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Bucket list experience:

Exterior fo the beautiful chateau

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

The 55-hectare grounds at this lovely 16th-century chateau contain a selection of horticultural delights. Cooks and gardeners will be fascinated by the kitchen garden, which includes 150 vegetables and a remarkable ‘conservatoire’ of almost 630 varieties of tomato collected by ‘gardener prince’, Prince Louis Albert de Broglie.

There’s also ‘Dahliacour’, a contemporary garden filled with a hundred varieties of dahlias, a medicinal plant garden, an orchard with 76 fruit trees, and collections of cedar, redwood, chestnut, and oak trees.

Stay and cook

La Bourdaisiere is a hotel with 29 romantic rooms spread over the chateau and its dependencies. You can also book in (well in advance) for cookery courses at La Bourdaisiere, using the garden produce. Available whether or not you’re staying at the hotel.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price from: £6
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Take the train to Tours (about 10km) or St Pierre des Corps (about 7km).

You are free to wander around. The pathways are lined with educational boards. Guided tours with the gardeners run twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, 5 days a week.

When to do it

The chateau is open daily from April to mid-November. The hotel is open from March to November.

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

Les Hautes Roches

Rochecorbon, Centre-Val de Loire, France[6.6 miles]

A cosy hotel just outside of Tours, with luxurious ‘troglodyte’ rooms carved into the neighbouring cliff.

Official star rating:

Le Clos d’Amboise

Amboise, Centre-Val de Loire, France[11.9 miles]

An attractive family-friendly hotel, with great staff and a perfect small-town location for exploring the Loire.

Official star rating:

Domaine de la Tortiniere

Veigne, Centre-Val de Loire, France[11.9 miles]

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

Official star rating:

Chateau de Beauvois

Saint-Etienne-de-Chigny, Centre-Val de Loire, France[23.9 miles]

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

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Hot-air balloon flights over the Loire Valley

Amboise, Centre-Val de Loire, France[11.8 miles]

Hot air balloon flights offer a serene, crowd-free way to appreciate the Loire’s spectacular landscapes and chateaux, as you drift silently above treetops and turrets.

Best for ages: 6+ | £180 | 3 hours

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Overview >

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

View of some stalls with white canapes under trees on the festival grounds
Experience

Vitiloire

Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France[11.2 miles]

This annual wine fair in Tours, held at the start of June, celebrates local wines with wine workshops, music, fireworks and countless opportunities to taste and buy direct from producers.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | One weekend

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Overview >