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Bucket list experience:

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

Loire’s strikingly beautiful chateaux are a rich architectural legacy, left by the French royalty and bourgeoisie in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Some were built originally as feudal strongholds, but most as lavish summer residences set amid beautiful game-filled forests, close to the centre of power in Paris.

Many were ransacked or destroyed during the French Revolution, and some are still private homes, but many others are open to the public as hotels and museums.

Price from: £11
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

It’s easy to visit the chateaux independently. You’ll need a car (or bike) to get between most of them, although some of the greatest chateaux, including Blois, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon and Angers, can be reached by local train services. Booking is not required – you can just turn up.

When to do it

The bigger chateaux are open all year around, though smaller ones may close in winter (generally November to February). Opening times vary by chateaux and season.

Side view of the fortress with giant round buttress towers
Experience

Chateau Angers

Angers, Pays de la Loire, France

A mighty medieval fortress with 17 stone towers, home to a collection of medieval tapestries including the vast, 103m-long Apocalypse Tapestry, woven for Duke Louis I of Anjou in 1375.

Best for ages: 18+ | £5

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Overview >
Aerial view from above showing the beautiful turreted chateau surrounded by lake and river
Experience

Chateau Azay-le-Rideau

Azay-le-Rideau, Centre-Val de Loire, France

A perfect fairy-tale castle, built in 1527, with historic portraits, tapestries and carved four-posters that beautifully capture the Renaissance lifestyle. One of the Loire’s most beautiful and romantic chateaux.

Best for ages: 18+ | £8

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Overview >
Front facade of the chateau
Experience

Chateau Beauregard

Cellettes, Centre-Val de Loire, France

Intimate Renaissance chateau famed for its fine gardens and outstanding portrait gallery of 327 kings, emperors, sultans, generals and other celebrities, from the 14th to the 17th centuries.

Best for ages: 18+ | £11

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Overview >
Landscape view of Chateau de Breze on a blue summer's day with the vineyard at the front field of the chateau
Experience

Chateau Breze

Saumur, Pays de la Loire, France

Beneath this attractive Renaissance and neo-Gothic chateau is a remarkable 9th-century fortress, a troglodyte labyrinth complete with drawbridge, stables, and guardrooms. The chateau is also known for excellent wines, which you can taste in Les Caves de la Comtesse de Colbert in the chateau grounds.

Best for ages: 18+ | £10

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Overview >

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

Loire Valley Half Day with Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau Castles from Tours

Loire Valley Half Day with Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau Castles from Tours

Tours

During this morning, visit the elegant must-see Chateau de Villandry and its unique gardens as well as the lovely Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau....

€102 | Rating 4.7 / 5 [20 ratings]

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

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

Tours

Jump into the heart of French history by visiting the 2 most prestigious châteaux of the Loire Valley during the greet the warm ambiance of ...

€154 | Rating 5 / 5 [35 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Loire Valley Day from Amboise : Azay le Rideau, Villandry and 2 Vouvray Wineries

Loire Valley Day from Amboise : Azay le Rideau, Villandry and 2 Vouvray Wineries

Tours

Enjoy a complete discovery of Loire Valley with the visit of must-see Azay-le-Rideau and Villandry castle and its remarkable gardens. Benefi...

€176 | Rating 5 / 5 [16 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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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

Tours

Jump into the heart of French history by visiting the 2 most prestigious châteaux of the Loire Valley. Feel the intimacy of a lesser known p...

€184 | Rating 4.94 / 5 [131 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Chateau de Beauvois

Saint-Etienne-de-Chigny, Centre-Val de Loire, France

Stately chateau hotel in a magical woodland setting where Louis XIII once came hunting.

Official star rating:

Domaine de la Tortiniere

Veigne, Centre-Val de Loire, France

Relaxed, stylish family-run chateau hotel, well located in the heart of the Loire Valley.

Official star rating:

La Demeure de La Vignole

Turquant, Pays de la Loire, France

This quirky, rustic-chic hotel in a troglodyte hamlet has a cave pool and makes a good base for sightseeing.

Official star rating:

La Marine de la Loire

Montsoreau, Pays de la Loire, France

Gorgeous designer boutique hotel and spa, located in a tranquil village right by the River Loire.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience