The 10 most beautiful castles in Maine-et-Loire
10 châteaux
Chosen among 417 recorded castles
What to see in Maine-et-Loire when you only have a weekend: the 10 most visited castles according to their visitors’ reviews, among those open to the public whose visiting conditions we checked on the official website. For each: what you see, the entry price, the link to the full entry.
Ranked by renown: how often their name is searched on Google each month, and how many reviews visitors have left. “Beautiful” is your word; what we measure is what visitors choose.
No. 1
Château d'Angers (Angers Castle)
Angers
The Château d'Angers stands above the Maine river, enclosed within a 13th century fortress wall raised around 1230 under Saint Louis, its seventeen towers of schist and tuffeau rising close to thirty metres.
No. 2
Château de Brissac (Brissac Castle)
Brissac Loire Aubance
Rising to seven storeys, Brissac castle stands in the Anjou region as one of its most imposing residences, combining the remains of a 15th century fortress with a baroque facade raised in the 17th century.
Adult €13.50Hours, prices and access
No. 3
Castle of Brézé
Bellevigne-les-Châteaux
In Bellevigne-les-Châteaux, in the Maine-et-Loire region, the Château de Brézé combines an early 16th-century Renaissance wing with neo-Gothic additions commissioned in the 19th century by the Dreux-Brézé family.
No. 4
Château de Saumur (Saumur Castle)
Saumur
Perched above the Loire on its rocky spur, the château de Saumur rises with its towers and steep roofs over the town below. Founded in the 10th century and fortified under Saint Louis, it took its present shape when the Dukes of Anjou turned it into a pleasure residence at the close of the Middle Ages.
No. 5
Château de Serrant (Serrant Castle)
Saint-Georges-sur-Loire
Located in the Maine-et-Loire region, at Saint-Georges-sur-Loire, the Château de Serrant displays an architecture blending Renaissance and Classical styles, begun under Francis I and completed under Louis XIV.
Adult €11Hours, prices and access
No. 6
Château du Plessis-Bourré (Plessis-Bourré Castle)
Écuillé
Built in only a few years at the end of the 15th century by Jean Bourré, treasurer to King Louis XI, this castle in Maine-et-Loire stands surrounded by moats at Écuillé.
Adult €11Hours, prices and access
No. 7
Château du Plessis-Macé (Plessis-Macé Castle)
Longuenée-en-Anjou
The Château du Plessis-Macé stands a short distance from Angers, on the remains of an 11th-century stronghold built to watch over the Breton border.
Adult €12Hours, prices and access
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No. 8
Château de Montreuil-Bellay (Montreuil-Bellay Castle)
Montreuil-Bellay
Standing at the heart of the walled town of Montreuil-Bellay, in Maine-et-Loire, this medieval castle overlooks the Thouet river on a site fortified as early as the 11th century by Foulque Nerra.
Adult €13Hours, prices and access
No. 9
Château de Montsoreau (Montsoreau Castle)
Montsoreau
Perched on a rocky outcrop above the Loire, right where it meets the Vienne river, Montsoreau castle stands as a bridge between medieval fortress and Renaissance residence.
No. 10
Château de Montgeoffroy (Montgeoffroy Castle)
Mazé-Milon
In Mazé-Milon, in the Maine-et-Loire region, the château de Montgeoffroy was rebuilt in the 18th century for a Marshal of France who intended to retire there. The building has come through the centuries with its furniture and archives intact, so visitors today see interiors much as they were originally furnished.
Adult €11Hours, prices and access
Every castle in Maine-et-Loire (417)Which ones open this weekend?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most beautiful castle in Maine-et-Loire?
- The most visited in Maine-et-Loire is Château d'Angers, first in this selection according to its visitors’ reviews. All 10 castles listed are open to visitors with checked hours.
- How much does a visit cost?
- The adult entry price is shown under each castle when the official website publishes it; 0 of these castles are free.
- How is this selection made?
- Among the 417 castles recorded in Maine-et-Loire, we keep those open to the public with a photo, then rank by number of Google reviews. No castle pays to appear.