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Member of the CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU & of the French National Federation of Tourist Guides |
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A selection of Châteaux in the Loire Valley |
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Amboise |
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On a rocky spur overlooking the wide idling River Loire, combining Medieval style and Renaissance refinement, this royal residence reached it's splendor in the 15th and 16th cent., from Charles 8th to Francis 1st. Visibles, the restored gardens, the Minime's Tower, the Hurtault Tower, the Royal Appartments, not least St-Hubert's Chapel where Leonardo da Vinci is buried ... |
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Blois |
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Built on a hillside in the very heart of the city, the castle was a royal residence to many kings and queens so the 4 sides of the château chart the clear evolution of the architecture. The interior tells its story with hangings, good paintings, sculptures and rare pieces of furnishure as Catherine de Médicis and her study of many secret panels... |
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Chambord |
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Located in the heart of a huge park (13,000 acres) Chambord, is part of Unesco World Heritage 's Monuments. Conceived as a royal hunting lodge it became the largest, most sumptuous architecture of the Loire Valley, 440 rooms, 365 chimneys...
A central and monumental double helical staircase is giving access to the royal appartments, from King Francis to the Sun King, Louis 14th, or other special guests 's residence as Marshal of Sax's or Stanislas Leczinski's. |
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Chenonceau |
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This Renaissance château arching over the river Cher, was known for 4 centuries as the château of the Ladies, Chaterine Briçonnet the builder,
Diane de Poitiers, King Henry 2nd's wonderful favorite, Catherine de
Médicis, the Queen Regent, Louise de Lorraine,
her daughter in law, the inconsolable widow of King Henry 3rd, Gabrielle d'Estrées,
King Henry 4th's favorite ..... The splendour remains ; the furnishings are sumptuous, the art startling (Rubens, Van Dyck, Van Loo...) and the flowers always fresh. A masterpiece of Renaissance architecture as a jewel in it's shrine, the green settings of Catherine's and Diane's formal Gardens. |
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Cheverny |
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Located in the Sologne's region, around Blois , Cheverny belonged to the same family for over 6 centuries, the Huraults, family of Financiers and Officials of the Crown. This fine château, dating back from the very beginning of 17th century, still remaining in family hands, has never been left inhabited thus the fancy pieces of furnishure, objets d'art of various periods preserved in remarkable condition. In the park, the Orangerie,
the Kennels, the Trophy Room, the Kitchen Garden... |
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Villandry |
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Villandry is the last of the great Renaissance châteaux built along the River Loire which owes its fame to the extraordinary replenishment of its French Gardens. They are vast, terraced and laid out with geometric formality an layers of symbolism (love, sex, corruption...) The lines, the swirls, the colours, the designs, the precision leave almost all the senses exalted. |
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Castle of Chambord 
