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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Anna Brooke

The largest chateau in the Loire, and the most excessive of all King François I’s architectural ventures, this 16th-century Renaissance colossus contains an astonishing 440 rooms, 84 staircases, more than 800 sculpted columns and a forest of fantastical chimneys.

Its centrepiece is the spectacular double helix staircase, designed, it is thought, by Leonardo da Vinci, but it also houses an outstanding collection of 4,500 items of furniture, tapestries, antiques and objets d’art.

Price from: £10
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The nearest stations are Blois and Mer (about 1.5-hours from Paris); from May-September there’s a shuttle from Blois. There’s a large car park if you’re driving (about €5 per day). There are 90 rooms open to the public, and you are free to wander around them at will.

There’s a brochure (available in multiple languages) available at the entrance to help guide you, and there are explanatory boards in each room explaining the room’s history and exhibits. There are also daily 1-hour guided tours in English, and longer tours in French on the weekends.

When to do it

The chateau is open all year round, seven days a week.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Loire Valley Christmas Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau from Amboise or Tours

Loire Valley Christmas Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau from Amboise or Tours

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Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

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Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord & Caves Ambacia from Tours/Amboise

Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord & Caves Ambacia from Tours/Amboise

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Enjoy a small group 9-hour tour in the Loire Valley. Your professional tour guide will show you the two most famous chateaux of the region, ...

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Day tour of Chateaux of Chambord, Blois, Cheverny & wine tasting at local winery

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