The castles of Diane de Poitiers
7 châteaux listed
7 places she owned, built or enlarged, with admission prices and opening seasons.
Through a marriage in 1450 the Poitiers family came to hold the castle of Arlempdes, in the Haute-Loire, which they restored and rebuilt; Diane de Poitiers was its lady.
Around 1525, with her husband Louis de Brézé, she had the manor of Marbeuf built at Sahurs on the Seine. When Louis de Brézé died in 1531, she inherited Anet.
As the favourite of Henry II, she had Anet built from 1547 to 1552 by Philibert Delorme; the west wing and the chapel survive. By 1552 she also owned Limours, where she commissioned a ballroom with a ceiling designed by Delorme. At Chenonceau she enlarged the château before Catherine de’ Medici did, which is why it is called the Ladies’ Château.
Each link comes from the French Ministry of Culture’s Mérimée records or from our own château pages. For every place: what ties it to her, the adult admission price where we know it, and the opening season.
The places, one by one
From the best known to the most discreet. Prices are for one adult; the season comes from the opening periods each place publishes.
Château d'Anet (Anet Castle)
Anet, Eure-et-Loir
Inherited in 1531, built for her from 1547 to 1552 by Philibert Delorme.
Adult admission: €12Open February to October
Château de Chenonceau (Chenonceau Castle)
Francueil, Indre-et-Loire
Enlarged by Diane de Poitiers, then by Catherine de’ Medici.
Adult admission: €19Season not published
Pavillon « Mansart »
Limours, Essonne
What remains of the Limours estate, hers in 1552, where she had a ballroom made.
Season not published
Château d'Arlempdes (Arlempdes Castle)
Arlempdes, Haute-Loire
Castle of the Poitiers family, of which Diane was lady.
Adult admission: €6Open March to October
Château de Breuilpont (Breuilpont Castle)
Breuilpont, Eure
A lordship that once belonged to her.
Season not published
Manoir de Marbeuf
Sahurs, Seine-Maritime
Built around 1525 for Louis de Brézé and Diane de Poitiers.
Season not published
Château du Mouchet (Mouchet Castle)
Chavannes, Drôme
Her three interlaced crescents and the initials H and D decorate a painted vault.
Season not published
The map
The 7 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.
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Frequently asked questions
- Which château was built for Diane de Poitiers?
- Anet, in the Eure-et-Loir, built for her from 1547 to 1552 by Philibert Delorme. She had inherited it in 1531 on the death of her husband, Louis de Brézé.
- Diane de Poitiers castles: which ones are open all year?
- None is listed as open all year in the opening periods we have collected. Check each page before you go.
- Diane de Poitiers castles: how much is admission?
- Across the 3 places whose prices we know, adult admission ranges from €6 to €19.