The are over 300 châteaux in the Loire Valley. We visited the area for just under a week and went to as many as possible. During that time we were able to visit 17 different châteaux. Here are the ones we visited and what we thought about each one. We can’t wait to visit again, and hopefully keep adding to our list below.
Château Royal d’Amboise
https://www.chateau-amboise.com
The château and the area have a long history of being a fortified site. The main construction began in the late 15th century and has been expanded and restored several times since it’s beginning. In 1431, the original structure was confiscated by the Crown. During the 15th and 16th centuries the court of France was based in Amboise.
Today you can tour parts of the interior and explore the exterior gardens. During your tour of the interior you can use a Histopad to see what the room would have been like when the Royal court was in residence. You can also visit St Hubert Chapel, where Leonardo DaVinci is buried. When we were there, they were renovating the chapel, so we didn’t get to view the inside.
One of the most unusual features of this château, which we did not see anywhere else, were the towers. These towers were used by horse and carts to go up and down. They are just like the up and down ramps we have today in parking garages.
Highlights:
- Up and down towers for horse drawn carts
- Leonardo Da Vinci’s memorial and burial
Château d’Angers
Château d’Angers is located on the west end of the Loire Valley, near Angers. It was built as a fortress in the 9th century and expanded in the 13th century. The château consisted of 17 semi-circular towers built with striped whitestone and black slate. The design on the towers is beautiful and worth seeing. You can walk the tower walls, which provide a nice view of the small garden.
The other main attraction for this château is the Apocalypse Tapestry. It was the highlight of our visit to the castle. The tapestry was woven between 1377 and 1382. It depicts the story of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation by Saint John the Divine. It includes 90 scenes and is 140 metres long.
Highlights:
- Design of the white stone and black slate towers
- Apocalypse Tapestry
Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
https://www.azay-le-rideau.fr/
The Château d’Azay-le-Rideau was built between 1518 and 1527. This is another French renaissance style château built over water. The visit to the château started at the top in the attic, from there you make your way down through the various open rooms.
The rooms are beautifully decorated, with timber decorated ceilings. The rooms are equipped with large fireplaces.
Highlights:
- Location of the château (over water)
- Seeing the château’s attic
Château de Beauregard
Château de Beauregard was one of our favourite chateaus in the Loire Valley. We almost didn’t make it there before they closed, but thankfully we did. It is a must see. The few rooms that you are able to visit are fairly basic, but the highlight is the Galerie des Illustres. It contains 327 portraits representing key figures in the history of France and Europe.
The collection of portraits are grouped by the reign of each king from 1328 until 1643. Each grouping starts with the king followed by the most influential people during that time. There are documents around the room that label each person. We could have stood there forever looking at all the different portraits and groupings.
The room also includes stunning tiles and a painted ceiling.
Highlights:
- Viewing the portrait collection
Château Royal de Blois
https://www.chateaudeblois.fr/
The Château Royal de Blois is located in the centre of Blois. It is full of history as it was a favourite residence of seven kings and 10 queens of France. In 1845 a major restoration project began using drawings from the 16th century.
The rooms are beautifully restored, including gorgeous, tiled flooring throughout.
Highlights:
- Display of artifacts and renovated rooms
- Temporary museum on women in history
Château de Brézé
https://www.chateaudebreze.com/
The Château de Brézé was built during the 16th and 19th centuries. During your visit you can see several rooms inside the castle. Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to take photos inside, but the rooms are beautifully decorated, including some amazing fireplace decorations.
The main features of the château include the deep, dry moat around the building and the underground fortress and tunnels. Visiting the tunnels and the moat is amazing. You can see three old wine presses, a kitchen with bread shelves, and a silkworm farm.
Highlights:
- The deep, dry moat
- Visiting the underground tunnels
- The unique kitchen, with bread shelves
- Viewing the silkworm farm
Château de Brissac
The Château de Brissac is privately owned and has been in the same family since 1502. The château is seven stories tall, making it the tallest château in the Loire Valley. The towers were original, but the rest of the castle was demolished, and the new château was built around them. The towers were planned to be demolished but were saved. You can see the windows behind the towers and the pieced together sections. The château’s exterior is beautiful and uniquely designed.
The interior rooms are elaborately decorated, and the highlight is the 200-seat opera theatre. The theatre was built at the end of the 19th century at the request of Jeanne Say, Marquise de Brissac.
Highlights:
- The exterior design
- Viewing the 200-seat Opera Theatre (inside the château)
Château de Chambord
Château de Chambord is one of the largest and most recognised castles in the Loire Valley. The main part of the castle is within the outside walls. The layout of the castle is symmetrical, each floor is divided up into four similar sections. Inside the four sections is an amazing double staircase. I loved the layout of the rooms and the dominating staircase.
The exterior of the castle is huge. You can hire a golf cart or boat to explore the area.
Highlights:
- The unique layout and double staircase in centre
- The huge garden and park area
Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Originally there was a fortress built on the site of the current château, but it was destroyed in 1465. Shortly after that time it was rebuilt and remodelled over the years.
The château now is host to different art exhibits (inside and outside), as well as the garden festival. We enjoyed the exterior more than the interior, including the beautiful stables and the farm village. Walking around the garden festival you will find many different themed displays. It makes for a lovely afternoon.
Highlights:
- The art displays inside and outside
- The fireplaces in each of the rooms
- Walking through the garden festival
- Viewing the stables
- Walking through the farm village
Château de Chenonceau
The Château de Chenonceau was brought into the Crown Estate as part of a debt settlement in 1535 by King Francis I. Later, King Henry II gifted the château to his “favourite”, Diane de Poitiers. King Henry II’s widow, Queen Catherine de’ Medici forcibly traded another château in order to get Château de Chenonceau back.
From the uniqueness of being built over water to the amazing kitchen in the basement, this was one of our favourite chateaus. The rooms our wonderfully large and decorated. The long gallery, once an open bridge over the water, has lovely black and white tiles, two huge fireplaces on the ends, and windows that look out over the water. The upstairs of the gallery is full of pictures and artifcats from the house, as well as lots of information on the history. The château has a fascinating history and well worth taking the time to read through.
I am a sucker for a good kitchen and this château is one of the best we’ve seen. The basement kitchen is made up of multiple large rooms, including an entry directly from the water that was used for delivery of kitchen supplies.
Another highlight was the Queen’s Apothecary. Outside of the château there is a large garden area, complete with donkeys and a hedge maze. Queen Catherine de’ Medici created her own apothecary’s laboratory. It’s a stunning room, full of glass and wood cabinets that contain tons of flasks, scales, mortars, and pots.
Highlights:
- Walking along the gallery over the water
- Viewing the amazing kitchen area
- Viewing the Queen’s Apothecary
Château de Cheverny
https://www.chateau-cheverny.fr/
Château de Cheverny is another castle owned by the crown and given to King Henry II’s mistress Diane de Poitiers. She preferred Château de Chenonceau and sold the castle to the former owner’s son. In 1914, the owner opened the château to the public. It was one of the first properties to open to the public.
The interior rooms are very grand. The exterior is also very nice, including garden areas and a pond area. There is also a train ride available through part of the garden area.
Highlights:
- The grand interiors
- The large garden and pond picnic area
- Train ride through the garden
Château du Clos Lucé
The Château du Clos Luce is just up the road from the Château Royal d’Amboise. There is a lot of history at the château, but the main attraction is the fact that Leonardo da Vinci lived at the château for the last four years of his life. He came to the château at the invitation of the King of France.
There is a large display of da Vinci’s inventions that you can view. Several items were built based on drawings from da Vinci’s notebook. Outside there are large models of his inventions that you can interact with. There is also a large museum about Leonardo da Vinci as well.
Highlights:
- Seeing Leonardo Da Vinci’s former residence
- Viewing the Da Vinci invention display
- Walking around the park area
Château de Langeais
https://chateau-de-langeais.com/
Château de Langeais is located in the centre of Langeais town. At the end of the 10th century a fortress was built in the town. In 1422 the fortress was destroyed except for the keep, which is still standing today.
In 1465 a new château was built, which is what is currently standing and available to visit. The interior is very grand, with beautifully designed floor tiles. While we were visiting there was a re-enactment that is performed live at different locations around the exterior. It begins in the courtyard, and then moves around the garden park. There are tents set up, food roasting, dancing, and an archery show.
Highlights:
- Seeing the château in the centre of town
- The beautiful interiors
- The exterior park grounds
- Watching the re-enactments
Château de Saumur
The Château de Saumur was transformed into a royal fortress at the beginning of the 13th century. During the 17th and 18th centuries the château was used as a prison. In 1912 it was partly restored and opened to the public. On the first floor is the municipal museum and on the second floor is the horse museum.
The wasn’t much of the château to view as most of the open spaces are now museums. This is a popular place to visit, so it was quite busy when we visited. For us it was not worth the visit, if you are limited on time there are better chateaus to visit.
Château de Serrant
https://www.chateau-serrant.net
Château de Serrant is located on the west end of the Loire Valley, near Angers. It is privately owned and has been in the same family since the 18th century. The château is surrounded by a large moat. To enter the courtyard, you cross the moat by the side bridge. Inside the château you can visit several rooms on your own, or for an additional fee you can join a guided tour which provides access to a couple extra rooms. We did the guided tour, and even though it was in French, we were still able to see the additional rooms and take a closer look at some exquisite items that made the tour worthwhile.
Highlights:
- The Renaissance staircase
- The ceilings throughout the rooms
- Walking through the Laundry Room
- Room layout with bathrooms inside cupboards
- The guided tour to see the library and dressing room
Château d’Ussé
The Château d’Ussé is a huge château known for the Sleeping Beauty displays in the attic.
The castle was in ruins until the fifteenth century when rebuilding began in the 1440s. Charles Perrault, author of several fairy tales (including Sleeping Beauty) visited the caste frequency. He had the chatau in mind when he wrote Sleeping Beauty. The displays in the attic are fantastic. It’s such a fun display, showing different scenes from the story.
There’s only a small section of the interior rooms open for viewing, however the rooms open are very grand and wonderful to see – but the attic is the highlight. Along with the Sleeping Beauty scenes you do get to see other parts of the attic, which is surprisingly beautiful. There’s a nice message about the attic containing history of the house and the occupants that have stayed within it’s walls.
Highlights:
- The Sleeping Beauty display in the attic
Château de Villandry
https://www.chateauvillandry.fr/
Cateau de Villandry has a long history, however the most recent renovations were competed in the early 1900s. The interior rooms are well restored and designed. One of my favorite features of the bedrooms was the how the beds are built into cut-outs in the walls. It made the beds feel more cozy.
Although the interior is lovely, the real highlight of Villandry is the gardens. While inside, make sure you look out the windows as you have clear views overlooking the perfectly laid out gardens. We first visited the interior and then we spent hours wondering around the gardens. We arrived later in the day. The interior closes at a certain time, but the gardens remain open until sunset. After the interior, café, and gift shop close most people leave, so we had the gardens almost to ourselves.
Highlights:
- The stunning gardens
- The dining room with fountains
- The room layout with built-in beds