Châteaux

Tips on Visiting Château de Chenonceau in France

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Blue Skies over Château de Chenonceau

Chenonceau’s opening hours are long but its popularity makes early morning and late afternoon the best times to see the chateau. Château de Chenonceau claims to be the most popular privately owned monument in France. It is also the second most visited chateau in France, only behind the Palace of Versailles. High visitor numbers are … Read more

Buying Tickets for Château de Chenonceau

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Château de Chenonceau in France

Tickets for Chenonceau may be bought from vending machines or ticket windows at the chateau or online in advance. The prices are the same. Château de Chenonceau is the most popular chateau to visit in the Loire region and in France second only to the Palace of Versailles. This most romantic of castles is privately … Read more

Top Sights and Châteaux in the Loire Valley

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Travel to Orleans, Tours, Blois, & Amboise, France

Renaissance chateaux are to many the best sights and main attractions of the French Loire Valley. Historic cities such as Orleans, Tours, Blois, and Amboise are worth seeing too.

Blois
photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik

The historic towns and châteaux of the Loire Valley are popular sightseeing destinations for travelers to France. The Loire Valley played host to French kings and noblemen during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when the court stayed at various palaces along the Loire. Paris and Versailles only became the centers of political power in France from the end of the sixteenth century onwards.

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See Top Chateaux in the French Loire Valley

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Blue Skies over Château de Chenonceau

Visit Château de Chambord, Cheverny, and Chenonceau near Paris

Châteaux along the Loire are among the top sights to see in France. Chambord, Cheverny, and Chenonceau palace can be seen on a day trip from Paris but staying in the Loire Valley is rewarding too.

Blue Skies over Château de Chenonceau

The châteaux in the Loire Valley to the southwest of Paris are amongst the most popular sights to see when visiting France. This region is famous for its wine, fine food, and numerous châteaux associated with royalty and high nobles during the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. Loire Valley chateaux often combine elements from castles, palaces, and manor homes into stately country residences. Many date at least partly from the Renaissance when development in weapons meant thick walls were no longer impregnable to cannonballs. Castles had little strategic value and many were converted into comfortable and less drafty palaces. These mansions popular with the French nobility during especially the 16th century are now amongst the most popular tourist attractions in France.

  • The three best Loire Valley châteaux are arguably Chambord (the largest), Cheverny (the most elegant), and Chenonceau (the most romantic).

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