Castle / Ruins Sights in La Loire

This emblematic monument and its landscaped gardens offer one of the most remarkable panoramas of the Loire Valley. A regal heritage, the Château d'Amboise has been home to Charles VII, Louis XI and Charles VIII. The château is registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Still incredibly impressive, the current buildings are just one fifth of the original palace which was destroyed and neglected over the years. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the château's grounds.

Dating back to the 14th century, this Renaissance château was home to many royal mistresses. Nowadays it is visited more for its beautiful grounds which include a vegetable garden with a massive 650 varieties of tomato, the contemporary and colourful Dalhia garden and a medicinal garden. It is possible to stay in the château and take cookery classes there.

Built on the river Cher, the Château de Chenonceau is the epitome of beauty. Château des Dames, as it is recorded in the French history books, owes a large part of its charm to women.

The gardens of this family château are the real highlight of a trip here. In season, look out for the amazing collection of pumpkins in the Kitchen Garden. Visit its "Italian garden" and "Monsignor aviary". Look at the majestic trees and beds of boxwood topiary. Finally explore the listed Chapelle des trois Marie with its 15th century sculptures. You can even stay in this lovely château.

Château de Lude, one of the great châteaux of the Loire Valley, stands at the crossroads of Anjou, Maine and Touraine. The original fortress was built between the 10th and 11th centuries on the banks of the river Loir, in order to defend Anjou from the incursions of the Normans and then the English during the Hundred Years' War. Louis XI's chamberlain, Jehan de Daillon, took possession of the Lude estates at the end of the 15th century. He transformed the fortress into an elegant pleasure palace, which his descendants embellished over two centuries - they added the Renaissance façade in its Italian style and the main courtyard with its marble plaques. The richness and variety of the styles that characterise the Château du Lude are echoed in the interior decoration and furniture. Since the 17th century, the old stronghold surrounded by its wide moat meets an elegant terrace edged by a stone balustrade over 200 metres in length.

This historic 15th century château of the Goulaine family has been producing wine for centuries and it is unknown when they first sold it commercially. You can wander around its rich rooms, see an exhibition dedicated to the biscuit Lu and tour the butterfly house.

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.

This war fortress was built in the late 11th century and became one of the most impressive residential châteaux in the Loire Valley during the Renaissance. Dismantled during the French Revolution, the château turned into a village district and, in the 1950s, the gallery became a museum to the history of Grand-Pressigny. The museum charts history from the 6th to the 21st century, noting key archaeological features including the use of the regional flint stone.

The lovely Château du Moulin was built in the late 15th century for Phillipe du Moulin, a friend of Charles VIII. It is an architectural gem in a mix of Renaissance and Gothic styles and is surrounded by a classical moat. This romantic dark stone château, hidden in the forest, is still inhabited.

Located in the Indre river Valley, this château was frequently visited by the author and playwright, Honoré de Balzac, as a result of his mother's affair with the owner, Monsieur de Margonne. He wrote many of his famous works here. This 16th century building is more of a grand house than a château and contains an exceptionally detailed museum dedicated to Balzac and his works.

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 Valmer, with its striking park and gardens, nestles on the edge of a hillside overlooking the Brenne Valley, a tributary of the Loire river. 

It was Jacques Ier d'Etampes who demanded the construction of this Renaissance château in 1520, a masterpiece whose highlight is the beautiful entrance pavilion. Majestic and imposing, it has a finely decorated symbolic tower, carefully worked battlements and pilasters adorned with the three classical orders: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The château dungeon is surrounded on each side by the main buildings which include a sumptuous Italian arcaded gallery, corner towers and domed roofs. These all make Valençay, in the tradition of Chambord, a benchmark of Renaissance architecture.

This impressive château looks down onto the small village of Talcy, and dates back to the 16th century. It has a medieval feel and original 18th century interior covered with tapestries and paintings. Its grounds house an orchard of apples and pears.

With its majestic keep and protective drawbridge, the Château du Rivau seems to come straight out of a fairytale. Its square layout is that of a 13th century fortified château. The square shaped keep was the heart of the château's fortification. Yet the Rivau was one of the first ornamental châteaux to be built: its cheminées, wide windows and frescos endow it with a harmonious style. In the dining hall, a biblical episode of the Feast of Belshazzar is depicted over the mantelpiece by a Flemish master of the 16th century. The château's gardens were directly inspired by medieval tales and folklore. The château also has a permanent art exhibition in its gardens.

This sleeping beauty château, overlooking the Indre river, is thought to have inspired the children's book written by Charles Perrault in the 17th century. Parts of the existing château date back to the 15th century - unfortunately all aspects from earlier dates have been destroyed. However, this picture-book Gothic château with some Italianate features is in immaculate condition. Its interior has been maintained in authentic style and it has a sumptuous king's chamber decorated in gold leaf, just in case a king happened to be passing and drop in!

This palace was built for Jacques Cœur, the Finance Minister to the King, in the 15th century. This impressive Gothic building in the centre of Bourges took less than 10 years to build. Declared a historical monument in the late 19th century, its façades and interior have been restored. Home to the courts for a century, the building was returned to the state in the 1920s.