French river cruise line CroisiEurope will extend its 2018 Loire River itinerary with an overnight in Paris and visits to two additional chateaux.
The seven-day Chateaux of the Loire Valley itinerary, on the line's 96-passenger paddlewheel ship the Loire Princesse, features an overnight at a four-star hotel in Paris an additional day visiting the Chateau de Chambord and the Chateau de Chenouceau.
The Chateau de Chambord, built by King Francis I as a hunting lodge, combines French medieval architecture with classical Renaissance structures. A tour of the castle and its grounds is followed by lunch in a local restaurant in Chenonceau and a visit to the Chateau de Chenonceau, a mix of late Gothic and early Renaissance design, which was home to a number of aristocrats including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici.
Guests will then head to Nantes for a six-day cruise that includes stops in Saint Nazaire, Ancenis, Angers and more Loire Valley chateaux. There will be a full-day excursion to the Loire-Chateau d'Uss, Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau and the gardens at the Chateau de Villandry. There will also be options to take a helicopter ride above the Loire Valley; experience a wine tasting in the cellar of the Chteau de Brissac; and tour the Saint-Nazaire shipyard.
There will be 12 departures between April and October 2018 with prices starting at $2,417 per person.