10 Must-see Chateaux of the Loire Valley

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Loire’s grandest chateau, an astonishing 440-room, 16th-century Renaissance colossus filled with a vast collection of furniture, tapestries, antiques, objets d’arts, and a double helix staircase thought to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Loire’s most visited chateau remains magical for its fine late Gothic and Renaissance architecture, its outstanding collections of furniture and art, and its colourful history at the hands of extraordinary women.

Richly decorated 17th-century chateau showcasing six centuries of family history, with good wine tasting and a kennel of 100 hounds.

Beautiful 16th-17th century chateau with Renaissance murals and packed with curiosities – a brilliant encounter between a beautiful old building and an adventurous collection of contemporary artworks.

Imposing vaulted, history-rich chateau built in the 15th century that became the favoured residence of French kings and queens. The tiny vaulted Gothic chapel contains the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci.

Around a grand courtyard famed for its Gothic staircase, four furnished wings reflect the 17 monarchs Kings and Queens who lived there. It’s a miniature history tour all packed into one, with architecture going from the Middle Ages to the 17th century.

One of the world’s most beautiful gardens, including a truly remarkable vegetable garden, in the grounds of a UNESCO-listed chateau.