Which are the best Châteaux in the Loire Valley?
 

We have a week booked near Loches in September. I have begun reading up and sorting out what we want to do but am having difficulty deciding which of the many châteaux to include. I know there is a danger of going into château overload so I am trying to get a mix of other sights as well - eg a day around Lavardin to see some of the churches with the old frescoes. I’m also wanting to do one of the troglodyte sites, possibly La Vallee Troglodytique des Goupillieres near Azay le Rideau and also the Plantagenet tombs at Fontevraud Abbey.

I’m trying to plan a mix of châteaux with different styles of architecture and to include some of the less well known (and quieter) ones. Chenonceau and Chambord are must sees although I appreciate these are both likely to be very busy. When is the best time of day to avoid the worst of the crowds and how long do we need to allocate to each?

I’d appreciate any comments and help to try and pick out ones we ought to consider. Which is your favourite château and what makes it special?

You're not really going to avoid crowds at Chenonceau or Chambord unless you get there way early or near closing (and in Chambord, that means running out of time to explore - do not underestimate its size and do not eschew the rooftop tour; Chenonceau is MUCH smaller).

What you would like is based on what you already like, so how long to allocate is up to you. You will need a lot of time for Chambord (1/2 day).

<b>Chateau du Blois</b> has three different types of architecture that comprise the castle and the rooms are representative of the time periods so the interior tour can take a while.

<b>Chateau de Cheverny</b> is the inspiration for Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin comics, clambering around the open-to-peasants part of the Chateau doesn't take too long, but there are some activities on the expansive grounds and the Tintin display in the chateau's shop is sizeable.

<b>Chateau d'Amboise</b> is the most fortified and defendable of the lot, has daVinci's tomb and the carriageway exit is worth a visit on its own (most of the posters on this board who have disparaged Amboise don't know about or miss the point of the carriageway exit). This can take up most of a morning with time to visit another 2 in the afternoon.

<b>Chateau Beauregard</b> is relatively unknown, but it's the Loire Valley equivalent of London's National Portrait Gallery due to the hundreds of portraits of kings, queens, sultans, bishops, emperors, popes, princes, princesses, etc. in its halls. But it is small compared to the others (just a hunting lodge, although various outbuildings and the grounds can be visited; we went for the portraits and skipped the rest on what was a rainy day).

Others, including Villandry (notable gardens, house itself is not special), Azay le Rideau (setting and exterior are more interesting than the interior), Chaumont (looks imposing, interior in relative disrepair when we visited in '07), Saumur (completely rebuilt/rebuilding) were less intriguing to us.

Chenonceau and Chambord..why did YOU pick those? IMO it makes little difference what others find attractive since YOU have already and for whatever reason picked probably the two most-visited ones and they are that way for good reason so you've obviously got tastes similar to others.

I like Chenonceau because of its setting and if you are going there go EARLY in the morning..if you are saying "Oh No I don't get up early" that is exactly WHY you should go there early to avoid the mobs. Same thing with Chambord which has such bulk (as opposed to the more delicate seeming Chenonceau) and at the latter you can actually go up onto the roof. I don't find the interior of Cmabord nearly as interesting as Chenonceau and neither of the interiors are nearly as interesting overall as that at Villandry.

Consider the latter if you are really INTO gardens and want to see a place that is still occupied.

Now, if you want something REALLY memorable, consider an early morning balloon flight OVER Chenonceau...believe me, it is absolutely unforgettable.

Langeais and Angers are worth a visit, the latter has a set of tapestries that rival the unicorn tapestries in Paris.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7624575935008/

I have visited every darn castle in the Loire several times and your question is a subjective one in part but here is my ranking of my favorites

1- Azay-le-Rideau
2- Chenonceau
3- Chambord (consensus if there is one of what is the most monumental chateau)
4- Amboise
5 - Uzes
6- Blois
Chaumont

and Loches castle too though it is a chateau-fort - built for defense as opposed to built for pleasure and the eye as many others were - check out the Hanging Cages of one Louis - his enemies literally were left to hang out in cages not big enough for them to stand up - some for years in darkness.

Here is the relevant page from our trip report, with photos and our impressions of the 9 or 10 chateaux that we visited.

http://www.onelittleworld.com/loire_2.html

Big caveat: we took this trip 12 years ago.

Thank you for all your replies - plenty of food for thought. It is helping clarify my thoughts.

Loches is on the list, as it covers so much history with the donjon and Logis Royale - which is why we picked the area as our base.

I fell in love with Chenonceau when taken there by an Aunt 50+ years ago, so that is included for nostalgic reasons. I hope it lives up to the memories. Early starts are no problem so we will aim to be there for opening time.

I'd ruled out Ussé as we aren't into the Sleeping Beauty thing. (Fodors raves about it but Rough Guide is scathing.) Present thinking is to stop and take photos of the outside as we go past.

Similarly not having read any Tintin, I'm not bothered about the Marlinspike Hall connection. Leaving this aside - is Cheverney worth a visit?

I'm attracted to Langeais with its 15thC furnishings and the gardens at Villandry.

I like the sound of Blois but was originally put off by the thought of negotiating Blois which seems like quite a big town. (We were in Brittany in September and even with Michelin 1cm =2km road maps still had problems with road signing. Having gone round roundabouts several times with husband saying "I need to know which exit..." I've been avoiding the larger places.)

Thanks for the link to your trip report - makes interesting reading.

Does anyone know much about Château de Cinq-Mars-la-Pile - is it worth considering? The guide books and web refer to romantic ruins and nice gardens. What exactly is there to see here?

I might added Villandry and Usse to the list. Chinon I also liked, I was there during their summer medieval fair. Meung-sur Loire was small, I was the only one there. They had a interesting cachot (dungeon)

Chambord looks really interesting from ouside, inside was a little 'cold'.

Angers and its tapestries

Look at combining Sons et Lumieres (sound and light) shows to your plans.

I used the Micheling Green guide when I went.

I don't think of Blois as a particularly large or hard-to-navigate town.

My favorite châteaux are Amboise and Angers, but like so many others I have a soft spot for Chenonceau. I also love Chinon, though there's not that much of it left - it gives me goosebumps standing in the room/space where Jeanne d'Arc meet the Dauphin.

They have just this year completed reconstruction of one of the buildings at Chinon and the new visitor center/museum/gift shop is open now. It's true there's still not much left but just to stand where Eleanor, Henri and Richard stood is thrill enough. Plus, I like the town. I haven't been to Cheverney but I've read reviews here from some of the château afficionados who have been and they all love it, mostly due to the quality of its interior decor. I've heard the same said about Chaumont-sur-Loire as well (haven't been). A couple of others that are on my list to see would be Valençay and Saint-Agnan.

I agree that Blois is not a difficult town to navigate. Just follow the signs to either "château" or "Centre Ville". Go to the tourist office and they'll give you a detailed map of the town and other good info. I think it's right across the street from the entrance of the château. It's a great château to visit.

I can offer very little of use, except to say that

(a) I thoroughly enjoyed Chenonceau, Azay le Rideau, and the gardens of Villandry (which might be open substantially later than anything else, so you won't necessarily have to give anything up to see them!) and

(b) I thought Angers well worth visiting (primarily, but not only, for the Tapestry of the Apocalypse) and I enjoyed Fontevraud Abbey very much. I think you are correct in your belief that they would provide nice "breaks" from chateaux.

Enjoy!

If you like gardens Villandry s must! I loved the fox hounds and lived in interiors of Cheverney.The town of Amboise is another must

If you like gardens, the garden festival at Chaumont is also a must.

In Amboise, the home (small chateau) where Leonardo Da Vinci lived makes an interesting change from the other chateaux in the area.
There are beautiful gardens to meander through, with some of his fantastic ideas either spoken about or created. The eatery in the gardens.is pleasant also. We were there in August - arrived early to explore the house, then were eating early lunch when the vast numbers of people were queuing to get in.

At Loches you will be close to Montresor. We haven't seen the chateau interior, but the village itself and the walk through the water meadow are not to be missed.

Lavardin is not really that close to Loches, about 1.5 hours. It's well worth a visit, though (the village, not the chateau ruins) if you are driving near Vendome.

You'll be near Montpoupon. It comes as a surprise. You round a bend in the road and, suddenly, there is everyone's idea of the classic chateau. And a few seconds later you are past it and want to turn around. We haven't been inside; the outside view was enough for us (we discovered we're not really chateau people).

Palenque's ranking tickled me, because Azay is my #1 and Chenonceau is my husband's #1.

Have stayed at D'Esclimont close to Chartres for a stay fine
dining former presidents of France have lodging there a short
drive from Paris built in the 12th century be the ArchBishop
of Tours. One of the Leading Small Hotels of the World 140
euro for me last www.venere.com My fav an awesome experience.

Happy Travels!

We just visited Chenonceau and Chambord two weeks ago. Chenonceau was decorated for the holidays and was exquisite. Chambord was by comparison rather stark, but much more complex and larger. Going in the off season meant no crowds at all. The trip made us want to see more next time and the suggestions above are very helpful.

Montresor is delightful (and very dog friendly, the staff insisted we bring Raisin along for our visit). You can see most of it one your own. Time it right and you'll have it almost to yourself; time it wrong and you will be seeing it with one or more Polish tour groups
Many chateaux are in private hands and not open to the public, so it's doubtful one person has seen every single one, but nonetheless, here are the ones we've shortlisted to present a variety of types:
Angers, for its tapestries, for not being a more typical Loire Valley pleasure palace, and for being in lovely city with a nice medieval district, friendly people and good food.
Chenonceau, for the whole combo package of looks, history, gardens
Villandry for gardens
Chambord for the boat tour around the extensive moat system. The castle itself wasn't our favourite, but we really enjoyed the guided boat tour. We took the first tour of the morning and were the only passengers, so had a great private tour.
Montresor (see above)
Nantes for its interactive displays
Bourges - it doesn't have a castle, but has several fascinating historic buildings, including a renowned cathedral, plus a very nice historic district. It's off the usal tourist radar and is within an easy drive of Sancerre for wine and goat-cheese tasting. A short drive from Bourges is Ainay le Viel, another lesser known chateau. Raisin and I had the entire gardens to ourselves while my husband toured the castle. http://www.chateaux-france.com/ainaylevieil/ Sometimes called the Petite Carcassonne
Azay-le-Rideau, but try to get there before or after the tour groups
Fougeres-sur-Bievre http://fougeres-sur-bievre.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/ , a lesser known but delightful chateau

Fontrevaud was fascinating, agree with the OP's plans to visit there.

Pick up a copy of Ina Caro's "The Road from the Past"... I particularly enjoyed the section on the Loire. On 3 visits to Amboise over the years I'd missed the fact that there used to be lions kept in the moat!

Chenonceau is very pretty, but it is relatively small. The grounds can take some time to explore if you want to do so.

Chambord is a monster - google Gormenghast and you'll get the concept. It has over 200 fireplaces and still was cold in the winter.

I agree that Cheverny is worth visiting w/o any reference to Tintin - we didn't know of the connection until we popped into the store.

We skipped Usse - it's a stretch to call it the Sleeping Beauty castle because it was merely an inspiration for the concept.

Villandry is all about the gardens.

All that said, do spend a decent amount of time at the Abbey de Fontevreaud - that's really something.

I agree with PalenQ about Uzès being a wonderful château to visit but it's a bit south of the Loire Valley. If the intention was to include Ussé, I believe it's best viewed with a quick drive by; there is little to see on the interior.

I like to classify recommendations geographically, east/west of Tours. There are many from which to choose but I prefer the following:

<b>East of Tours</b>

Chambord - essential to fully appreciating the area's architectural developments.

Cheverny - one of the few fully furnished examples in the Loire Valley.

Chenonceau - everyone must visit once but the crowds can be horrendous.

Blois - the most overlooked and undervalued of all of the châteaux of the Loire Valley. Visits now include admission to an art museum at the end of the tour, all very worthwhile.

If you have time: Château de Beauregard, Chaumont, le Clos Lucé (there is nothing of Leonardo's to be seen here except a few recreated models), Château Amboise which is best seen from across the Loire River. 80% of this over-rated château was destroyed during the Revolution and what is left is unremarkable given what is otherwise available to visit nearby.

Other points of interest:

Cave de la Grand Brosse - best to call Philip in advance for a visit to his winery and caves:

http://cavegrandebrosse.com/

Château de Chemery - in addition to being an old residence (dating to the 13th century), it is now a chambre d'hote allowing anyone so inclined to spend the night. Probably just as well known as the once home of French recording artist Alain Souchon (from whom the current owners purchased the property).

http://www.chateaudechemery.com/

<b>West of Tours</b>

Azay le Rideau - delightful architecture in a storybook setting.

Villandry - the gardens are the draw here however there has been a recent effort to upgrade some of the interior rooms.

If time allows: Langais, Chinon, Loches (actually all south of Tours) and Saumur.

__________


Overall, most people should limit their visits to no more than 3 châteaux a day; two would be even better as sensory overload can become a concern when trying to see too much too quickly.

Chenonceau is my favorite, and as the above shows, I am not alone.

You are staying in Loches, but I can recommend a nice place for a superb $$$ dinner, Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceaux. I stayed there one night on my trip. The best beds of the whole trip, and I wandered into their restaurant and had a culinary experience.

www.bonlaboureur.com

Valencay is one of our favorites. It was the home of Tallyrand and still includes most of the original furnishings. The audio guide is included with the admission charge; even though we have been there ten times or more, I still listen to every word on the audio guide and select the additional information options.

The gardens are gorgeous. Peacocks are everywhere. You can explore the grounds and gardens by walking or taking a golf cart tour; the grounds are huge and full of history.

On weekends they have skits or presentations (in French) of Tallyrand's activities at the chateau. They also offer free wine tastings in the kitchens.

There is a lovely picnic area on the grounds. A supermarket is just a few blocks away in town. The parking is free.

The town of Valencay is quite charming with lots of shops, boulangeries, and ATMs. You can visit the church where Tallyrand is buried.

I guess I'll add my opinions also.

Favorites:
Chennonceau
Chambord
Villandry--for the gardens
Frontevraud Abbey--surprisingly we stayed longer than anticipated

Least favorite:
Azay le Rideau---I don't know why, but this one just did nothing for us. Maybe we were underwhelmed because we has visited the above first.

We also liked:
The DaVinci House
Balzac's home in Sache

Good luck!

Near Chinon is Couly Dutheil, who make the best Chinon red wine (Clos de L'Echo). I was not able to visit, but they do offer tours.

Thank you all for taking so much time to answer my question. I now need to sit down and think hard. Ideally I plan to do one château a day and spend the rest of the day doing something else.

There are also some caves you can visit, I am trying to find out which ones to recommend. I know I visited one as I was driving by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j166VdqWLYY

Cheverny is especially noted for its famous Soupe des Chiens - mass feeding of the hounds!

http://www.chateau-de-meung.com/-rubrique10-

If you want to see a lived in chateau and take a tour with the owner then check out Meung-s/Loire's stately, but kind of shabby, castle!

We were there for the Christmas decorations throughout and the lady owner showed us around - sold tickets and was even seen with her Wellingtons on cleaning up some gradeau!

You can see the attic where the roof leaks - hinting at how expensive maintaining such a castle can be.

Meung/s/Loire is a sleepy old village not far from Orleans and it also has a nice Loire front and old moulin factories along a small river, which makes a lovely walk.

So for some Loire experience nearly no other foreign tourist will have check out Meung-sur-Loire!

Tchopy, there's no advertising on this forum.

And just so you know, hardly anyone on this forum would think the Champs Elysées is the best part of Paris to stay in.

I absolutely love the Chateau d'Eaus in every town!

ESW, where are you staying? I recommend finding a chateau where you can stay to enhance the chateau experience.

You can stay in the Chateau d'Eau in Amboise, high up on a hill with views for kilometres around.

We've already got a gite booked near Loches. I enjoy the architecture and just looking at the outside of the Chateaux.

<<I absolutely love the Chateau d'Eaus in every town!>>

Classic. ;)

Cheateaus d'Eaux are especially known for their great showers - lots of water always.