The 10 most beautiful castles in Centre-Val de Loire (Loire Valley)
10 châteaux
Chosen among 1,015 recorded castles
What to see in Centre-Val de Loire (Loire Valley) 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 de Chenonceau (Chenonceau Castle)
Francueil
Chenonceau spans the Cher river with a two storey gallery built on a bridge, an architectural feature that sets it apart among the Loire châteaux.
Adult €19Hours, prices and access
No. 2
Château de Chambord (Chambord Castle)
Chambord
Chambord is the largest of the Loire châteaux, begun in 1519 for François I within a forested estate enclosed by a 32 kilometre wall.
No. 3
Château de Cheverny (Cheverny Castle)
Cheverny
Built between 1625 and 1629 by the architect Boyer, the château de Cheverny has belonged to the same family, the Hurault de Vibraye, for more than six centuries, and they still live there today.
No. 4
Château d'Amboise (Amboise Castle)
Amboise
The Château d'Amboise stands above the Loire on a rocky spur, a former residence of French kings where several royal heirs were raised.
Adult €17.30Hours, prices and accessTickets and guided tours
No. 5
Château de Villandry (Villandry Castle)
Villandry
At Villandry, a few kilometres from Tours, a Renaissance château is best known for its reconstructed gardens. The 14th century keep, the sole remnant of the former fortress of Colombiers, stands alongside the residence built in 1532 by Jean Le Breton, secretary of state to François I.
No. 6
Clos Lucé
Amboise
In Amboise, the Clos Lucé château is the house where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final three years, until his death in 1519, after being invited by King François I.
Adult €20Hours, prices and access
No. 7
Château de Langeais (Langeais Castle)
Langeais
In Langeais, in the Indre-et-Loire department, stands a château commissioned by Louis XI in 1465 on a rocky spur above the Loire.
No. 8
Château de Valençay (Valençay Castle)
Valençay
Valençay castle stands in the Indre department, built from the first half of the 16th century for the d'Etampes family and reworked several times through the 18th century. Talleyrand acquired it in 1803 to host distinguished guests, leaving his mark on the interior decoration.
No. 9
Château d'Ussé (Ussé Castle)
Rigny-Ussé
In Rigny-Ussé, on the edge of the Chinon forest above the Indre valley, this fifteenth-century castle stands on a site fortified since the Middle Ages. Its towers and rooflines still recall the earlier stronghold that once overlooked the valley before being turned into a residence.
Adult €14.50Hours, prices and access
No. 10
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
Azay-le-Rideau
Standing on piles in the bed of the Indre river, Azay-le-Rideau castle is a landmark of Renaissance architecture as it developed in Touraine under Francis I. Built from 1518 for the treasurer Gilles Berthelot, it has kept its L-shaped layout despite later alterations.
Every castle in Centre-Val de Loire (Loire Valley) (1,015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most beautiful castle in Centre-Val de Loire (Loire Valley)?
- The most visited in Centre-Val de Loire (Loire Valley) is Château de Chenonceau, 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 1,015 castles recorded in Centre-Val de Loire (Loire Valley), we keep those open to the public with a photo, then rank by number of Google reviews. No castle pays to appear.