Le Medicis Hotel, Blois

This royal château offers a true panoramic survey of art and history of the châteaux of the Loire Valley. The residence of seven Kings and 10 Queens of France, the château is reminiscent of the power and daily life at court in the Renaissance. It has impressive royal apartments which are furnished and embellished with magnificent polychromatic decors. In 1845 it was the first historical residence to be restored and acted as a model for the restoration of many other châteaux. The Château Royal de Blois is classified as a Museum of France and is filled with more than 35,000 works of art. It presents its collections in the Royal apartments of the François I wing, in the Fine Arts Museum set in the Louis XII wing and in many temporary exhibitions.

A museum dedicated to the magician Robert Houdin, born in 1805, and who brought modern magic into being. In his home here in Blois, you can find out about the personality of this man who once performed at Buckingham Palace. It is also a performing arts centre with some good interactive features.

Inhabited without interruption since the late 15th century, the Château de Beauregard is hidden behind the foliage of the forest of Russy. In the early 16th century, it was a small house which formed part of the royal domain of Louis XII and was used by François I as a hunting lodge. Jean du Thier, who worked on the château in the 16th century, is the real designer of much of the château you see today. Beauregard is now owned by the family of Cheyron du Pavilion. It is open to the public, though the family still reside there. The major attraction here is its wonderful gardens, which were declared a historic monument in 1992. A beautifully landscaped park with space dedicated to perennials and shrubs. It also has one of the largest rose gardens in the Loire Valley. Look for remnants of the old chapel amongst the trees and greenery.

Built in the purest Louis XIII classical style and distinguished by an extraordinarily symmetrical architecture, Château de Cheverny dates back to the first part of the 17th century. It is the masterpiece of architect, mason and sculptor, Jaques Bougier and represents the desire for this royal château to be of extreme high quality and design. Inside, it is as you would expect, ornately adorned and beautifully finished. It houses the finest artwork collection of any château in the Loire. The grounds are immaculate with magnificent flowerbeds, ancient Cedar trees and Pines. You can hop on a boat tour along the château's canal. Interestingly, it inspired Tintin author, Hergé, who designed Captain Haddock's Marlinspike Hall based on the château's central structure but with the outer wings removed. The château houses a permanent exhibition on Tintin and his friends.

This grand royal château is a castle of palatial standards. Building commenced in the 16th century in a classic Renaissance style and took 20 years to complete. It was built for François I as a hunting lodge. The source of its exuberant design is not totally clear, some mention Leonardo da Vinci, though it is more likely to have been designed by Hilbert Delorme. Its extensive surrounding lands are a game reserve. The interior matches the grandeur of the exterior, with lavish ceremonial bedrooms and over 80 staircases. Take a trip up to the roof to admire the views. Château de Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley.

Château de Chaumont dominates the Loire Valley skyline and is an illustration of both the defensive architecture of its period and the beautiful Renaissance style. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the château, which belonged to Queen Catherine de Medicis and later Diane de Poitiers, knew an intense period of intellectual activity. The Le Ray de Chaumont family welcomed, one after the other, the sculptor Nini, the American Benjamin Franklin and writer Germaine de Staël. The wider Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire reached its peak at the end of the 19th century thanks to Prince and Princess de Broglie. The royal couple designed magnificent modern stables, with the help of Maison Hermès, and entrusted Henri Duchêne, the landscape architect, with the creation of a landscaped park. The château is a UNESCO world heritage site.