Things to Do in Amboise – The Chateau Town of the Loire Valley

A look at the things to do in Amboise in the Loire Valley, France. A beautiful town of timbered houses and the grand Chateau Amboise that steals the spotlight. 

Sitting on the banks of the Loire River, Amboise is an architectural fairytale – built along the water with a castle fortress defence and neat rows of square and rectangular timbered housing in varying hues of caramel, chocolate and cream. I arrived after cycling over 30 kilometres through Château de Chenonceau and various hamlets through the Loire Valley to this walled town with a stately ambience.

Amboise is a living museum, with rich historical reference. Joan of Arc passed through in 1429 on her way to Orleans to the Battle of Patay, the royal Château d’Amboise was home to Mary, Queen of Scots from the age of six and the town is most famous for its artist in residence – Leonardo da Vinci.

Da Vinci resided at the nearby Clos Manor House (now a museum) and was a regular guest at the Amboise Château Royal, at the invitation of King Francois 1^st (seen as a “Prince of the Arts”). The manor house and the Grand Château, in light of this blossoming friendship, were connected by a series of underground passages.

There are two things to do here. Firstly, climb the winding Château de Amboise for the panoramic view of the market town’s cobbled streets and a spattering of tiny rooftops, all the while surveying the manicured gardens and exhibits of the former French royal court.

Secondly, turn your Loire Valley bike tour up the notch and glide through the town’s long and narrow passageways.

Away from the boutique cafes and stores, you’ll mostly find a labyrinth of residential calm, in side streets concealing simple residences and views of the troglodyte houses—the once limestone quarries that were widened and turned into dwellings, some with signs from the days of wartime shelter.

They are said to be a symbol of the Loire Valley and found throughout the region.

It took a simple wall marking to draw me into a significant moment of history when biking to Amboise. The typeface and flag symbols were hand-painted onto a small metal frame and placed on the wall of a quiet, narrow alley. Inconspicuous, it wasn’t there to be seen but to mark remembrance. A secret hideout, a strategic landmark, somebody’s home perhaps. A shelter from war.

Just as the underground tunnels that concealed a relationship between the King and the artist are not accessible, nor are all the stories of battles won and lost and of heroic actions hidden within the rocks.

Not everything is meant to be seen, even in the richly historical and tourist haven of Amboise. It stays within the walls.