I'm visiting France this September and I've only one day (yes very unfortunate) in the Loire valley. I will have a car and am wondering if I should visit Chenonceau or Chambord.

My research has indicated that Chenonceau will be of more interest to me however I would like to hear more opinions.

Also wanted to know if its possible to drive past Chambord viewing it for sometime - perhaps with a lunch in a adjacent park - from the outside without having to pay for its entrance.

Chambord offers a more complete experience -- the enormous château, gigantic gardens and forests, and even a tiny tourist hamlet on the grounds with hotel and restaurant.
Chenonceau is much smaller, privately owned (more expensive), and seeing it does not take long -- but of course, you have seen photographs of it and sitting on top of the river like that is stunning.
But why choose? You can easily visit both the same day.

Hi, just got back from a week in the Loire Valley. Hard decision - they are both stunning though Chambord takes your breath away as it is literally out of a fairytale. At Chambord, there is a little family run hotel with a restaurant directly across the castle which serves DELICIOUS food, beautifully presented and great value for money. You only pay entrance at Chambord if you enter the castle itself. At Chenonceau, which is also beautiful, you pay to enter the grounds, same fee whether you enter the castle or not. The story behind Chenonceau is more interesting, but I would still pick Chambord if I had to do it over again in one day. Then again, they are both so close to each other that you could visit them both with plenty of time to see the interior of both castles.

Enjoy!

Chambord is beautiful on the outside but it's almost completely empty with the exception of some rooms.

Chenonceau is, in my opinion, the most beautiful. It's like a fairytale.

Hi S,

Assuming you have one full day in the Loire Valley, it's possible to do BOTH castles, IMO. Depending on where you rent your car, simply do one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

We were able to do just that even though the castles are not that close to each other. Go For It!!!

I think Chennoceau has more to offer. The gardens are wonderful and there is a lot to see inside. As you have a car I think you will have quite sufficient time to visit Chennoceau and then drive over to Chambord and view it from the outside (which is the wonderful part - it is rather boring inside)and take lots of photos before heading back.

You can easily do both. The first time we went to visit these chateaux we were with our French relatives who drove us. We got to Chambord early in pouring rain I think we were the only four people visiting that morning, talk about having a castle to yourself !!!! (we went back several years later in the sunshine) We also visited Cheverny and Chenonceau that day with our family and by then the rain had stopped. Start early and enjoy !!! Personally I think Chenonceau is the most beautiful but all are certainly fabulous in their own right.

Morale of this story is go even if the weather is not perfect .. you may never have another chance.

shoonye

I concur with most of the others, you can easily visit both of them in one day especially with a car.

Chambord is grand and sits on massive grounds. Approaching it and seeing the scale of it from a distant for the first time is an amazing experience. You don't have to pay to enter the grounds, only if you want to explore the chateau itself.

Cheononceau is prettier and the story behind it more romantic. The grounds are smaller and has a beautifully structured garden. The inside of the chateau is furnished. You park your car at the parking lot just outside of the grounds and then buy your entry tickets to enter the grounds.

S

I would choose Chambord, it is a magnificent chateau
the pride of Francois I. True there is no furniture as I recall but the architecture with the famous staircase, the chimeneys etc is fascinating. But Chenonceau is beautiful too in a smaller scale. I would choose for one of the two, because for one day, for me, one castle is enough.

I think Chenonceau has more to offer you in the total chateaux experience as other posters have pointed out, having been there in 2001. That said, we visited Chambord last week, and it was awesome structurally. The chimneys, the massive rooms, and the staircase. The smell of smoke still lingered in many of the rooms

You could access Chambord w/out going in by parking in the free lot and walking around to the front on the castle on a gravel path for a viewing. I don't think you have to buy a ticket for that.

I did see the hotel/restaurant mentioned as well as several ice cream/light snack/souvenir shops, too. The view of the castle just from the eating area is not the best view however IMO. A walk to the front or back would be best.

Have a great day in the Loire Valley. What ever you miss, you'll just have to save for next time.

Agree with the others, you could easily do both in one day. That's what we did. We started with Chambord and before going into the castle, went on the boat cruise around the very elaborate moat/canal system. If you go first thing, you may have a private tour, as we did. The later cruises were all packed. The inside of the chateau, while impressive, didn't strike the chord with us that other chateaus did.
Certain parts of Chenonceau can get pretty crowded, particularly the kitchens, but the grounds aren't too busy, especially as you walk farther out from the castle. The formal restaurant seemed very nice; so did the wine shop, but unfortunately the winery store was closed the day we were there. We did try the castle's white wine at a little cafe on the grounds and it was better than we expected.

Thank you very much !!

I am going to do both now. Chambord from the outside perhaps and Chenonceau from the inside.

Thanks again.

Several years ago (2001) we spent the night on the grounds of Chambord at the hotel mentioned here earlier. At nightfall there was a "Lightshow" in the chateau that was so fantastic it could be one of the most memorable events we have attended in France. Are they still doing these at the chateaus in France or was this on one in a lifetime event? They were incredible, we even saw one in Versailles that same summer.

We stayed in Saumur for the night; got a late start,(10AM) and got lost occasionally. Still, we managed to drive past Usse, visit Azy-le-Rideau, Chennonceau, and then Chambord.

You need a good navigator, buy the orange Michelin regional map. It covers from Paris to Saumur.

MD - if you had to pick one to visit: Chambord or Chenonceau?

I've been to both and I like Chenonceau better, however I also liked Chambord and they can be visited in one day. I've also been to the Amboise chateau and town which are easy to visit as well.
Chenonceau has a beautiful site and I ate a very nice lunch there. As an earlier writer commented, it has a dreamlike quality about it.

If you see Chenonceau, don't miss the kitchens.

According to Michelin, the hotel-restaurant Du Grand St-Michel is on the Place Saint Louis right across from Chambord.

http://www.saintmichel-chambord.com/