Compared to other Loire Valley towns, Amboise (am-bwahz; pop. 12,000) is tiny, but its peaceful, intimate surroundings ensure the town’s popularity with visitors—indeed, tourism is its lifeline. One of the oldest cities in the Loire Valley, Amboise was home to Charles VIII, Louis XI, Louis XII, Catherine de Medici, and François I. Amboise’s most famous resident was actually Italian: Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years here. The town’s castle, mysterious cave dwellings, and breathtaking views of the Loire more than make up for its shamelessly overpriced restaurants and accommodations. Budget options do exist for those willing to hunt for them.
At the base of the château, rue Victor Hugo and rue Nationale are lined with brasseries and boulangeries. For a cheap picnic on the Loire banks, stop by Marché Plus, 5 quai du Général de Gaulle. (Open M-Sa 7am-9pm, Su 9am-1pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Friday and Sunday mornings, a market unfolds along the riverbanks.
Château Royal D’Amboise. Perched atop a precipice overlooking the Loire, this château was once considered one of France’s most beautiful. In its glory days, the château housed as many as 4000 people. In 1560, a failed Protestant conspiracy to kidnap the young King François II from the influential Catholic family de Guise led to grisly murder: some of the rebel Huguenots were tossed into the Loire in sacks, while others were decapitated or hung on the château balcony, now described by smiling tour guides as the “Balcony of the Hanging People.” The Logis du Roi, the main part of the château, still holds carved chairs fashioned to prevent surprise attacks from behind. Most of the château was destroyed or sold off during Napoleon’s reign; the current building has been heavily restored. The impressive Tour des Minimes attests to the castle’s original size; descend to its less frequented twin, the Tour Hertault, as you exit the château’s gift shop to get an insider’s view of the castle. For an outstanding, more popular view, ascend the Tour Cavalière and gaze at the Loire below. The jewel of the visit, however, is the Chapelle Saint-Hubert, an unassuming Gothic chapel next to the château, which holds Leonardo da Vinci’s remains. Dim light, delicate stained-glass windows, fresh flowers, and a stone likeness of Leonardo’s face pay the artist graceful homage. Perhaps less graceful is the glimpse up the king’s stone skirts as you enter the chapel. Be on the lookout for summer theater productions that take place in the castle in summer months. (Between rue Victor Hugo and rue de la Concorde. ☎02 47 57 00 98. www.chateau-amboise.com. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-7pm; Sept. 9am-6pm; from early to mid-Nov. and Mar. 9am-5:30pm; from mid-Nov. to Jan. 9am-12:30pm and 2-4:45pm; Feb. 9am-12:30pm and 1:30-5pm; Apr.-June 9am-6:30pm. Wheelchair-accessible. €9, students €7.50, ages 7-14 €5.30. MC/V.)
Maisons Troglodytiques. These centuries-old houses are built into hollowed-out cliffs along narrow, sinuous rue Victor Hugo. Constructed at the same time as the château, these hollows belonged to modest factory workers who grew gardens on the roofs and carved additional rooms into the rock. Today, many of the houses are vacant; to peer into abandoned hollows, walk up the cul-de-sac rue Leonard Perrault.
Caveau Des Vignerons. Built within the walls of the château, Caveau des Vignerons offers free tastings of locally made wine, goat cheese, foie gras, and preserved meats. (Pl. Michel Debré. ☎02 47 57 23 69. Wine €5.50-25 per bottle. Foie gras €6-21. Goat cheese €2.70-6.50. Open daily Apr.-Nov. 10am-7pm. MC/V.)
Clos Lucé. Amboise’s quirkiest attraction rests 400m up rue Victor Hugo. Leonardo da Vinci’s most generous patron, François I, gave the artist this Renaissance manor and its sprawling gardens. The king used an underground tunnel between the château and Clos Lucé to visit the artist. Leonardo’s bedroom, library, and drawing room have been somewhat unconvincingly restored to resemble their 16th-century selves, while replicas of Leonardo’s drawings—including a sketch of the world’s first machine gun—rest in the cellar near the tunnel’s entrance. (☎02 47 57 00 73. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-8pm; Sept.-Oct. and Apr.-June 9am-7pm; Nov.-Dec. and Feb.-Mar. 9am-6pm; Jan. 10am-5pm. July-Aug. €12.50, students €9.50, under 18 €7; Sept.-Dec. and Feb.-June €9/7/6. Gardens closed in low season. MC/V.)
The enormous and imaginative drinks at Le Shaker, 1 rue de l’Entrepont, on Île d’Or, come shaken—not stirred—and test even the highest tolerances. A young, rowdy crowd from nearby campgrounds and hostels gathers in the evenings to drink amid the gorgeous backdrop of the Loire and château’s silhouette. (☎02 47 23 24 26. Beer €3-6. Mixed drinks €7.50-8. Snacks €6-8. Open June-Sept. M-Th 6pm-3am and F-Sa 6pm-4am. MC/V.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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