Getting to the Château Royal d'Amboise
By train
Amboise has its own station on the line between Tours and Blois, and direct services run from Paris Austerlitz; the quicker route is usually a fast train to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and a short local connection. From the station you cross the Loire on foot — over the island, which is a handsome walk in itself — and the château is directly in front of you on its rock. Allow a quarter of an hour and no navigation at all: the building is the skyline.
By car
Straightforward from the A10, and about two hours from Paris. Park in the town below rather than hunting near the entrance: the château sits on a rock, there is no parking on it, and the walk up from any town car park is a few minutes. If you are making a Loire day of it by car, the other châteaux are half an hour to an hour apart, which is the real argument for a guided day — see the Chenonceau and Chambord day.
From Paris without a car
Two honest options. Take the train to Amboise, visit the château and the Clos Lucé on foot, and come back — a very good day, entirely walkable, no driving. Or take a guided day trip that includes three châteaux with entry, which solves the transport problem the Loire creates for people without cars: the Loire castles day trip.
What does not work well is trying to reach Chenonceau or Chambord from Amboise by public transport. It is possible and it is miserable; the châteaux are in the countryside and the buses are built for residents, not visitors.
Arriving on foot in the town
The entrance is on the Montée de l’Emir Abd el Kader, the ramp that climbs from the town — named for the Algerian emir held here from 1848, whose companions are buried in the gardens above. The Clos Lucé is five hundred metres further along the rue Victor-Hugo, which is the lane that runs under the château walls: see the two together.
If you arrive by train, walk the river bank westwards for two minutes before you go up. The view of the château from below, with the Loire in front of it, is the photograph everyone wants and almost nobody takes, because they walk straight to the entrance.
Booking the journey
The day trips below include the transport and the entry; the château itself is bought at the gate.
A reminder: what you book above is the guiding, or a day that includes entry. The Château Royal d’Amboise has no online entrance ticket — you buy that at the château’s own desk, and its guided visits are included in it.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to Amboise from Paris?
About two hours by train, usually via Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, or two hours by car on the A10. A guided day trip solves the whole Loire in one booking.
How far is the station from the château?
About fifteen minutes on foot, across the Loire bridge.
Can you reach Chenonceau or Chambord by public transport?
Technically yes, practically no. Take a guided day: the Chenonceau and Chambord trip.