THE GUIDE CHÂTEAUX 2022 FRANCE TODAY’S TOP PICKS FOR 2022…


Clockwise from this image: Château d’Amboise; a sound and light show at Château Royal de Blois; inset, stay at Château de Verrières; Ainay-le- Vieil; the magnificent, world-famous Château de Versailles; resplendent Château de Chambord


CHÂTEAUX TO VISIT Indulge your love of architecture and interiors as you wander in awe around these beautiful châteaux. And be sure to do your best impression of a French aristocrat aussi.


Château Royal de Blois (Loir-et-Cher)


Architecture from the 13th to the 17th centuries is on display at this fine château in the Loire Valley. There are four distinct wings surrounding a central courtyard: medieval, Gothic (from the reign of Louis XII), early Renaissance, and classical 17th century. Steeped in history, the château has witnessed some pretty grisly


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episodes. The grisliest of all was in the 16th century when Henry III lured the Duke of Guise into his counsel chamber only to have him stabbed to death by a troop of royal bodyguards. The king himself hid behind a tapestry while the evil deed was carried out. Between April and November, dramatic sound and light shows are put on in the château courtyard. en.châteaudeblois.fr


Château de Pierrefonds (Oise)


First built in the late 14th century by Louis of Orléans, this awe-inspiring castle lay in ruins for much of its existence until Napoleon III commissioned the famous architect Eugène


Viollet-le-Duc to restore it to its medieval glory. The result is a vast eight-towered château straight out of a fairy tale, complete with drawbridge, gargoyles and dungeon, all surrounded by the thick Compiègne Forest. www.chateau-pierrefonds.fr/en


Château d’Amboise (Indre-et-Loire)


Sitting atop a rocky outcrop on the southern bank of the Loire, the Château d’Amboise comes alive when you learn of the famous historical characters who once lived (and died) here. In the late 1400s, Charles VIII met his end here while on his way to watch a game of real tennis. After bumping his head


on a door lintel he fell into a coma and died hours later. More violent was the fate of a band of Protestant conspirators who, in the 1500s, were disembowelled and hanged from the balcony of the château’s Salle des États. Mary, Queen of Scots once lived here too, as did Leonardo da Vinci, whose remains are believed to be buried in the nearby chapel of Saint Hubert. www.chateau-amboise.com


Château de Chambord (Loir-et-Cher)


It was just over 500 years ago, in 1519, that the first stone was laid at Chambord. Completed during the reign of Louis XIV, the château is now one of the most recognisable examples of


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