Stacey🇺🇸 United States

24 November 2019

Michel was the ultimate guide! Knows so much about wine, champagne,and the region. Super knowledgeable but also very friendly. We had the best day ever! Also he took us to a small champagnery that has the BEST champagne ever, I need to go buy more and more cases (Chapuy, best ever!) And we did the Pommery caves which was so fascinating.Such an amazing day!

Elizabeth

19 November 2019

Michel is knowledgeable, thoughtful and made our exploration of the Champagne region truly a delight. Everything was as described. Cannot recommend him more. Excellent! Would do it again!

Amy🇺🇸 United States

5 November 2019

We recently did a wine tasting with Michel at the Cave Vino Spiens wine shop and bar. We had a fantastic time and Michel was very knowledgeable about the wines of his country. We had a wonderful time with Michel, the shop owner and his assistant. They all made us feel very welcome. Michel was great about communicating with us prior to the experience, also. Thank you so much Michel!Great Experience!

Stephanie🇺🇸 United States

29 October 2019

Amanda🇺🇸 United States

15 October 2019

Michel was amazing! We learned so much and had such an amazing time! If you’re looking to for a true pleasant experience this is the guy!Truly passionate about champagne!

Adrian🇺🇸 United States

11 October 2019

Being wine appreciators from the USA , we were familiar with many of the wines there however we knew little about the offerings of France outside of hearsay from others. Well after spending the evening with Michel we can no longer say that. First of all , much appreciation to Thierry @ Cave Vino Sapiens for being such a gracious host and letting us meet there and tap into your best offerings for our tasting. You have a great friend in Michel in that he has such an enthusiasm and knowledge about the Champagne and wines of France. We enjoyed learning some of the history and tasting wines that are lesser known but certainly not lesser in quality and taste. We felt like old friends in our local neighborhood hangout with Michel. He’s laid back and easy to converse with. He asked a little about our knowledge and interests and then filled in the gaps without making us feel ignorant. We appreciated the small bread & chicken spread too; it was delicious. Thank you for the evening. Thank you for the education. We return home with more than a few bottles of fine French wine. An evening with friends