QUICK GUIDE
The Quick Guide is a mobile centric list of 60 selected Chateau in the Loire Valley, click to see videos, pictures and maps.
The Château d’Angers is based on massive medieval fortifications in schist and limestone (built from 1230 onwards) which stretch for almost 500 metres. The château houses the Tapestry of the Apocalypse which, owing to how it was made, its size and age, is a major piece of medieval art. In the 14th and 15th centuries the Dukes of Anjou held court in Angers. They were enlightened princes and patrons of the arts and architecture, and their château suggests just how refined court life was.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 41 86 48 77
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 41 86 48 77
A place of residence for French kings from the 15th to the 19th centuries, its destiny is inextricably linked to the history of France. Numerous literary figures and artists were invited here, like Leonardo da Vinci whose tomb is preserved at the château.
Website | Gallery | Location | Email | +33 (0)2 47 57 00 98
Website | Gallery | Location | Email | +33 (0)2 47 57 00 98
Charles-François Leblanc de Manarval, a blacksmith and director of the royal cloth factory in Châteauroux, had the château built from freestone in 1759.
Fougères differs from the château of the Loire region through its defensive architecture. The walls are made of hard calcareous Beauce ragstone, while a softer white stone, tuffeau, taken from the banks of the Cher River, has been used for the moulded and sculpted parts..
Website | Gallery | Location
Website | Gallery | Location
Inhabited without interruption since the late 15th century, the castle of Beauregard is hidden behind the foliage of the forest of Russy. Discreet and elegant, it surprises the visitor with the wealth of its intact decorations including an amazing gallery of pictures.
Website | Region | Gallery | Location
Website | Region | Gallery | Location
The royal chateau of Blois gives a panorama of the art and history of the castles of the Loire. Surrounding the court, its four wings constitute a unique example of the development of French architecture from the 13th through the 17th century. With its multitude of styles, the edifice evokes the destiny of 7 kings and 10 queens of France.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 54 90 33 33
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 54 90 33 33
The Château d’Azay-le-Rideau was built on an island in the Indre River during the reign of Francis I. A subtle blend of French tradition and innovative Italian decor, it is an icon of the new art of building in the Loire Valley in the 16th century. Its successive owners have helped to make it the most architecturally harmonious treasure in the Loire Valley.
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 47 45 42 04
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 47 45 42 04
The castle of Beaugency was successively in possession of the lords of Beaugency, the French crown and, in the 14th century, the dukes of Orléans who owned it until the French Revolution. Nowadays, in the center of the town of Beaugency, this castle brings the past back to life and introduces you to the residence of Jean de Dunois, Bastard of Orleans.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 38 44 36 47
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 38 44 36 47
Built between the 11th and 19th centuries in the heart of a vineyard with an area of several dozen hectares, the castle of Brézé has belonged to the powerful and influent family of the Dreux-Brézé for centuries, before being taken over – by marriage – by the family of Colbert, descendant of the Minister of Louis XIV.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)243773281
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)243773281
Surrounded by a ancient forest, the extraordinary architecture of Chambord was envisioned by François I and imbued with the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci. When you visit Chambord you can, within a couple of hours, explore half a millennium of French history.
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 54 50 40 00
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 54 50 40 00
The fortress of Chaumont-sur-Loire was built around the year 1000 to keep watch over the border between the counties of Blois and Anjou. In 1465, Louis XI had the château burned and razed to the ground, but it was rebuilt just a few years later. It was owned by the Amboise family for a good 500 years, and it was Charles II d’Amboise who turned it into an ornamental château in the Renaissance style, with sculpted decoration becoming the major feature of its outer façades.
Website | Gallery | Region | Location | +33 (0) 254 209 922
Website | Gallery | Region | Location | +33 (0) 254 209 922
The first château was a medieval château dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, of which only the dungeon remains, the Tour des Marques. The château in its current form was built between 1513 and 1517, by Thomas Bohier and above all his wife, Catherine Briçonnet.
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | + 33 (0) 2 47 23 44 06
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | + 33 (0) 2 47 23 44 06
The Château de Cheverny is a grand estate which has been in the same family for over six centuries. Cheverny has always been lived in and every generation has made a great effort to take care and embellish it with a true passion. In 1922 it was one of the first private homes to open its doors to the public. Visitors can appreciate the splendour and delight of real life in a castle. The owners invite you to discover this fantastic and vivid heritage: from the botanical park to the magnificent interior of the Château and the delights of the cafe de l’orangerie.
Website | Gallery | Location | +33 (0)2 54 79 96 29
Website | Gallery | Location | +33 (0)2 54 79 96 29
John of Dunois, known as the ‘Bastard of Orleans’ and half-brother of King Charles VI, transformed the old feudal castle into a bright, comfortable dwelling and added the Holy Chapel. His grandson, Francis II of Orleans-Longueville, extended the château with a wing in the Renaissance style heralding the great châteaux of the Loire Valley. Works started around 1450 but were not completed until 1530.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 37 94 02 90
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 37 94 02 90
Craon castle, built in 1770, is a listed historical monument, surrounded by a beautiful park with a large swimming pool and tennis courts. The castle of Craon is just two hours and two centuries from Paris and it’s ideally located for visiting the Loire Valley and its famous castles. Count and Countess Loïk and Hélène de Guébriants’ hospitality will make you feel at home, while you are being treated as an honorary guest.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 43 06 11 02
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 43 06 11 02
The Château des Essards is situated at the edge of the Loire – Anjou – Touraine Regional Nature Park, at the entrance to the vineyards of Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur, close to the sights and monuments of the Val de Loire. Nestling in an immense forest area traversed by bridle paths, this gracious residence looks out over a pleasant river valley lined with antique water mills.
Website | Gallery | Location |+33 (0)2 47 96 94 60
Website | Gallery | Location |+33 (0)2 47 96 94 60
Located in a small wooded valley, the architecture of the Gué Péan represents 2000 years of history, built on the square foundations of a Roman camp and then on a medieval fortress, from which remains the stone bridge and the dry moats. During the Renaissance, Gué Péan was converted into a mansion.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 43 77 32 81
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 43 77 32 81
The origin of this millenary castle is very old and merges with that of the family of Goulaine who have lived there, except during the French Revolution, and during the first half of the nineteenth century. It dates from the late Middle Ages, early Renaissance and still has remains of its fortified 12th century. Its construction ends in the seventeenth century with a central part of the fifteenth century.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 40 54 91 42
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 40 54 91 42
The Château de la Guerche, built on the banks of the Creuse, is a remarkable example of the art of building in the 15th century. Open all summer long, the guided tour of the vaulted cellars, the prison, the lounges and the courtyard offers visitors a wonderful escape through history.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 47 91 02 39
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 47 91 02 39
The Renaissance Château, surrounded by two branches of the Indre, is reminiscent of its neighbour, Azay-le-Rideau. Today, it’s the home of its present owners, who are pleased to share their home, opening up the rooms which are currently in use so that you can see the layout of a 21st century chateau. L’Islette, where Camille Claudel and Rodin were frequent guests, sheltering their tempestuous love affair, invites you to imbibe of the romantic charm of the Indre Valley
Website | Gallery | Location | +33 (0)2 47 45 40 10
Website | Gallery | Location | +33 (0)2 47 45 40 10
Located on the crossroad of the regions of Anjou and Touraine, between Le Mans and Tours, Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley. Le Lude is one of the last remaining important historical castles in France, which is still lived in by the same family, and has been for the past 260 years.
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 43 94 60 09
Website | Location | +33 (0)2 43 94 60 09
Château de Marçay, an island of calm and serenity located in an area rich in historical treasures and within a UNESCO world heritage site. Built on the ruins of an XI century fortress, this XV century castle, converted into hotel and restaurant since 1973, welcomes you in a timeless atmosphere.
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | +33 (0) 2 47 93 03 47
Website | Gallery | Email | Location | +33 (0) 2 47 93 03 47
The Château de Montreuil-Bellay is a historical building in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France, first built on the site of a Gallo-Roman village high on a hill on the banks of the Thouet River. It is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)241 52 33 06
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)241 52 33 06
Built by Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou around 1005, the powerful fortress of Montrésor, dominates the pleasant valley of Indrois. Its double enclosure wall surrounds the castle built in 1493 by Imbert Bastarnay, grandfather of Diane de Poitiers and loyal adviser to Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I st. The furniture and interiors have remained original and constitute an authentic testimony of the past.
Website | Email | Location | +33 2 47 92 60 04
Website | Email | Location | +33 2 47 92 60 04
Built in the 16th century by the seigneurial family Les Gouffiers, the Château d’Oiron today houses the contemporary art collection Curios & Mirabilia, loosely based on the theme of the curiosity cabinet in reference to the fabulous art collection of Claude Gouffier, master of King Henry II of France’s stables. Artists reinterpret galleries of Renaissance wall paintings in the School of Fontainebleau style, painted panelling and carved woodwork from the 17th century.
Website | Location | +33 (0)5 49 96 51 25
Website | Location | +33 (0)5 49 96 51 25
The Jardins de Poulaine are a formal 4.5 ha garden which were awarded the label “Jardin remarquable”, surrounded by 20 ha of woodland. Landscaped under Louis XVIII and Charles X, intended for the “children of France”, the nephews and the nieces of the King, it comprises a rich and diversified botanical collection.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)6 73 01 15 23
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)6 73 01 15 23
Beautiful collections of furniture sculptures, paintings and precious objects give the Château of Valençay a still inhabited look. The Empire-style furniture is absolutely stunning in the light coming through the large windows with its power, strength and references to the Napoleonic era. Through its elegance and charm, the 18th century furniture reflects the light-hearted and worldly spirit of aristocratic society that defined the style and etiquette of the great lord Talleyrand.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 54 00 10 66
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 54 00 10 66
The Château was built by Jean le Breton on the location of an old manor house. Jean le Breton was the Lord of Villandry and of Villesavin, Secretary of taxes under François 1st and entrusted by the King with the work of controlling the building and paying of Chambord.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 54 46 42 88
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 54 46 42 88
Ussé has ten centuries of history to offer its visitors and a unique legend. Ussé is the fairy tale castle that gave rise to the story of Sleeping Beauty. But Ussé is, above all, a château that is still a home, one which is very much alive today and never sleeps.
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 47 95 54 05
Website | Email | Location | +33 (0)2 47 95 54 05