Our favorite months to go on a Loire Valley driving tour are May, June, July and September. Although the average maximum summer temperature is around 24°C/74°F, it can get much hotter, especially in August. In 2022, parts of the Loire Valley had temperatures of over 40°C/104°F, and in 2023 they reached around 35°C/95°F.

In the winter months, the weather can drop to as low as 0°C or less, and the days are shorter. So unless you’re planning to enjoy the festive Christmas atmosphere, we recommend waiting until at least April to visit the Loire Valley, or preferably May, when the weather tends to be much better. 

Visiting the Loire Valley during late spring, early summer and early fall will help you to avoid the most extreme temperatures, and are the ideal times to enjoy walking and cycling in the region.

If you’re visiting the castles of the Loire Valley (a must-see!), traveling between April and June or September and October will mean you avoid the largest tourist crowds. You’re also likely to see the castle gardens at their most beautiful. Some gardens open at night during the summer months and offer a beautifully lit musical setting, such as the ‘Nocturnes in the Garden’ at the Chateau de Chaumont. This can be a magical and romantic experience!

Gardens at the Chateau de Villandry
Gardens at the Chateau de Villandry
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France Just For You

The Loire Valley by Month 

March and April

Some of the castles will have Easter egg hunts, which are fun if you’re traveling with children. You’ll see tulips and blossom in bloom in the gardens.

April through November

Enjoy the International Garden Festival at the Chateau de Chaumont. The gardens evolve throughout the year, so they’re always beautiful to see.

Summer

Look out for the sound and light shows at the castles of Blois, Chartres, Orleans, Tours and more.

June

The wine fairs at Vouvray are the ideal opportunity to try some of the Loire Valley’s sparkling wines. This is a lovely month for a Loire Valley road trip.

July and August

In the gardens of Villandry you can enjoy candlelit evenings - ‘Nights of a Thousand Lights’ - on certain evenings during these months. However, this is also the busiest, hottest, and driest time in the Loire Valley.

September

The grape harvest starts in September and can run to mid-November. The fall colors in the vineyards are a splendid sight while you sample some of the fabulous wine at local wineries. When you book with France Just For You, we’ll send you to our favorite wineries and vineyards! We'll make sure you get to experience as many of the best things to do in the Loire Valley as possible!

Fall colors in the French vineyards
Fall colors in the French vineyards
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Fall

There are Fall Festivals at some chateaux from September to November. If you’re interested in experiencing one of these, let us know and we’ll see if any of these are taking place on your tour dates.

Winter

Some chateaux close during the quieter winter months to carry out restoration and renovation work. Those that stay open may have pretty Christmas decorations and lights in December. We recommend checking ahead to see what’s open if you’ll be traveling to the Loire Valley in the winter.

Winter and early spring

The Loire Valley can get a lot of rain at this time of year, which makes walking and cycling less enjoyable or practical.

 

So to summarize, the best time to visit Loire Valley is in May, June, July, September and early October.

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Experts in self-drive tours in France

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Judy
I can echo everything that has been said in the previous three reviews. The personalization of this entire trip was incredible and Emilie communicated quickly and completely, both in the planning of the trip and after we were in France. My husband and I were spending four weeks in France in celebration of our 50th anniversary. We were a little …
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We are experienced travelers world-wide, generally organizing our own itinerary or having a travel group help us with a tour-for-two, and a personal guide, in several select locations. This was our first visit to France. So to be on our own with the guidance and extremely comprehensive written support of France Just For You was just remarkable and …
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This is the third year in a row that we have traveled to France, as part of a two country vacation. Because of our positive experiences with Emilie's help in the past, and our desire to be relatively independent, we chose to have her craft our French trip again this year. In a word, she is incredible! We have such a high level of confidence in her …
Barbara & Gary
Emilie, You have created for us the most outstanding well planned vacation possible. We have thoroughly enjoyed following your suggestions each day-- each choice well selected specifically for us. And even when things didn't go perfectly-- like a flat tire on the rental car or a pilot's strike which resulted in the cancellation of our light, you …
Bobbi
We like to travel independently and Emilie was fantastic in providing us everything we needed to do so. We had wonderful information to read beforehand and received maps and GPS coordinates to get us where we needed to go.This is a great service to use to set up your hotel and car arrangements along with suggested itineraries that can be modified …
Kathy
We are preparing to do our second trip with Emilie to the Loire Valley, October 2018. Our first trip was to the region of Provence which was perfectly guided and gave us a most memorable experience. I highly recommend Emilie’s ability to put together a fabulous and memorable France just for you holiday.