The castle of Chenonceau
One of the jewel of the French historical monuments and a must-see stop on your trip in the Loire Valley, the castle of Chenonceau stands out for its elegant and feminine style and the dazzling whiteness of its façades.
Chenonceau: a castle-museum
The splendor of Chenonceau is illustrated by the richness of its Renaissance furniture, its Flanders tapestries and the collections of great masters adorning the walls of the castle. This exceptional museum collection is an inestimable treasure that the castle preserves with great care.
Murillo, Poussin, Rubens, Tintoretto, Correggio, Van Loo, Van Dyck ... Art lovers are dazzled by the exceptional collection of paintings that adorn every room in the castle.
Chenonceau keeps all his works with great attention, renovation campaigns are constantly conducted so that each of them can keep its original splendor.
---
The gardens, an exceptional setting
At Chenonceau, the harmony between nature and architecture is obvious. Chenonceau Castle is an exceptional setting for its "French" gardens, all remarkable: gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, labyrinth and vegetable garden.
These two main gardens are located on both sides of the Tower of the Marques and their floral decoration, renewed in the spring and summer, requires the installation of 130 000 plants of flowers cultivated on the field.
---
The castle of the ladies: light on the women of Chenonceau
It is said that behind every great man, there is a woman ... Behind the castle of Chenonceau hides not a lady.
The first of these was Katherine Briçonnet, wife of Thomas Bohier. But fate removed the house to Bohier to entrust to Diane de Poitiers, the favorite of King Henry II (much to the chagrin of his wife, Catherine de Medici). Diane devotes all her time to the renovation of the castle, she carves her flowerbeds and establishes a bridge that overhangs the Cher and will become a strategic asset of the castle for the control of the river traffic.
At the death of King Henry II, Catherine de Medici forced her rival to leave the castle and appropriates the place. She tries to erase the memories of Diane by redecorating the rooms, redeveloping the gardens and especially by building the galleries on the bridge.
Catherine then bequeaths Chenonceau to Louise de Lorraine, who locks herself up when her husband is murdered. A veil of mourning and austerity then falls on the castle which will arrange even its roofs in convent.
Saved during the French Revolution of 1789 by Louise Dupin, Chenonceau found its splendor by becoming a literary salon in the siècle des Lumières. Madame Dupin goes out and the splendor of the chateau with her.
Marguerite Pelouze bought the estate in 1863 and renovated it before going bankrupt in 1888 and having to leave it. The castle was bought by the industrialist Henri Menier, whose descendants are the current owners of the place.
Simone Menier was a nurse-major during the First World War at Château de Chenonceau, redeveloping for the occasion a military hospital that welcomed no less than 2,250 wounded soldiers. The Menier family opened the doors of the castle to the public for the first time in 1913.
For twenty years, Laure Menier and her husband are the current owners of the Chenonceau estate.
The history of Château de Chenonceau is marked by an almost uninterrupted succession of women who have built, embellished, protected, restored and saved.
---
Access to the castle
Address: 37 150 Chenonceaux - 30 km from the hotel
Chenonceau Castle is 25 minutes from TER at Tours train station. The train stations of Tours and Saint-Pierre-des-Corps are both served from Paris-Montparnasse in about 1 hour.
The A10, A85 and A71 motorways provide access to the castle.
---
Rates
Adult Full price from 14 € to 18 € (With or without audioguide)
Free (under 7 years, disabled, journalist)
Child rate from 11 € to 14.5 € (7 to 18 years old, with or without audioguide)
Group rate from 11 € to 14.5 € (20 people minimum, visit with brochure or with audioguide)
Reduced rate from 11 € to 14.5 € (Students from 18 to 27 years, upon presentation of their card)
Discover also Chenonceau on your smartphone by downloading the application and through a superb video filmed by drone.
Chenonceau: a castle-museum
The splendor of Chenonceau is illustrated by the richness of its Renaissance furniture, its Flanders tapestries and the collections of great masters adorning the walls of the castle. This exceptional museum collection is an inestimable treasure that the castle preserves with great care.
Murillo, Poussin, Rubens, Tintoretto, Correggio, Van Loo, Van Dyck ... Art lovers are dazzled by the exceptional collection of paintings that adorn every room in the castle.
Chenonceau keeps all his works with great attention, renovation campaigns are constantly conducted so that each of them can keep its original splendor.
---
The gardens, an exceptional setting
At Chenonceau, the harmony between nature and architecture is obvious. Chenonceau Castle is an exceptional setting for its "French" gardens, all remarkable: gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, labyrinth and vegetable garden.
These two main gardens are located on both sides of the Tower of the Marques and their floral decoration, renewed in the spring and summer, requires the installation of 130 000 plants of flowers cultivated on the field.
---
The castle of the ladies: light on the women of Chenonceau
It is said that behind every great man, there is a woman ... Behind the castle of Chenonceau hides not a lady.
The first of these was Katherine Briçonnet, wife of Thomas Bohier. But fate removed the house to Bohier to entrust to Diane de Poitiers, the favorite of King Henry II (much to the chagrin of his wife, Catherine de Medici). Diane devotes all her time to the renovation of the castle, she carves her flowerbeds and establishes a bridge that overhangs the Cher and will become a strategic asset of the castle for the control of the river traffic.
At the death of King Henry II, Catherine de Medici forced her rival to leave the castle and appropriates the place. She tries to erase the memories of Diane by redecorating the rooms, redeveloping the gardens and especially by building the galleries on the bridge.
Catherine then bequeaths Chenonceau to Louise de Lorraine, who locks herself up when her husband is murdered. A veil of mourning and austerity then falls on the castle which will arrange even its roofs in convent.
Saved during the French Revolution of 1789 by Louise Dupin, Chenonceau found its splendor by becoming a literary salon in the siècle des Lumières. Madame Dupin goes out and the splendor of the chateau with her.
Marguerite Pelouze bought the estate in 1863 and renovated it before going bankrupt in 1888 and having to leave it. The castle was bought by the industrialist Henri Menier, whose descendants are the current owners of the place.
Simone Menier was a nurse-major during the First World War at Château de Chenonceau, redeveloping for the occasion a military hospital that welcomed no less than 2,250 wounded soldiers. The Menier family opened the doors of the castle to the public for the first time in 1913.
For twenty years, Laure Menier and her husband are the current owners of the Chenonceau estate.
The history of Château de Chenonceau is marked by an almost uninterrupted succession of women who have built, embellished, protected, restored and saved.
---
Access to the castle
Address: 37 150 Chenonceaux - 30 km from the hotel
Chenonceau Castle is 25 minutes from TER at Tours train station. The train stations of Tours and Saint-Pierre-des-Corps are both served from Paris-Montparnasse in about 1 hour.
The A10, A85 and A71 motorways provide access to the castle.
---
Rates
Adult Full price from 14 € to 18 € (With or without audioguide)
Free (under 7 years, disabled, journalist)
Child rate from 11 € to 14.5 € (7 to 18 years old, with or without audioguide)
Group rate from 11 € to 14.5 € (20 people minimum, visit with brochure or with audioguide)
Reduced rate from 11 € to 14.5 € (Students from 18 to 27 years, upon presentation of their card)
Discover also Chenonceau on your smartphone by downloading the application and through a superb video filmed by drone.
