The castles of Francis I
10 châteaux listed
10 places where Francis I was born, built, lived or died, with admission prices and opening seasons.
Francis I was born in 1494 at the château of Cognac, then a residence of the counts of Angoulême, who had rebuilt it in the 15th century. The river front, with the King’s balcony carved with salamanders, dates from those years.
In 1516 he gave the Clos Lucé in Amboise to Leonardo da Vinci, who spent the last three years of his life there and died there in 1519. That same year the king decided to replace the old fortress of the counts of Blois at Chambord with a hunting château. Work lasted nearly thirty years. At Blois, the wing named after him holds its spiral staircase.
Around Paris he had Saint-Germain-en-Laye rebuilt in the Renaissance manner and Villers-Cotterêts raised around 1530 to 1535 as a hunting residence on the edge of the forest of Retz. Fontainebleau, a royal residence since the Middle Ages, keeps its Renaissance decoration. He died at Rambouillet.
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 the king, 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 de Chambord (Chambord Castle)
Chambord, Loir-et-Cher
Built from 1519 for Francis I, as a hunting château.
Adult admission: €21Open all year
Palace of Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne
Royal residence from Francis I to Napoleon III.
Adult admission: €17Open all year
Hours to be confirmed
Château d'Amboise (Amboise Castle)
Amboise, Indre-et-Loire
Royal residence where Francis I stayed, as did Louis XII and Charles V.
Adult admission: €17.30Open all year
Clos Lucé
Amboise, Indre-et-Loire
Given by Francis I to Leonardo da Vinci in 1516; Leonardo died here in 1519.
Adult admission: €20Season not published
Château de Blois (Blois Castle)
Blois, Loir-et-Cher
The Francis I wing and its spiral staircase.
Season not published
Castle of Cognac
Cognac, Charente
Where Francis I was born, in 1494.
Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Saint-Germain-en-Laye Castle)
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines
Rebuilt in the Renaissance style for Francis I.
Adult admission: €6Open all year
Hours to be confirmed
Villers-Cotterêts Castle
Villers-Cotterêts, Aisne
Raised around 1530 to 1535 as a hunting residence for Francis I.
Open December to December
Hours to be confirmed
Château de Rambouillet (Rambouillet Castle)
Rambouillet, Yvelines
Where Francis I died.
Adult admission: €11Open all year
Hours to be confirmed
Château de Villesavin (Villesavin Castle)
Tour-en-Sologne, Loir-et-Cher
Built around 1537 for Jean Breton, the king’s secretary of finance, near Chambord.
Season not published
The map
The 10 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.
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The route
In the Loire Valley, five of these places fit into one day: Blois in the morning, Chambord and Villesavin a few kilometres apart, then Amboise, where the royal château and the Clos Lucé are a short walk from each other.
| Stop | From the previous stop |
|---|---|
| 1.Château de Blois (Blois Castle) · Blois | |
| 2.Château de Chambord (Chambord Castle) · Chambord | 14 km |
| 3.Château de Villesavin (Villesavin Castle) · Tour-en-Sologne | 8 km |
| 4.Château d'Amboise (Amboise Castle) · Amboise | 42 km |
| 5.Clos Lucé · Amboise | 1 km |
65 km in a straight line overall
Frequently asked questions
- Where was Francis I born?
- At the château of Cognac, in the Charente, in 1494. The château, once a residence of the counts of Angoulême, is open to visitors.
- Which castle did Francis I build?
- Chambord, from 1519, and Villers-Cotterêts around 1530 to 1535. He also had Saint-Germain-en-Laye rebuilt, and a wing of the château of Blois bears his name.
- Francis I castles: which ones are open all year?
- 5 are listed as open all year: Château de Chambord, Palace of Fontainebleau, Château d'Amboise, Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Château de Rambouillet. The others open in season, and winter hours are often shorter.
- Francis I castles: how much is admission?
- Across the 6 places whose prices we know, adult admission ranges from €6 to €21.