How to Play the Best Golf in the Loire Valley
France's most exclusive golf estate and some of its most relaxed visitor courses share the same forest. Les Bordes, with its von Hagge Old Course and Gil Hanse New Course, is member territory; Cheverny, Touraine and Orléans Limère will take your booking tonight for €45 to €72. Here is the honest access picture in château country, and how to route the golf between Chambord and Chenonceau.
Photograph: Golf du Château de Cheverny, via Google
The Les Bordes question, answered first
Every conversation about Loire Valley golf starts with the same name, so let us settle it. Les Bordes, 1,400 acres of Sologne forest near Beaugency, 90 minutes from Paris, holds two of the best courses in continental Europe: the brooding Old Course that Robert von Hagge carved for Baron Bich in the 1980s, and the Gil Hanse New Course, opened in May 2021 and instantly ranked among the continent's elite. Both are private. Guests play only when hosted by a member, there is no visitor rate, and emailing the club for a tee time does not work. The two realistic paths are an invitation, or patience: a luxury hotel on the estate has long been planned, and the expectation is that guests will get access to the Wild Piglet, the estate's celebrated 10 hole par 3 course, rather than the championship eighteens. If your trip depends on playing Les Bordes, confirm an invitation before you book flights. Everything else in this guide you can book tonight.
The circuit anyone can play
The playable Loire is built on three courses, conveniently spread along the valley. Golf du Château de Cheverny sits beside the most perfectly furnished château in France, the model for Moulinsart in the Tintin books, a tidy parkland and water layout where 2026 fees run roughly €45 to €72 by season. Golf de Touraine occupies the old Château de Touvoie park at Ballan-Miré, fifteen minutes from Tours, the region's club golf standard bearer with fees in the €55 to €72 band and a €60 winter rate from mid November to mid March. Golf d'Orléans Limère, at Ardon on the Sologne's northern edge, is the value play at around €52, big greens and pines on the sandy forest soil that made Les Bordes possible next door. Book all three online a few days ahead; only summer weekend mornings need more notice.
Who gets on, and for how much
| Course | Access and 2026 fee |
|---|---|
| Les Bordes, Old and New | Members and invited guests only. No visitor green fee exists; the von Hagge Old (1986) and Hanse New (2021) are the two best courses in the region and the hardest to reach in France. Hotel plans may open the Wild Piglet par 3 course to guests in time |
| Château de Cheverny | Open to all, booking online. Roughly €45 low season to €72 peak in 2026. Handicap certificate rarely demanded; carts available. Walk the château gardens after the round |
| Golf de Touraine | Open to all, €55 to €72 by season, €60 full rate in its mid November to mid March winter window. The strongest members' club feel of the open three; midweek is quietest |
| Orléans Limère | Open to all, around €52, with discounted online and pass rates common. Sandy Sologne forest golf twenty minutes from Orléans; the natural warm up day for anyone hoping a Les Bordes invitation comes through |
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Routing the trip
The geometry is kind. Take the TGV from Paris to Tours or drive two hours south, and the whole circuit fits inside an 80 minute east to west line: Orléans Limère at the eastern end, Cheverny in the middle by Blois, Touraine at the western end by Tours. The classic five day shape plays golf on alternate mornings, Limère, then Cheverny, then Touraine, and gives the afternoons to the reason everyone else is here: Chambord's double helix staircase twenty minutes from Limère, Cheverny's château a cart ride from the 18th green, Chenonceau spanning the Cher half an hour from Touraine, with Vouvray and Chinon cellars filling the gaps. Sleep in one of the small château hotels around Amboise or Blois and the whole trip stays inside thirty minute drives.
Set expectations honestly and the Loire delivers: this is the gentlest great trip in French golf, three relaxed parkland rounds in the €50 to €70 band wrapped in the best sightseeing in the country. Golfers chasing pure golf weight should pair it with the coast, our Brittany ranking is four hours west, or with the Paris belt and Fontainebleau on the way down. The France green fees guide puts these numbers in national context, and the France golf holidays page builds the full multi region trip; the France hub and our best courses in France list show where the Loire's names sit nationally.
Plan your Loire Valley trip
Tell us your month, your group and how much golf versus château you want, and one concierge builds the route, the tee times and the right small château hotel. No obligation.
Loire Valley golf questions
Can visitors play Les Bordes?
No. Both eighteens, the 1986 Robert von Hagge Old Course and the Gil Hanse New Course opened in 2021, are reserved for members and their invited guests. The only realistic doors are an invitation from a member or, in time, a stay once the long planned on site luxury hotel opens, which is expected to bring limited access to the short Wild Piglet par 3 course rather than the championship eighteens. Treat Les Bordes as a member hosted privilege, not a bookable round.
Which Loire Valley courses can anyone play?
The three that matter: Golf du Château de Cheverny, beside the famous château, with 2026 fees from about €45 to €72 by season; Golf de Touraine at Ballan-Miré near Tours, in the €55 to €72 range; and Golf d'Orléans Limère on the edge of the Sologne forest, around €52. All three welcome visitors daily and book online. Fees are indicative for 2026; always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time to play?
May, June and September: warm, dry château weather, gardens at their best and high season tee sheets that still rarely fill. July and August stay entirely playable but share the region with peak château tourism, so play early and visit Chambord or Chenonceau late. Winter golf continues at reduced rates, with Touraine publishing a €60 full rate from mid November to mid March.
Is the Loire Valley worth a dedicated golf trip?
It is a golf and everything trip. Three to four pleasant rounds will not rival Brittany's coast or the Riviera's glamour on golf alone, but no French region pairs its golf with better non golf: Chambord, Cheverny and Chenonceau, Vouvray and Chinon tastings, and Michelin tables in Tours. Build it as two or three rounds inside a five day château tour, 90 minutes from Paris by TGV, and it earns its place on any French itinerary.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Access rules and fees verified June 2026 against club published information. Last reviewed June 2026.