Royal Châteaux

A masterpiece of architecture begun in 1519 at the request of Francis I, a king passionate about both art and hunting, the Château de Chambord was never meant to be a permanent residence. In fact, Francis I spent only a few weeks there. This extraordinary château was designed as a showcase of royal power, a place to impress sovereigns and ambassadors, a symbol of authority carved in stone. Its layout and decoration revolve around a central axis: the famous double-helix staircase, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. This spiralling marvel leads visitors up through the château to the terraces, where sculpted capitals and a forest of chimneys crown the monument.

The Château de Cheverny, home to the same family for over 6 centuries, is located just outside the Chambord estate, and is one of the Loire Valley’s most richly furnished and elegantly decorated châteaux.

Its refined interiors, exquisite furniture and tapestries will delight lovers of art and design.

Cheverny also reveals many other sides: a magnificent botanical park, the estate’s traditional hunting hounds in their famous kennel, and the immersive 3D Tintin exhibition: The Secrets of Marlinspike Hall (originally, Les Secrets de Moulinsart).

Closely tied to the great history of France, this château in Touraine overlooks the Loire River — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kings Charles VIII and Francis I both spent their childhoods here, and each contributed to transforming the residence into a true royal palace. Fascinated by literature, art and Italy, Francis I invited several Italian artists to Amboise, including Leonardo da Vinci, who became a close friend of the court. From 1516 to 1519, Leonardo lived just a short distance from the royal château, at the Château du Cloux, now known as Le Clos Lucé.

This small Italian palace, surrounded by the first French Renaissance gardens, has been brought back to life and opened to the public after five years of meticulous restoration. It took no fewer than 5 years, 300 workers, and a dozen of traditional Loire Valley craftsmen to revive this extraordinary site.

Château Gaillard earned its title of ‘Jardins du Roi’ in 1500. Charles VIII showcased his rare plants and exceptional citrus trees here.

He was accompanied by a Neapolitan genius, Dom Pacello de Mercoliano, a monk and botanical gardener known as “the greatest gardener in Europe”. Together, they brought to life the king’s dream of an earthly paradise in the Loire Valley. A true open-air experimental laboratory, the Jardins du Roy were born. Dom Pacello sculpted the vegetation into living embroidery, evoking the four rivers of Paradise: water, milk, honey and wine.

The fortress of Chaumont-sur-Loire was built around the year 1000 to watch over the border between the counties of Blois and Anjou.

In 1465, Louis XI ordered it burned and destroyed, but it was rebuilt a few years later.

For 500 years, the Amboise family owned the estate. It was Charles II of Amboise who began transforming the medieval fortress into a Renaissance-style château.

Today, Chaumont-sur-Loire is known around the world thanks to its International Garden Festival — a unique place full of creativity and imagination.