A visit to the Loire Valley in France is a great experience, like a time travel back to the history of French kings. Amboise is located 17 miles east of Tours. Tours, the Capitol of Indre-et-Loire makes a great base to explore the Loire Region.
You can’t miss the town’s major attraction, the 15th. century chateau which dominates the city from its high location and provides a spectacular panorama over the city and surrounding geographical region. The castle has a number of rooms filled with historic furniture, weaponry and fantastic tapestries. The gardens, some of the first to be laid out in France actually, are also well worth a visit. On summer evenings, sound and light shows happen regularly at the chateau, complete with fireworks and costumed actors. One of the best known visitors here was Leonardo da Vinci, who was buried in the chapel, however some historians maintain that his body was afterward moved.
The city of Amboise has certainly made the most of its association with Leonardo da Vinci. You can visit the mansion he lived in and view models of some of his spectacular inventions.
But one of the pleasures of Amboise is simply taking a walk in its picturesque streets and absorbing the atmosphere of a French provincial market town. The market in Amboise is one of the main markets in the area. You can visit the market on Fridays and Sundays. Make sure you don’t leave Amboise without trying to taste one of the distinctive local wines. The town is in the heart of one of France’s best wine producing areas, and it is famous for its distinctive Amboise reds.
