Activity Report: Royal Loire Valley Chateaux
Famous for the many countryside palaces, Loire Valley’s chateaus are magnificent! For those who are in the market for a new home, this is a great place to start!
Read our Loire Valley planning tips and tricks! Or, how we broke up the day by tasting famous Loire Valley Wine!
While there are many chateaus to chose, we chose on a few factors given that we didn’t want to have chateau fatigue and we only had 2-3 days. Thus, we decided based on:
- Distance - How far away would we have to drive?
- Prestige - Although each chateau has its own prestige and grandeur history, there are a few that are a step above each one of them
- Unique characteristics - Each chateau will have grand staterooms and beautiful gardens, but which ones really wow you?
However, just because what works for us does not mean it works for everyone! Mary Frances consulted every guide on Google and each one has its strengths and strengths, really no weakness especially if one is considering these as potential retirement homes. In the end, we chose the following….
Chateau de Chambord
Located an hour from Amboise, Chambord was the furthest chateau we visited. Because we only had an hour due to a delayed wine tasting and Amanda’s arrival, we opted to only visit the outside grounds. Plus, we read the furnishings were replicas and we would see plenty of obscene wealth and luxury later!
Originally a hunting lodge, Chambord is simply spectacular. With the finely manicured and very spacious green grounds, one could spend the entire visit just in the outside gardens. If I owned this chateau, I would have a new walking or running trail every day! Because we did not want to get lost, we decided to “just” walk around the giant chateau.
Other than the insane views of the chateau, the grounds were picture perfect. Once we left the chateau’s immediate grounds, the land turned more rustic - as if we were hunting in the 1700s! Throughout the walk, there were signs for wildlife spotting and plant identification. It was really informative!
Once we returned from the chateau, I honestly think the free outdoors was the best option compared to the inside! Not only did we get the views, but it was so peaceful compared to the hectic inside space.
Chambord
The Queen’s Chateau - Chenoneaux
Well known as the Queen’s Chateau, Chenoneaux is the most royal chateau in the valley. Dating back to the first kings of France, Chenoneaux was well loved by Catherine Medici and King Henry’s mistress Diane Potiers. While the King was alive, Diane won custody of the beautiful chateau. However, Catherine won in the end and transformed the chateau. After Catherine’s death, the chateau had a few different owners until it reached the French government who opened it up to the government.
Both ladies loved the chateau and a lot of the money was poured into the chateau’s interior and exterior. For our favorite part, the gallery over the water was beautiful. For most of the artwork, there is a H + C = D in the middle of it to represent the historic clash between the two rivals. Clearly, both queens loved the castle, even though there could only be one queen...With so much art and marble, the chateau is fantastic.
Out of all the chateau’s Mary Frances loved the history and story of Chenoneaux. Quickly, she began referring to it as our summer home rather than the chateau!
Chateau d’Amboise
Located high on the banks of the Loire River overlooking Amboise, Chateau d’Amboise is a pretty, “little” chateau compared to the others we have seen this year. Unlike the other chateaus, no French royal slept in this chateau so it was truly a river house for the rich and wealthy. Allegedly, back in the day, history thought King Henry held the head of Leonardo da Vinci as he died in the Chateau d’Amboise. Regardless, the famous painting is beautiful and can’t believe it is based on these hallowed halls!
Travel Tip: Out of all the chateaus, d’Amboise has really cool Android pads with a ton of cool features! It allowed history nerds like myself and museum nerds like Mary Frances read and brush up on our facts.
However, my favorite part of the d’Amboise is the excellent views of the city and river throughout the castle. After a long day at chateaus and wine tasting (read here!), we were tired and the relaxing views helped us!
Chateau du Clos Luce
For the last chateau in our Loire Valley adventure, we chose the very historic yet one of the lesser known Chateau du Close Luce. Located close to our AirBnB, we probably walked past it a dozen times and didn’t realize the significance! Famously, this chateau hosted Leonardo da Vinci until his death in 1519.
Unlike any other Chateau in France and probably the world, the chateau was very light on its actual history and heavily featured the da Vinci’s scientific innovations and impact of his inventions on the world. Inside the chateau, we learned about his hundreds of inventions that are eerily similar to modern day such as tanks, bicycles, and everything else!
In the chateau’s gardens, they created actual sized of his drawings. As Austin is a science nerd and I am secretly a child, we felt like little kids in a giant playground! As we walked around the garden, we found a new “toy.” There was a really fun tank, lifting mechanism, and a lot of water stuff. Either way, we had a blast exploring da Vinci’s inventions!
Having fun in the garden
The UnChartered Summary
From royalty to scientific, each Chateau offers a special perspective into history and provide an unique bucket list trip! Not only did we explore history, we also found our future summer home!
- Out of these 4 chateaus, I believe the ultimate Queen’s Chateau was our favorite! From the stunning gardens to a beautiful interior, it is hard to not fall in love with this place!
- Despite Chateau du Clos Luce being a “chateau”, I don’t think it qualifies because it is so different from the rest! If one needs a break from history and art, this is the chateau!