The real question: centrality before charm
Before weighing up the charm of the towns, lay the map out flat. The Loire châteaux are not clustered together: they stretch over nearly a hundred kilometres, from Sully-sur-Loire in the east to Langeais and Azay-le-Rideau in the west. The deciding factor is therefore not the beauty of your base but its centrality: how many major châteaux lie within an hour's drive? A base set too far off condemns you to long daily transfers, or to sacrificing whole sites. A central base, by contrast, puts the essentials within a day's reach in every direction. It is through this lens, and not mere infatuation, that you should choose your accommodation for a stay of several days.
Tours: handy for the west, but off-centre
Tours is the great city of the Loire Valley, well served by train from Paris and rich in restaurants. For anyone coming mainly for Chenonceau, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau and Amboise, it makes a logical base: all these sites lie to the west, within its orbit. The drawback is the east: from Tours, Chambord and Cheverny mean almost 1h15 of driving, and Sancerre becomes all but out of reach for a day trip. The city itself, lively and urban, will appeal to those who like to go out in the evening, but offers less calm and greenery than a Loire village. Tours is an excellent choice for a short stay focused on the Touraine, far less so for a balanced grand tour of both banks of the river.
Amboise and Blois: the charm of château-towns
Amboise and Blois share an obvious asset: their own magnificent château, a stone's throw from the centre. Amboise charms with its Renaissance atmosphere, its link to Leonardo da Vinci and its direct train from Paris; but, like Tours, it leans west. Blois, more central, is arguably the better placed of the two: Chambord is twenty minutes away, Cheverny and Chaumont a quarter of an hour, and the west remains within reach. These are lovely towns for anyone who wants to do everything on foot in the evening. Their limit lies mostly in the accommodation: you find mainly hotels and guest houses, handy for a couple or two nights, less suited to a family or a group wanting a real house to share over time.
Orléans: the big city to the east
To the north-east of the Loire Valley, Orléans offers the services of a city: frequent trains from Paris, a gourmet covered market, starred restaurants, cultural life. To radiate east — Sully-sur-Loire, the Sologne, Sancerre — it makes a good bridgehead, and Chambord stays within reach. But like any far-flung base, it mechanically pushes the western châteaux away: Chenonceau, Villandry or Azay-le-Rideau become long days from there. Orléans suits a stay geared to Loire heritage and nature rather than a grand tour of the Renaissance châteaux. Its atmosphere remains very urban; for anyone dreaming of quiet mornings and terraces over the river, a county-town centre does not quite offer the atmosphere they are after.
Meung-sur-Loire: the balance point between Orléans and Blois
Set exactly between Orléans and Blois, Meung-sur-Loire is that rare balance point which reconciles every direction. Chambord and Cheverny are 45 minutes away, Blois 40, Chaumont under an hour; to the west, Amboise and Chenonceau stay around 1h10; to the east, Sully-sur-Loire, the Sologne and even Sancerre are reachable within the day. No other base offers such a balanced radius across both halves of the river. And the village itself has character: its two-faced château, its canals, its Sunday market, its station a ten-minute walk away with Paris about 1h30 off. You taste the calm of a Loire town while staying a quarter of an hour from the greatest sites. To my mind, it is the most rational base for a complete stay.
Whole house or hotel: what really changes
At equal location, the type of accommodation transforms the experience. The hotel has its merits — daily housekeeping, breakfast served, a reception desk — and suits a couple well for a night or two. But for a family or a group of friends over several days, a whole house changes everything. You gather in the evening around a big table rather than scattered across bedrooms; you cook the goat cheeses and the wines brought back from the market; the children have space, the adults a terrace for dinner and the evening glass. The cost per person often works out better than a stack of hotel rooms. Above all, you settle in: unpacking just once for five nights brings a comfort no hotel, however fine, can quite replace.
Train or car: think about access to the station too
Your mode of transport belongs in the equation. By car, favour a base with easy parking: in the town centres of Amboise, Blois or Tours, parking can quickly become a headache, whereas a village offers stress-free spaces. If you come by train, or want to mix the two, proximity to the station becomes decisive: being able to reach Paris in about 1h30 and launch a few car-free escapes lightens both budget and logistics. At Meung-sur-Loire, the station is a ten-minute walk from the centre, connected to Paris-Austerlitz (usually with a change at Orléans), which allows a car-free arrival and mixed train-and-bike days. A well-connected base leaves you free to shape each day around the weather and the mood.
Where to stay to visit the Loire Valley châteaux? The answer turns less on a town's charm than on its centrality and the kind of accommodation. A central base between Orléans and Blois, like La Maison du Château at Meung-sur-Loire, puts both west and east within a day's reach and swaps the hotel for a house to share. It is the foundation of a successful stay, with no needless transfers.