Château d'Amboise

Built high above the Loire River in central France, the Château d'Amboise was a favorite castle of many kings. It was here that Leonardo da Vinci was a guest of King Francis I while he worked at nearby Clos Lucé, connected to the château by an underground passage. Da Vinci's tomb is in the chapel of Saint-Hubert.

The castle dates back to the 1400s and much was destroyed during the French Revolution. Today one can see about one-fifth of the original palace built by Charles VIII, the grand towers, the beautiful gardens, and a panoramic view of the lovely Loire Valley.

Only part of the Amboise Château, which was originally four times its present size, has been preserved. On the north side, facing the river, the building is supported by massive buttresses, above which rises the richly articulated facade of the Château with the iron railings of the balcony, flanked by two imposing round towers, the Tour des Minimes (with a spiral ramp up which horses could be ridden) and the Tour Hurtault.

See all points of interest on this map of Amboise Château. Watch this slideshow video to get an overall view of the chateau and the area.

More Photography Tips

--After stopping at a popular attraction and returning to the parking lot you are met with a sea of buses. Forget what yours looks like? At the beginning of the tour take a digital picture of the bus and the license plate. When in doubt...check your camera! This also works great if you are using a rental car.

--Show and tell: Asking for help in another country can be tricky. Create a photo album on your digital camera or cell phone of basic necessities like a bottle of water, a toilet, a taxi, stamps, etc. Show a local a picture and voila! Instant communication!

--Take a picture of the full front of each hotel and a close-up of the name of the hotel. If you forget a hotel business card, then maybe a taxi driver can get you home with the photo.

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More Travel Tips

--Pack a small compass. It will help on those days (like London) when you are on your own reading a map. It is extremely helpful in navigating winding streets or orienting yourself once you exit a subway.
--Airports require you to pack toiletries 3-1-1...that is, only 3 ounces each of liquid toiletries in a one-quart bag and only one bag per traveler. Try using a free zippered plastic bag that a valance curtain came in when you bought it. It is about the right size but slightly deeper, holds more, and is sturdier. Use varying sizes of these bags for shoes, underwear, and any other storage need.
--European hotels do not provide washcloths and you will have to pack your own. Although thin, I cut disposable Handy Wipes in two and carry one for each day. They take up no space and I throw them away when I'm through.
--When packing the electrical adaptors for foreign countries, do not take the entire assortment. Only take the ones for France and England.
--To facilitate speed in removing and putting shoes back on during airport security, you might try one of two things. One, wear slip on sandals or flip flops to go through security and then have a pair of socks to wear on the plane. Or, if you fear your feet swelling and need to wear lace up shoes through security, try elastic laces such as Lock Laces. Check sporting goods stores.
--If you plan to check luggage and want to weigh in as light as possible, try a rolling duffle. It could take off several pounds at weigh in.
--In the hotel at night, keep your passport, money, cell phone, camera, and any other important items together in one bag by your bed. In an emergency, you can just grab the one bag and have everything you need...say in case the fire alarm goes off. Been there...done that!
--Public restrooms do not always have hand soap. Here is a good use for all those hotel size bottles of shampoo you've been saving. They work great as liquid soap. You can also buy mini bottles of hand sanitizer (but the shampoo was free!)
--Lightweight, washable, and multifunctional, a cotton sarong is an easy and practical addition to your baggage. It can serve as a swimsuit cover-up, a picnic blanket, that temporary skirt in a cathedral, an extra pillow or light blanket for the plane or bus, an emergency towel, or a tablecloth. Check out all the ways to tie a sarong on these YouTube videos.
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French Cuisine

Ordering food in England may not be a big deal since everything is written in English, but ordering from a French menu might be a bit trickier.

Try downloading this France Menu Decoder from Budget Travel. It provides you with the French and English names of popular dishes, staples, drinks and desserts, as well as some general terms that might come in handy in a restaurant.

I'll have le jambon et le sandwich de fromage avec l'eau embouteillée. (That would be a ham and cheese sandwich with bottled water!)

For fun, type in some menu items, restaurant terms, or something you might want to say to a vendor (How much is that?) into this free online translator. Type in the English and click translate. Then click on the speaker to the left of the French translation and it will take you to a Text-to-Speech Translator that will say the word in French! Practice, practice, practice!

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Tipping

Tips for our courier (the name Passports uses for our tour guide who is with us all the time) and the bus driver are not included in the tour fee. The customary tip for the courier is $4 per day and $3 per day for the bus driver. We are on a 10-day tour and will not see the courier or bus driver the first day so we will tip for 9 days.

That will be $36 from each person for the courier. We will most likely have 2 different bus drivers -- one for 6 days in France and the other for 3 days in England. I realize the day in London is not with a bus driver but he will be transporting us for parts of 3 days so to be fair we will say 3 days. That will be $18 for the France bus driver and $9 for the England bus driver.

You need to bring these tips with you in the correct cash amounts and keep separate from your other money. Usually the evening before departure I will collect the money and present to the courier and the bus driver. We will put it in one large envelope and present as a group.

If for some reason (and I pray we do not have this situation!) the courier or the bus driver do not meet our expectations, then the tips can be adjusted. That will be a personal call on your part. But we are expecting a grand trip!

Tipping at tour-included meals is covered by your tour fee, however tipping at any other meal is up to you.

In addition, your tour fee covers the fees of the local guides provided on the tour. If you feel you had an exceptional local tour and would like to personally provide them with an additional tip, then that is your call. It is not required.

Check out these "Tipping Tips from Europeans" provided by travel guru Rick Steves. Scroll down to Britain and France.

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Money

One of the most often asked questions is "How much money do I need to take?" And my answer is always "How much money do you want to spend?" It all depends on the person.

You will need money for lunches and beverages at dinner if you choose something other than water. And you will want money for souvenirs and any activity not included in the itinerary. For example, your free day in London includes transportation, but not entrances to attractions. Check online as some have fees.

All tour companies recommend $50 per day. Although you are may not need that much, it is better to have too much than not enough. Look at your spending and eating habits and adjust accordingly.

In France, we will use the euro, but in England we use the British pound. You can go to this currency converter to see the value of each in American dollars.

Although you can do all your money conversions in the states before we leave (a plus as it is a convenience to already have the correct currency in hand and not worry about it later), however I highly recommend you check for all possible fees when you do conversions.

For example, I have been told that the best exchange rates are at the European banks exchanging cash for cash. However a bank location may not be that convenient to our destination (i.e. attractions, hotels, restaurants) and the time to find one and make the exchange for everyone on tour is a factor, including if the bank is open when you find it.

It is also recommended that you use a credit card for good rate and there is no charge for the use. But check with your credit card company before leaving to make sure.

You can also exchange at an airport when you land, however we are usually on a tight schedule when we land and are immediately ushered to the bus. However you can usually exchange money back to American currency in the airport before leaving for home. But again it depends on the time of the plane departure and if the exchange counter is open.

One of the easiest ways is to use your ATM card and exchange money once you get to the country. ATM machines are everywhere. Your bank will charge a fee (check what it is before you go as mine is about $6), so draw out money once for the whole time you are in a country. There is a fee each time you draw, so doing it often can add up. Drawing fewer times saves money. Don't forget your PIN number!

You can also order foreign currency from many banks, but there is a larger fee. For example, my bank charges a $40 fee and has two-day delivery. For a small amount of money, that is not a good idea, but you could get all your money this way before you go or several go together and share the fee.

There is an online exchange option through Travelex which we used before a short trip this past Christmas. We wanted the convenience of having all our money before we went, but we paid dearly for it too. It was ordered using my credit card and considered a cash advance loan. There was a $15 flat fee to Travelex and interest accrued on my credit card. In the end it was not a good deal as I paid the currency company and paid the credit card...and was not expecting those hidden fees. It would have been cheaper through the bank.

It is a good idea to have some euros before landing in France just in case you want something before we get to a bank or ATM machine. I highly recommend you check around. Before you go check your bank on fees and if there is a limit to the amount you can get at one time. Also contact your credit card company and your bank to let them know there will be international transactions. If you don't, they may cut your card activity off as a precaution to you.

Bottom line: There is no way to exchange currency without a fee. Just check around for the best way for you. My preference: Take a small amount with you (I have some left over from a previous trip) and use ATMs.

And what about Traveler's Checks? I haven't actually used them in years, but I always carry some with me for insurance. You never know when your card might be rejected or (horror!) shredded by a machine or you become a victim of theft. Traveler's Checks do not cost anything and are easily exchanged back when you return.

One last tip...no, this is an order! Never, never put your money or credit cards in your luggage. Always keep them on your body in your passport pouch.

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