Dreaming of visiting real-life fairytale castles in France? The Loire Valley is home to some of the most breathtaking châteaux in the world!
With around 300 castles scattered throughout the region, deciding which ones to visit can feel overwhelming—especially if it’s your first time. The good news? Many of the best Loire Valley chateaux are clustered close together, making it possible to visit multiple in a single day.
On my trip, I explored two castles per day, and after seeing several, I’ve narrowed down the top chateaux that are absolutely worth visiting. Whether you’re looking for grand Renaissance estates, stunning gardens, or hidden gems, this list has you covered.
Here are six must-see châteaux in the Loire Valley—some of the most iconic castles in France!
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Best Loire Valley Chateaux: Overview
- 🏰 Best Loire Valley Châteaux
- ⁉️ Visiting the Loire Valley: FAQs
- 💡 Tips for visiting the Loire Valley
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TL;DR – Quick Tips for First Time Visitors:
📆 Although a day trip to the Loire Valley is possible, 2-4 days gives you more time to enjoy!
🏰 DON’T MISS Château de Chenonceau, Château Royal d’Amboise, and Château de Chambord
🏨 For a unique experience: stay in a Chateau!
🚂 Take the train: Book your train tickets on Omio to compare prices and schedules easily
💸 Save money: use a travel-friendly credit card like Wise to hold multiple currencies on one card
Best Loire Valley Châteaux
Château Royal d’Amboise
🚂 Getting there: About 20 minutes by train from Tours
🏰 Getting to the castle: 15-minute walk from the train station
💰 Entrance fee: €15 per adult
⏰ Time needed: 2 hours
If you’re looking for the best Loire Valley chateaux, Château Royal d’Amboise is an excellent starting point. This historic hilltop castle offers stunning views over the Loire River and was once home to French royalty. Perfect for first-time visitors!
One of the highlights is the Histopad, an interactive tablet that lets you explore the château’s rooms as they appeared over the years. I’ve used these in multiple historic sites in France, and they truly bring history to life – it’s so cool!
After your visit, take a stroll through the charming town of Amboise, located right at the foot of the castle. It’s the perfect place to grab lunch before heading to your next château.
🎟️ Book your Chateau d’Amboise tickets here!
✨ Visiting the Loire Valley for the wine? The Loire Valley is also a prominent wine region in France, and if you have time, it’s worth visiting the vineyards or going on a wine tasting. We did this while in Amboise – I’ve listed the excursion below, we highly recommend it!
Château du Clos Lucé
🚂 Getting there: About 20 minutes by train from Tours
🏰 Getting to the castle: 25-minute walk from the station
💰 Entrance fee: €18 per adult
⏰ Time needed: 2.5 hours
For a one-of-a-kind château experience, Château du Clos Lucé is a must-visit—especially if you love history, science, or art. This castle was Leonardo da Vinci’s final home, where he spent the last three years of his life.
Inside, you’ll find exhibits showcasing his workshops, paintings, and inventions. The highlight? The grounds are filled with life-size replicas of da Vinci’s inventions, so you can see them in action. I found the displays incredibly well done and it was one of the most unique castles we visited on our trip to the Loire Valley.
If you’re already in Amboise visiting Château Royal d’Amboise, it’s easy to add Clos Lucé to your itinerary.
🎟️ Book your Chateau du Clos Lucé tickets here!
Château de Chenonceau
🚂 Getting there: About 30 minutes by train from Tours
🏰 Getting to the castle: 3-minute walk from the station
💰 Entrance fee: €17 per adult
⏰ Time needed: 3 hours
One of the most breathtaking châteaux in France, Château de Chenonceau sits over the River Cher- it’s truly a picture-perfect fairytale view. With its stunning Renaissance architecture, beautifully manicured gardens, and lavishly decorated interiors, this château was my personal favourite and is an absolute must-see.
Since it’s one of the most visited châteaux in the Loire Valley, it can get quite crowded. I highly recommend arriving early in the morning to explore before the crowds arrive.
💡 Fun fact: Château de Chenonceau is also known as the “Ladies’ Château” because of the influential women who worked to protect and restore the castle. Over the years, the castle has been inherited by different powerful women who designed, expanded, and restored it, making it one of the most beautiful châteaux in France today!
🎟️ Book your Chateau de Chenonceau tickets here!
Château Royal de Blois
🚂 Getting there: About 40 minutes by train from Tours
🏰 Getting to the castle: 8-minute walk from the station
💰 Entrance fee: €14 per adult
⏰ Time needed: 1.5 hours
If you love architecture and history, Château Royal de Blois is probably one of the best Loire Valley chateaux for you. Unlike other Loire Valley châteaux that mainly have a single architectural style, Blois is unique—it combines four different architectural periods in one! Walking through its medieval, Gothic, Renaissance, and Classical wings, you get to walk through time – there’s a lot to see in this castle!
Inside, the château feels more like a historical museum than a palace, with hundreds of artifacts, paintings, and period furniture on display. If you have the time, don’t miss the evening sound and light show (held from spring to autumn) – we didn’t get a chance to see it, but it sounds really cool.
🎟️ Book your Chateau Royal de Blois tickets here!
Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
🚂 Getting there: About 20 minutes by train from Tours
🏰 Getting to the castle: 25-minute walk from the station
💰 Entrance fee: €11.50 per adult
⏰ Time needed: 2 hours
For a fairytale-like château with peaceful, hidden gem vibes, Château d’Azay-le-Rideau is an excellent choice. Set on a small island in the Indre River, the castle’s moat-like location makes it one of the most picturesque in the Loire Valley.
One of the best parts of visiting is the included guided tour, which is highly recommended since there were no information panels inside. Each room is arranged by century, giving you an idea of how the château evolved over time – I love how they organized it!
Before leaving, take time to explore the scenic grounds, and if you’re hungry, I highly recommend lunch at Le Boudoir, a charming local crêperie nearby!
READ MORE: How to spend the perfect morning at the Chateau Azay-le-Rideau
🎟️ Book your Chateau Azay-le-Rideau tickets here!
Château de Chambord
🚂 Getting there: Multiple transport options – read about them here
💰 Entrance fee: €16 per adult
⏰ Time needed: At least 2 hours visiting inside the castle (half-day recommended)
No list of the best Loire Valley châteaux is complete without Château de Chambord, one of the most iconic castles in France. It’s the only castle on my Loire Valley bucket list I didn’t get to cross off yet, but I’ll be revisiting for sure – it’s an absolute must-visit.
Since Chambord is massive, expect to spend at least half a day, if not a full day, exploring.
For families, Chambord also offers horse shows and activities in the nature reserve – so much more to see than just the castle! If you’re visiting in winter, check out their Christmas festivities for a magical holiday experience!
🎟️ Book your Chateau de Chambord tickets here!
Visiting the Loire Valley: FAQs
How to get to the Loire Valley from Paris?
There are two main ways to visit the Loire Valley from Paris:
1️⃣ As a day trip – Ideal if you’re short on time. Below, I’ve listed some of the best day trip options!
2️⃣ For a few days – Highly recommended if you want to explore at a relaxed pace and make the most of your visit!
If you’re staying overnight, the easiest way to reach the Loire Valley is by train from Paris Montparnasse Station to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps. The journey takes 1–2 hours and costs around €30 one way.
You can also take a train from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, which is convenient if you’re arriving from the airport and heading straight to the Loire Valley. Ouigo trains are the cheapest, usually between €15 and €20 one way, but they run less frequently.
PRO TIP: Book your train tickets on Omio or Trainline to compare prices and schedules easily!
Where to stay in the Loire Valley
The best cities to base yourself in for château-hopping are:
- Tours (largest city, most central, great transport links)
- Amboise (charming small town, close to Château de Chenonceau)
- Blois (great access to Château de Chambord)
Other options include Orléans and Angers, but since they’re at opposite ends of the region, they’re less ideal for day trips.
PRO TIP: Tours is an excellent base, its the main city, central, has a beautiful old town and has quick train access to many castles!
✨ Want a unique experience? Stay in a chateau! Complete your Loire Valley experience by spending a night in a castle. Below, I’ve listed gorgeous château hotels near Chenonceau, Amboise, and Chambord!
What is the most visited castle in the Loire Valley?
Chateau Chenonceau and Chateau Chambord are probably the two most popular castles on this list. Are they worth the hype? Absolutely. So when planning your visit, I highly recommend booking your tickets ahead of time to secure your spot and planning to visit in the morning to avoid crowds.
How many days do you need to visit?
There is obviously SO much to see in the Loire Valley that you could honestly spend days exploring the region. However, not all of us have the luxury of having unlimited time to spend in one place, so how much time should you spend?
For those short on time, a day trip is entirely possible, and its worth visiting the region if that’s all the time you have to work with. However, I do think a bit more time would be best.
If you’re strategic when planning your visit, you could visit two castles a day, so ultimately, it comes down to how many castles you want to see. But if you have more time to spare, I’d recommend at least 2-4 days.
If you plan on exploring the region by bike, most cycle tours of the Loire Valley last 7 days which allows you to explore the region at a slower pace and experience more castles.
COMING SOON: Loire Valley Itinerary
Tips for visiting the Loire Valley
🚂 You DO NOT need to rent a car! The train system in France is absolutely incredible. They run frequently and consistently and typically aren’t too expensive – perfect for exploring the region without the hassle of a car rental! Over three days, we visited two castles a day, all requiring a less than 30-minute train ride! When booking train tickets in France, I always use Omio to find the best prices.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Best Train-Friendly day trips from Lille to Belgium
📆 Best time to visit: Realistically, there’s no best time to visit the Loire Valley; it’s beautiful any time of the year. We visited the Loire Valley in the winter and more or less had the place to ourselves! However, shoulder season would also be an ideal time to visit, specifically spring, so you can experience the castle gardens in bloom. I would avoid visiting in July and August to escape the crowds and the heat.
🚲 You can also visit the region by bike. This is an incredibly popular and cool way to visit the region in the warmer months! As I said above, the castles in the Loire Valley are very close to each other making them very easily accessible by bike. There are many tours out there but you can go on your own adventure! I found this map to be very helpful and it is one of the official bike routes of the region.
Ready for your trip to the Loire Valley?
Although the Loire Valley is quite a popular destination, I do believe it is often overshadowed by places like Paris and the French Riviera. But if you’re a history lover, castle enthusiast, or simply looking for a magical escape, this region is truly one of France’s most enchanting gems. And to feel like you’re walking through a Disney fairytale, what’s not to love!?
Make sure to add these six incredible castles to your France bucket list—you won’t be disappointed!
If you need more ideas or help planning your holiday in France, I am more than happy to help you explore more of this amazing country. I offer personalized travel itineraries and consultation calls, I hope I can help make your trip to France a memorable one! Send me a message if you want to learn more!
