A Day Out in Paris: Chinon is a 35-minute drive from Tours (train service also exists) and Paris is just an additional hour away on the high-speed TGV (train de grande vitesse) which makes it more than possible to head to Paris for a day's shopping or sightseeing. TGV service also links Tours to Disneyland Paris, Charles-De-Gaulle (Roissy) International Airport, Lille, Poitiers and Bordeaux, as well as London, England and Brussels, Belgium.
If driving to Paris, please allow 3 hours.
Chinon and the Area: Chinon is a town rich in both culture and history. The old town – la vielle ville – is nestled in between the Château on top of the hill and the river Vienne. For many generations, it was the home of kings and the seat of the government. Interestingly, it was the home of the Plantegenet Kings (yes, of England). Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine resided in and kept the Royal Treasury in Chinon. Their son, Richard the Lionhearted, was also born here. Westminster Abbey houses all but these two English Monarchs (and it is said that they occasionally ask for them). The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, approx 30 km from Chinon, houses their life-sized 'giants.' This 12th centuray abbey, to which Eleanor retired, is well worth the visit. If you want to get a feel for Chinon and this period of its long history, see the film 'Lion in Winter' with Katherine Hepburn.
Rabelais: Chinon was the birthplace of François Rabelais (1494-1553), renaissance man, monk, doctor, philosopher and writer. You can visit his country home, La Devinière, which is just a few miles away. Rabelais made Chinon famous by using it as the centre of his Picrocholine War with his gigantic heroes Gargantua and Pantagruel.
