Hotels in Amboise

Amboise: Royal Loire Town and Leonardo's Final Home

Amboise sits on the south bank of the Loire River, 25 km east of Tours in the Indre-et-Loire department. The town of roughly 13,000 residents built its identity around the Château Royal d'Amboise, a clifftop fortress where French kings Charles Viii and François I held court in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Leonardo da Vinci spent his final three years here, from 1516 until his death in 1519, at the manor house Clos Lucé, now a museum 500 metres from the château gates.

Where to Stay in Amboise

Most hotels concentrate along the Quai du Général de Gaulle riverfront and on the Île d'Or, the island bisecting the Loire beneath the château. A second cluster sits in the Rue Nationale commercial strip a short walk inland. Travellers come for Loire Valley château touring, cycling the EuroVelo 6 route that passes through town, and wine visits to nearby Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire appellations.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Trains from Tours take 20 minutes; Paris Montparnasse connects via Tours in under 2 hours total.
• Timing: The Pagode de Chanteloup, a 44-metre Chinese-style tower 3 km south, is open April through November.
• Cycling: Bike hire is available at the train station for the flat Loire à Vélo riverside path.