Maison du Vieux Amboise

Amboise is a small town on the south bank of the Loire in the Touraine, dominated by its royal château, and the Maison du Vieux Amboise is a building of the old quarter that gives an idea of how people lived. The old town around the house is the setting for the visit, and the tourist office can give details of its displays.

The old town is a compact area of narrow streets between the river and the foot of the château rock. Its houses, many of them of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are built of white tuffeau stone with slate roofs, and some retain half-timbered upper floors, with carved beams and corner posts, showing the prosperity of the time when the royal court visited Amboise. The Rue Nationale, the main street, is lined with shops and cafés, and the Église Saint-Denis, a Romanesque and Gothic church, and the Tour de l'Horloge, the clock tower that was once a town gate, stand in the old quarter. The Hôtel de Ville is a Renaissance building, and the town has other museums, among them a postal museum in a fine mansion.

The royal château, on its rock above the river, is the major sight. Charles VIII was born and raised here and, after his Italian campaign, brought Italian artists and craftsmen to rebuild it, and Francis I spent his childhood in the town. The château offers visits to the royal apartments, terraces and gardens, with views across the Loire, and the Chapelle Saint-Hubert, a small Gothic chapel in the grounds, is said to contain the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci. The Clos Lucé, the manor where Leonardo lived in his last years, is a short walk from the château. The Loire à Vélo cycle route passes through the town, and the Sentier des Bords de Loire, the riverside path, is a good place for a walk.

A stroll through the old streets takes an hour or two, with plenty of places to stop for coffee or lunch, and a market is held on certain days. The Parc de la Chaufferie is another green space in the town.

The old town suits history lovers, families and cyclists. Amboise is easy to reach by train from Tours and Paris, and it is a good base for visiting the châteaux of the Loire Valley.