Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The town's appealing center may convince you to set up here.
$$ Hôtel de Biencourt***
is a find. Ideally located on a traffic-free street between
Place de la République (easy parking) and the château, this sharp boutique hotel is a
former convent whose gentle owners have completed a masterful renovation. Rooms of-
fer three-star comfort at two-star prices. There's a pleasing garden terrace and a calming
lounge area (Db-€64-78, Tb-€90, Qb-€100, breakfast-€9.5, Wi-Fi, shared fridge, open
March-mid-Nov, 7 Rue de Balzac, tel. 02 47 45 20 75,
www.hotelbiencourt.com
,
con-
Côte Cour
is a good place to dine inside or out for fresh and creative cuisine at reas-
onable prices. Friendly Sandrine offers a few, select choices—local products and mostly
organic foods—served in a warm interior or on a great outdoor terrace (€17-22
menus
,
closed Tue-Wed, faces the château gate at 19 Rue Balzac, tel. 02 47 45 30 36).
Crêperie
du Roy
is small, central, and cheap (24 Rue Nationale, tel. 02 47 45 91 88). If you have a
car,seriouslyconsiderthe15-minutedriveto
Domaine de la Giraudière
inVillandry(see
From Azay-le-Rideau, the
train
runs to
Tours
(8/day, 30 minutes, with connections to
Langeaisandotherchâteaux),to
Chinon
(7/day,20minutes),andto
Blois
(6/day,1.75-2.5
hours, transfer in Tours and possibly in St-Pierre-des-Corps). Summertime
buses
run to
Villandry and Langeais twice a day (the TI has bus schedules).
One of the most imposing-looking fortresses of the Middle Ages, Langeais—rated
▲
—was built mostly for show. Towering above its appealing little village, it comes with
a moat, a drawbridge, lavish defenses, and turrets.
