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Discover the route of the essential Loire castles by motorhome, car or by yourself with the help of the great instagramer family @xirivica. A trip that will make you fall in love through the story of a trip to the great France of the most elegant and impressive castles.
The route of the Loire Valley castles essential through 9 castles
Castles of the Loire map
The route of the 9 essential Loire castles
The most beautiful castle in the Loire: Château de Chenonceau, an essential part of the Châteaux de la Loire route
Some prior advice for a visit to Château de Chenonceau
- Book your ticket before you go, they sell out and there are endless queues. You can buy and reserve the ticket avoiding queues and with time flexibility at the same price as in the Castle directly here
- To see the castle well: Never forget the gardens, they are wonderful. And remember, if you want to visit the interior of the Castles, reserve 2 hours.
- Doing the Loire castles with children: Ask for information about the children's games that many of the castles hide, they enliven the visit of the little ones.
- If you carry bikes: Find information about the bike lanes to visit the area, they are beautiful, and will make the whole family enjoy.
- The route of the Loire castles by motorhome or camper: Make use of the services for motorhomes whenever there is availability, you will not always find an area in the area to visit, although all the castles are very close and like Chenonceau it has a day-only parking but with an area reserved for motorhomes.
Our visit to the Château de Chenoceau, one of the essential Loire castles
Parking and spending the night in Cheoceau in a motorhome or camper
The parking is at the foot of the driveway to the Castle. You can park without problems. For lovers of the history of art, especially the Renaissance and the rebound of history in general, this Castle is the best, both for its architecture and its history.
In this car park you can only park during the day, so at night we will have to move to a motorhome area in a town a few kilometers away or park not far away by the river.
A little history about the Château de Chenoceau
The castle was built by Tomas Bohier and his wife Katherine Briçonet, the then finance secretary of King Francisco I. To start its construction, they had the fortress and the fortified mill demolished, keeping only the tower of the Marquis as a tribute.
The Chenonceau builders (Thomas Bohier and Katherine Briçonet) left their mark throughout the castle, being their first mention at the entrance door where the coats of arms of the two can be seen painted.
Inside the Château de Chenoceau on the route of the essential Loire castles
The interior of the Castle is characterized by its splendor of the time, and from one room to another it amazes us with the richness of its furniture and decorations. The rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, butcher shop etc…. They are frozen in time and you have the feeling that at any moment you will see Catherine de Medici or Diana de Poitiers appear dressed in yesteryear with their altitude and natural elegance.
If we continue the tour of the chapel we pass to the room of Diana de Poitieres, official lover of King Henry II. The king himself gave this castle to his lover. On the death of Henry II, Catherine de Medicis forced Diana de Poitiers to return Chenonceau to him, and he changed the Castle of Chaumont, which we will also talk about.
Next, we find the Green Cabinet, Catherine de Medici's workspace. After the death of Henry II, she became the regent queen of the kingdom. From here France ruled.
The green cabinet gives way to the Gallery, built by order of Catherine de Medicis on the Diana de Poitiers bridge. It was inaugurated in 1577 during the festival organized in honor of his son King Henry III.
We continue with the visit to the Château de Chenoceau on the route of the essential Loire castles
During the First World War this gallery was transformed into a Hospital and was also used to transfer people from the occupied zone (right bank) to the free zone. In fact, Chenonceau was in the crosshairs of a German battery throughout the war.
The kitchens are installed on the pillars of the bridge, it presents a great realism, everything and the transformation that it underwent during the conversion of the castle into a hospital.
Room after room there are spaces that kings and queens inhabited, decorated and gave personality. The most impressive and difficult of photographs was the room of Luisa de Lorena, wife of Enrique III, who after his death (assassinated) retired to Chenonceau and his life happened in this mortuary room until his death.
Chenonceu is considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance. It is characterized by an elegant and feminine style that undoubtedly reveals the influence of the great ladies who inhabited it and gave it personality.
The gardens of the Château de Chenoceau
After this historical and rich interior visit, we went out to marvel at the gardens where there is also the footprint of the two most important ladies in its history, Catherine de Medici and Diana de Poitiers.
Along the way back to the parking lot, or what is the same, along the path that the castle presents to you, there are areas on each side; the garden (vegetables, flowers, aromatic herbs….), the labyrinth, etc….
As you can see, this castle has no waste and is one of those that you have to reserve time to be able to enjoy it in its entirety since there is not a corner that is not carefully cared for and delicately pampered. I advise that you reserve at least a whole morning.
