Rick Steves Snapshot Loire Valley (Fifth Edition)

Description

With Rick Steves, the Loire Valley is yours to discover! This slim guide excerpted from Rick Steves France includes: * Rick's firsthand, up-to-date advice on the Loire Valley's best sights, restaurants, hotels, and more, plus tips to beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps * Top sights and local experiences: Visit grandiose chateaus, such as Chenonceau, Blois, and Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau. Tour the Leonardo da Vinci park, go wine-tasting in Vouvray, and wander the gardens of Villandry. Soak up stunning views from a hot air balloon tour, or cycle through the rolling countryside * Helpful maps and self-guided walking tours to keep you on track With selective coverage and Rick's trusted insight into the best things to do and see, Rick Steves Snapshot Loire Valley is truly a tour guide in your pocket. Exploring beyond the Loire Valley? Pick up Rick Steves France for comprehensive coverage, detailed itineraries, and essential information for planning a countrywide trip.

Since 1973, Rick Steves has spent about four months a year exploring Europe. His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. Rick produces a best-selling guidebook series, a public television series, and a public radio show, and organizes small-group tours that take over 30,000 travelers to Europe annually. He does all of this with the help of more than 100 well-traveled staff members at Rick Steves' Europe in Edmonds, WA (near Seattle). When not on the road, Rick is active in his church and with advocacy groups focused on economic and social justice, drug policy reform, and ending hunger. To recharge, Rick plays piano, relaxes at his family cabin in the Cascade Mountains, and spends time with his son Andy and daughter Jackie. Find out more about Rick at www.ricksteves.com and on Facebook.Connect with Rick:facebook.com/RickStevestwitter: @RickStevesinstagram: ricksteveseuropeSteve Smith manages tour guides for Rick Steves' Europe tour program and has been researching guidebooks with Rick for over two decades. Fluent in French, he's lived in France on several occasions, starting when he was seven. Steve owns a restored farmhouse in rural Burgundy where he hangs his beret in research season. Steve's wife, Karen Lewis Smith - who is an expert on French cuisine and wine - provides invaluable contributions to his books.