Rick Steves Snapshot Loire Valley

by Rick Steves, Steve Smith

You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling in the Loire Valley.

Rick Steves and Steve Smith cover the essentials of the Loire Valley, including Amboise and Chinon. Visit grandiose châteaus, such as Chenonceau, Blois, and Château d'Azay-le-Rideau. Tour the Leonardo da Vinci park and go wine-tasting in Vouvray. You'll get Rick's firsthand advice on the best sights, eating, sleeping, and nightlife, and the maps and self-guided tours will ensure you make the most of your experience. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves Snapshot guide is a tour guide in your pocket.

Rick Steves Snapshot guides consist of excerpted chapters from Rick Steves European country guidebooks. Snapshot guides are a great choice for travelers visiting a specific city or region, rather than multiple European destinations. These slim guides offer all of Rick's up-to-date advice on what sights are worth your time and money. They include good-value hotel and restaurant recommendations, with no introductory information (such as overall trip planning, when to go, and travel practicalities).

Genres: Travel

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Rick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.

Reviews

[David C. Crosby]

Download to ipad

I have traveled France three times with the somewhat cumbersome books. Downloaded to my ipad, this is a quick, easy guide/index to the Loire abstracted to exclude info about places I don't intend to visit. Rick always gets five stars from me.

[michael rousom]

Great little book

Loved this helpful book on the Loire Valley chateaux...it was exactly what I needed for planning my itinerary. Thank you!

[Barbara Bryant]

Handy travel reference for a special part of the Loire valley.

[Judy Goldich]

It is what it is: short, sweet, just the basics, and exactly as advertised. The only flaw? It's tiny when balanced with how much practical info, and how little fluff: the maps are awful.