Taking pictures of the outside of the Loire Chateaux
 

Further to my previous post here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ire-valley.cfm

The list is gradually sorting itself out. To prevent Chateaux overload we're not attempting to visit all of them, probably aiming for 4 or 5 during the week. Many we are quite happy to photograph and then move on. I know that Chenonceau and Azay le Rideau can't be seen from the road and we will have to pay admission if we want to see them.

What about the other chateaux like Chaumont, Cheverny, Chambord, Blois etc can we get reasonable pictures of the outside without having to pay?

Thanks

Cheverny I think you can, but you'll have to park on the grounds, I think, and I don't recall if it costs to do so. Chaumont you can park nearby and walk up the path to the chateau - that one's easy.

You can do the same at Chambord, I think, but there's no reason to not go in, that would be a waste of the time it takes to get there and would miss much of the point of the visit.

For Blois, the architectural details that make it special are inside the chateau.

I'm not sure if you have to pay admission to see Azay - you can park nearby and walk to the grounds. Same is true for Villandry, but the charm of Villandry is its gardens, which are internal.

There is a LONG approach road to Chambord and once you get there you could film it from a distance. However, one of the striking things about Chambord is its bulk and how on the OTHER side (vs. the approach side) it looks out onto a rather vast open field area.

The bulk of the place is also impressive and it almost has to be captured/photographed from above ground level to really do it justice.

We very easily visited outside and inside of two chateaux per day with no overload feeling.
From Amboise, we visited Chambord and Cheverny. We ate lunch in the cafeteria at Chambord before we moved on to Cheverny.
From Chinon, we visited Azay-le-Rideau and the Abbaye de Fontevraud.
You should be fine with full visits to 4-5 chateaux during a week. They vary rather widely in the interiors, furnishings etc. I might add this was the first time we rented a car and drove in France, so we also had time to get lost a couple times. ;-)

Two of the best features of Chambord are the roof and the double helix staircase... I can't see going to Chambord and then not entering the chateau.

Angers' chateau is very easy to photograph from outside - it's right in the city. You can take pictures of Montresor from outside (and the whole village is so picturesque, make sure there's plenty of shots left on your memory card or carry a spare).

Many years ago I walked along the River Cher to Chateau de Chenonceau without paying admission. There was (still is?) a public footpath that goes along the far end of the chateau on the south bank of the river and you can get up really close, but of course you can't go inside. There are uniformed staff on duty, but if you don't try to go inside, they will let you walk through the ground.

You can park on D976 close to the chateau and then walk up a lane called Parc de Chenonceau.
See the local map at http://www.chenonceau.com/en/itinera...n-airport-road

As I said, it was many yeas ago (about 10 years) and you may not be able to do this any more.

Angers, Langeais, Amboise and Blois can be photographed without entering, although the main features of Blois are in the interior courtyard. I think that Villandry is seen from the road, as well as Saumur.

I think the best view of Chaumont is on the opposite side of the river. You can photograph two of the exterior walls at Blois but to get the other parts you'd have to pay to enter. At Azay you can park in one of the town lots and walk at least parts of the ground for free and get some decent photos. At Chambord you'll pay to park in the official parking lot (not expensive) and you can wander around the outside there as much as you'd like. I'm pretty sure if you snoop around you could find free parking somewhere nearby but I can't recall where to park. I don't know about Cheverny but when I drove by it I remember it is completely fenced and you'd need to enter the grounds to get any decent photos of the exterior. Not sure there would still be a footpath along the river to Chenonceau anymore since they make you pay prior to entering the grounds but as Alec said maybe there is a place nearby where you might get a free view.

The footpath that Alec mentions running along the south side of the Cher is still there. From the path you get great views of the gallery exterior and you walk right past the end of the gallery. There's a parking area off the D80 just south of the bridge. It's a nice quiet break from chateau madness.

Do I remember you're going to Fontevraud? If so, the little chateau of Montsoreau is nearby, right along the Loire and photographable without going in. Also, Montsoreau and its neighboring village, Candes-St-Martin, are two of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. From the top of the hill you can see the Vienne joining the Loire.

Reignac, north of Loches along the D17, has a chateau that can be glimpsed from the road. You do have to cross the Indre to see it.

Also, the tiny village of Chanceaux-pres-Loches is very photographable. It has a visible chateau with a big pond, a lodge painted with portraits of literary giants(a big literary event is held here each summer), and a pretty little church. There's a double (or maybe even a triple) allee of plane trees. It's scenic as all get out.

I just noticed on your other question that you will be there in September. If your visit includes the weekend of the Journees du Patrimoine (usually the third weekend in September), the Loire is your oyster. All kinds of historic sites, both public and private, are open this weekend free or at reduced rates.

The national website (www.journeesdupatrimoine.culture.fr) appears in mid-August with a list of the big names that will be part of the Journees. It doesn't include the smaller places that are just locally known; for those you have to check out a local newspaper or tourism office a few days beforehand. Hitting all the places you want to see in two days takes some advance planning, but this weekend is one of the best reasons for visiting France in September.

Thank you for all your help - especially the smaller château. I'm trying to plan a mix of activities each day and only visiting one château a day. I am fascinated by the architecture and the different styles. I was wanting to admire and photograph as many as possible from the outside as we drive past.

Back in 1960 I was taken to France by my aunt and we spent a few days in the Loire Valley. I fell in love with Chenonceau and even now can remember that amazing double helix at Chambord. I am hoping to go inside this but that will need to be done the day we drive back for the ferry so we may be limitted on time.

If you don't have it already, get the Michelin Green Guide for the Loire Valley. It will have extended explanations of the various châteaux.

If you don't go inside Angers, you'll miss the tapestries.

I've got a copy of the Michelin Green Guide and also the map of the area - essential reading.

I'm wanting to limit ourselves to going round one Château a day. However they all look so different I'd like to see as many as possible from the outside - hence my initial question. We are based in Loches and I want to keep driving times down if possible and not drive much more than an hour from Loches each day. This immediately rules out places like Angiers, Samur etc.

StCirq wrote: "If you don't go inside Angers, you'll miss the tapestries."

True. But you can go in and choose to miss the tapestries. I did it twice, on different visits. On my third visit I viewed them, and confirmed that tapestries just ain't my kind of thing.

That's OK, Padraig. I happen to love them. And after I visited the château, I went to the Jean Lurçat museum to see his rendering of the Apocalypse tapestries. Stunning. But hey, there's so much to see and do in France (or anywhere else), no one should spend any time doing something that's not their kind of thing.

Loire valley......stop by Usse....car park, small "river", old bridge....very easy to take pictures
from any of those vantage points....very picturesque.

I must admit that tapestries and pictures aren't my thing either, which means Beauregard isn't on the list of places to visit, although we may go and admire the outside. I'm more interested in the architecture.

Thanks for the information about Ussé - that is just what I want as I want to see the outside but not inside...