Chateaux & Gardens

Chambord, a symbol of French Renaissance throughout Europe and the world. Just 2 hours from Paris, the Loire Valley’s largest château stands within Europe’s largest fenced park. The Domain, surrounded with a 32-km wall, covers 13500 acres. Listed as a historical monument since 1840, it has been also a World Heritage site since 1981. Do not miss : the double-spiral staircase, which may have been inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, the viewpoint from the rooftop, the sculpted ceilings on 2nd floor, the collections (over 4500 paintings, tapestries, furniture and works of art), the music festival in July, the exhibitions, the horse show, the roar of the stags or the local wildlife.

The history of the Château of Chenonceau is defined by a an almost uninterrupted succession of women who built, embellished, protected, restored and saved it. Unique architecture, built over the Cher river. A collection of masters paintings and a remarkable series of 16 century Flemish tapestries. The Galerie des Dômes (wine cellar), exhibitions.

The favourite residence of the Kings of France during the Renaissance, the Royal Château of Blois is a true architectural and historical synthesis of the Châteaux of the Loire. Its four wings, each in a different style, and its monumental staircase around the same courtyard, offer an astonishing panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the Classical period. In the royal flats, the magnificent restored polychrome decorations, furniture and paintings evoke the daily life of the Court and power during the Renaissance. The private chambers of François I and the royal chambers of Catherine de Medici and Henri III, where the Duke of Guise was murdered in 1588, are steeped in the major events of French history.

The fortress, with its majestic position overlooking the town, built by Count Thibaut I of Blois, invites the visitor into the heart of France’s and England’s history. The court of Henry II Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine was established here in the 12 century.