Castles of the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley, known as "The Garden of the France" was the favorite residence of the Kings of France during the Renaissance. These are buildings for the most part built or heavily remodeled in the French Renaissance, at a time when the royal power was located on the banks of the river, its tributaries or near them (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). Most castles nevertheless have their origins in the Middle Ages from which they retain important architectural features. The concentration of remarkable monuments in this region has justified the classification of the Loire Valley as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

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Villandry

Last of the great castles that were built on the banks of the Loire at the time of the Renaissance. It was in this fortress that took place, on July 4, 1189, "the Peace of Colombiers" (name of Villandry in the Middle Ages), during which Henry II Plantagenet, King of England, came before Philip Augustus, King of France, to acknowledge his defeat.
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Azay le Rideau

The château of Azay-le-Rideau was built from 1515 to 1527, one of the earliest French Renaissance châteaux. Built on an island in the river Indre, its foundations rise straight out of the water. It is one of the best known of the châteaux of the Loire valley.

There is a church dedicated to Saint Symphorien near the château that is interesting for the number of architectural periods incorporated in its design. 

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Visiter Langeais - Le petit Villandry - location chambre d'hôtes

Langeais

Medieval fortress built at the end of the tenth century, the castle was enlarged by Richard the Lionheart, under the domination of the English dynasty of Plantagenets. Philip Augustus reconquered it in 1206, then it was destroyed by the English during the Hundred Years War. It is currently considered to be the oldest stone fortress built on French soil. 
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Amboise

The Royal Castle of Amboise is a former residence of the kings of France overlooking the Loire, in Amboise, Indre-et-Loire. It is part of the castles of the Loire. Before being attached to the crown in 1434, the castle belonged, for more than four centuries, to the powerful house of Amboise. During the Renaissance, it served as the residence of several kings including Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I. The château d'Amboise is the subject of a classification as a historical monument by the list of 18403.
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Chinon

The fortress of Chinon is built on ancient Roman fortifications and consists of three parts built according to historical necessities. There he welcomed Henry II of England and his sons John the Landless and Richard the Lionheart. In 1429, Joan of Arc found the Dauphin Charles VII.
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More to visit From Villandry

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Chenonceau - quels châteaux visiter Loire - Le Petit Villandry - chambre d'hôtes

Chenonceau

The castle was built by the Secretary General of Finance of King Francis I. An audit of the finances revealed embezzlement, which allowed Francis I to impose a heavy fine on his descendants and to recover the estate and the castle (1535). It will be offered by Henry II to his famous favorite Diane de Poitiers, Duchess of Valentinois. 
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Chambord - tourisme Loire - Petit Villandry

Chambord

In 1519, the site of Chambord was chosen to open the construction site of a hunting residence on the site of an old castle. The kings of France abandoned the castle after the death of Francis I, and it gradually deteriorated. Louis XIV again undertook transformations in 1684. Molière gave his first performance of le Bourgeois gentilhomme in 1670. 
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Cheverny - visiter la Loire - Le Petit Villandry

Cheverny

The lands of the castle were bought by Henri Hurault, Military Treasurer of King Louis XI, whose current owner, the Marquis de Vibraye, is the descendant. After it was recovered by the crown for fraud against the state, it was given by King Henry II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. Hergé, the author of Tintin, was inspired by the castle of Cheverny, which he truncated from its two external massifs, to create the Château de Moulinsart residence of Captain Haddock.
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Chaumont sur Loire - Tourisme - chambre d'hôtes le Petit Villandry

Chaumont sur Loire

In the tenth century, it was Eudes I, Count of Blois who built a fortress to protect the city of Blois from attacks by the Counts of Anjou. Louis XI burned and razed Chaumont in 1455 to punish Pierre d'Amboise for revolting against the royal power during the "League of the Public Good". The castle was rebuilt in a style already marked by the Renaissance while maintaining the same general fortified appearance.
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