European Traveler

  • HOME
  • Austria
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
    • Italy
    • Vatican City
  • Netherlands
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
    • Switzerland
    • Lake Geneva Region
    • Liechtenstein
  • Others
    • Belgium
    • Baltic States
    • Denmark
    • Luxembourg
    • Norway
    • Poland
    • Sweden
    • River Cruises
    • UK
  • Search 🔎

Visitors’ Information for Chateau de Chambord

September 25, 2013 by Henk Bekker in France, Loire

Chambord Castle has long opening hours and free admission for young visitors and children. Restaurants are unexcited but picnicking is allowed.

Ticket office at Chambord

Château de Chambord is open throughout the year with long opening hours. Tickets are sold at the castle itself with reservations only possible for some of the guided tours. The sheer size of the chateau makes visiting pleasant even during busy periods. Restaurants focus on one-off visitors and large bus parties in a rush – fine for a snack but full meals are better enjoyed elsewhere in the Loire Valley.

Opening Hours for Château de Chambord

Château de Chambord is open every day, year-round except December 25 and January 1.

Opening hours are 10 am to 5 pm from October to March and 9 am to 6 pm from April to September.

Last admission to the chateau is half an hour before closing time but visiting the building takes at least an hour and easily a lot longer.

Château de Chambord is the closest major Loire chateau to Paris. As a result, it is often the last castle visited by day-trip bus parties before returning to Paris.

The best time to visit Chambord is thus usually in the early morning rather than late afternoon. Even when visiting on busy weekends or summer vacations, the sheer size of Chambord never makes it the unpleasant scrum that a visit to the Palace of Versailles can turn into.

Tickets for Château de Chambord

Admission to Château de Chambord is a bargain for families and young people. Adults over 25 pay €11 while all European Union residents under 25 enter for free. Other young people between 18 and 25 pay €8. All visitors under 18 enter for free. Buy skip-the-line tickets online from Tiqets.

Tickets for Château de Chambord are sold at the entrance to the castle grounds near the parking and restaurants area, as well as in the castle itself. The ticket office at the castle is always open.

Wheelchair access: most of the paths near the chateau and the first floor of the chateau itself are accessible to wheelchair users. Admission is free for wheelchair users.

Château de Chambord

Pick up a free map – in various languages – of the castle and grounds. The information is limited but the floor plan is useful. Information plaques in the various parts of the chateau give more details of the palace architecture and history.

Audio guides are €5 for adults and €2.50 for the children’s version. Guided tours of 1 / 2 / 3 hours are also available in English.

Admission is only charged for entering the chateau building itself – the park and forest may be entered for free.

Toilets (paid) are available at the restaurant / parking area or free (but crowded) on the ground floor of the chateau.

Dogs on a leash are allowed on the estate but not in the chateau itself.

Restaurants and Eating at Chateau de Chambord

Several restaurants are clustered between the parking area and Chateau de Chambord. Not surprisingly, these restaurants focus on day-trip visitors who are hardly likely to return to the area any time soon. It is probably better to just have a snack or drink here and to dine somewhere else in the Loire Valley region.

Picnicking is allowed in most parts of the gardens and forest with dedicated areas well signposted. No food or drink is allowed inside the chateau building itself, other than at the Café d’Orleans restaurant that is open in the ground floor and courtyard during the summer season.

More on Château de Chambord:

  • Brief History of Chateau de Chambord
  • Touring the Interior of Chambord
  • Transportation to Château de Chambord
  • Photos of Chambord on Flickr
  • More Chateaux in the Loire Region of France
  • Buy skip-the-line tickets online from Tiqets.
  • Book day-trip tours from Paris to Loire Valley Chateaux.
GetYourGuide

Filed Under: France, Loire Tagged With: Chambord, Chateau, Chateau de Chambord, Châteaux, Day Trips from Paris, History, Loire, Top Sights

« Visiting Château de Chenonceau in France
Touring Chateau de Chambord’s Interior »
Home » France » Visitors’ Information for Chateau de Chambord

Recent Posts

  • Visit Lund in Sweden on a Day Trip from Copenhagen in Denmark
  • Tips on Buying Tickets and Visiting Herculaneum near Pompeii and Naples
  • Cheap Transportation to the Herculaneum Excavations near Naples
  • Buy Tickets and Tips on Visiting Pompeii Excavations near Naples
  • Cheap Transportation to the Pompeii Excavations near Naples
  • Pompeii: Buying Tickets or Visit the Excavations on Day-Trip Tours
  • Buying Tickets to See the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan
  • Cheap Travel on the €49 Deutschland-Ticket Germany Train Pass

Book Tours at Get Your Guide

Great care is taken in writing these articles but no responsibility is taken for errors or omissions. Contact service providers directly before making any arrangements. This site is not responsible for the content of linked external sites.

Copyright © 2023 - 2008 - Impressum - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Data Protection - About