Chenonceau by balloon and by bike: five listings, none of which goes inside
The three balloons cross nothing out
That is true of nothing else in this catalogue, and it is worth saying because most of these pages are about what a listing strikes through. All three balloon pages carry inclusions and no exclusions whatsoever.
| Listing | Price | Rating | Chenonceau admission | Not included, per its own page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Air Balloon Flight above the Castle of Chenonceau t606717 | €239 per person | 5.0 from 40 ratings | Flight or ride only | Nothing at all |
| Amboise Hot-Air Balloon Sunset Ride over the Loire Valley t602346 | €255 per person | 4.9 from 78 ratings | Flight or ride only | Nothing at all |
| Hot air balloon flight: Chambord, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Blois t630132 | €286 per person | 4.2 from 12 ratings | Flight or ride only | Nothing at all |
The one that flies over this château specifically rather than the valley in general runs three and a half hours, of which one to one and a quarter are in the air. Its inclusions spell out more than most listings bother with: passenger insurance, free parking at the meeting place, written and verbal safety instructions from the pilot, a first-flight certificate, a tasting of local wine, cheese and snacks wherever it lands, and free transport back to the meeting place. That last line is not a courtesy — a balloon lands where the wind puts it, and the retrieval drive is a real part of the day. It carries 5.0 from 40 ratings. Written up here.
The Amboise flight is the most-rated of the three at 4.9 from 78 ratings, goes up at sunrise or sunset, and is the only one that includes round-trip travel from your Amboise hotel and a tasting at a named cellar in the town. Its inclusions are written as prose rather than as a list, which is unusual and makes them easy to skim past.
The three-star review, and exactly what it is evidence of
The third balloon names four châteaux in its title and averages 4.2 from twelve ratings, the smallest base of the three. In June 2026 one reviewer gave it three stars and wrote: “A bit misleading; you can never do all 4 castles in 1 hour. We only saw Chenonceau. Otherwise, good welcome.” The review is filed without a name.
It is the only one of the 163 written reviews across all eighteen listings that is rated below four stars, and it is worth reading in both directions. It is a fair note on that listing’s title: a balloon goes where the wind takes it and the flight is about an hour. It is not evidence about the other two balloons, which carry no complaint like it. And it is not evidence about anything in general — 161 of those 163 written reviews are five-star while the listings themselves average between 4.2 and 5.0, so the written file is good for concrete detail and useless as a sample.
Over the châteauHot Air Balloon Flight above the Castle of Chenonceau
Sunrise or sunsetAmboise Hot-Air Balloon Sunset Ride over the Loire Valley
Four châteaux from the airHot air balloon flight: Chambord, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Blois
The e-bike day, and what it puts in the price instead
Its excluded line begins “Entrance ticket to the chateau” and then explains itself: “Visiting the inside of the castle is not part of the experience. The visit can be done after the ride”. Read that page as plain text and those words sit in the inclusions, which is how a site ends up promising a ticket the listing strikes out. Read as the crosses as crosses, it is the plainest statement of scope in this catalogue: a ride and a lunch, with the château bookable separately for after it.
What it actually is: thirty-eight kilometres on an e-bike, a guided ride along the Cher, and a lunch of local products — Touraine white, cheese, bread, farm apple juice, fruit and butter cookies — eaten facing the château. Four and a half hours, capped at four people, and not suitable for under-14s or anyone under 150 cm. It has 5.0 from 51 ratings. One of its reviewers, CORINNE, writes of a “Very enjoyable picnic in front of the castle with local products”, which is the listing doing exactly what it says. Written up here.
The hire that says nothing either way
The second bicycle listing is a hire from Montrichard, not a tour, and its own page says so by crossing out the word “Tours” along with “A meal”. You get helmets, an anti-theft lock, a repair kit and customer support. The château appears once, as a destination: “You can take a stroll before arriving at Chenonceaux, the Ladies’ Chateau!” Admission is not mentioned in either direction, so this site does not claim either way, and its card reads “no ticket mentioned” rather than “not included”. The page also states no duration and no languages. It has 5.0 from 2 ratings, and two ratings will not hold an argument.
| Listing | Price | Rating | Chenonceau admission | Not included, per its own page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chenonceau: E-Bike Guided Tour & Gourmet Picnic Lunch t558002 | €89 per person | 5.0 from 51 ratings | Crossed out in its own words | Entrance ticket to the chateau. Visiting the inside of the castle is not part of the experience. The visit can be done after the ride |
| Chenonceaux by bike: the Cher River reflects your day! t894426 | €50 per person | 5.0 from 2 ratings | Not mentioned either way | Tours; A meal |
Ride and picnic, ticket separateChenonceau: E-Bike Guided Tour & Gourmet Picnic Lunch
Bike hire, not a tourChenonceaux by bike: the Cher River reflects your day!
The ticket itselfChenonceau Castle Admission Ticket
If you want to go inside as well
None of the five above includes admission, which is a statement about what they are rather than a criticism of them. The château ticket is a separate purchase at about nineteen euros, it is the same price at the door and on the platform, and it covers the gardens and the Dômes and Carriage galleries as well as the house. The e-bike listing even suggests the order: the visit can be done after the ride.
A balloon is a weather product and every one of these three says so somewhere on its page. Reviewers on two of them describe flights postponed by wind and rescheduled by the crew rather than cancelled. If you are here for a single night, book the château ticket and treat the flight as the thing that might move.
More: what the ticket costs and covers, all eighteen listings in one table, the two gardens, and the listings written up one at a time.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you fly over the Château de Chenonceau in a hot air balloon?
Yes. Three balloon listings reach it, one of which flies over this château specifically rather than the valley in general and runs three and a half hours with about an hour in the air. All three are the view from above; book the admission ticket alongside one and you get both.
Do the balloon flights include entry to the château?
No. All three are marked as not going inside. What one of them does include is unusually specific: passenger insurance, free parking, safety instructions from the pilot, a certificate, a tasting at the landing place and free transport back to the meeting point. The three balloons are the only listings here with no exclusions at all.
Does the e-bike tour include the château ticket?
No, and it says so in its own words: “Entrance ticket to the chateau. Visiting the inside of the castle is not part of the experience. The visit can be done after the ride”. It is thirty-eight kilometres on an e-bike with a lunch of local products facing the château.
Can I hire a bike near Chenonceau?
One listing is a hire from Montrichard rather than a tour, and it crosses out the word “Tours” on its own page. It comes with helmets, a lock, a repair kit and customer support, and it never mentions admission in either direction. It carries five stars from two ratings — a newer listing, and the rating count is printed beside every average on this site so you can weigh it yourself.