Tours is the best base in the Loire Valley for chateau day trips. Villandry is 13km west — its Renaissance gardens are among the finest in France. Chenonceau, just 15km south-east, is the most visited chateau in the valley after Versailles, and for good reason: it spans the Cher on a bridge of arches. Loches, an hour by train, offers something different — a real medieval fortress with intact ramparts and a lower town worth exploring on foot.