Known as the “Garden of France,” the Loire Valley is equally famous for its châteaux built by kings and nobles. This land of vineyards, flowers and rolling green hills dotted with more than a thousand castles was the favorite residence of French royals during the Renaissance period.

Located in central France, La Vallée de la Loire is distinguished by the country’s longest waterway, the Loire River, which flows 634 miles (1020 km) from the Cévennes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to the Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV), France’s high-speed rail service, it is possible to get from Paris to the heart of the Loire in less than an hour.

Here are some of the places and events you won’t want to miss on a trip to the Loire:

The famous gardens of Château Villandry date from the late Renaissance period.

The Best Itinerary

Day 1: Start in Tours at the junction of the Loire and Cher Rivers. Day 2: Check out le Château d´Amboise (in Amboise; www.chateau-amboise.com) in the morning and cycle to nearby Château Chenonceau (in the village of Chenonceaux; www.chenonceau.com ) in the afternoon.

Day 3: Visit historic Chinon and its castle from which the Plantagenet dynasty, a line of English kings in the 12th to 15th centuries, ruled England and half of France. It was here that Joan of Arc, French military leader and national heroine, convinced the dauphin in 1429 to claim the throne of France and save the country from English domination.

Day 4: Spend the morning in Azay le Rideau for its château and the afternoon in nearby Château de Villandry (in Villandry). Leave lots of time to explore the extensive gardens.

Day 5: Spend the morning in Blois and visit the Château de Blois; in the afternoon, take the shuttle to the Châteaux de Chambord (in Chambord; www.chambord.org) and Cheverny (in the town of Cheverny; www.chateau-cheverny.fr).

You can either move from town to town each day or stay in one central town and take local trains or drive to the next location. The distances between each town and château are very modest. July and August are considered the “high season,” with special events scheduled such as sound-and-light shows at the châteaux, and extra train runs to accommodate more tourists.

At other times of the year, take careful note of train departure times so as not to be stranded for several hours. You can pick up a booklet listing the schedules at any SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, France’s railway company) station.

The Best City

The bustling university town of Tours makes an excellent home base from which to explore the region. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the great pilgrimage sites of Europe. Today, it is a rail hub and traditional gateway to the Loire Valley, as it is easy to get to any other town in the region from here.

The medieval Old Town features beautiful Renaissance and neo-classical mansions clustered around the famous Plumereau square, filled with open-air cafés. Visit the Cathedral of St. Gatien and stay at Hôtel Mirabeau for clean, relatively large rooms and bathrooms, a warm welcome and a convenient five-minute walk from the train station (www.hotel-mirabeau.fr; 89 bis blvd. Heurteloup, 37000 Tours; dbl. €40-52; 25 rooms).

My favorite restaurant is Le Mastroquet (19 place Gaston Paillhou, 37000 Tours, closed Sunday evening and Monday, about US$ 30 for the prix fixe menu without wine).