Set in vast estates with landscaped gardens dotted with sculptures, Touraine is home to around 120 visitable châteaux, making it one of the areas with the highest concentration of châteaux in France. With turrets stretching upwards and vanilla stone shaped in fairy tale fashion, what tales are hidden beyond the stone walls, moats and drawbridges? Which stories are woven into the picture tapestries and which one was used for a secret wedding? All this is revealed on châteaux tours uncovering the hidden gems of the Touraine Loire Valley.
Château de Champchevrier is a hidden castle within a forest where the Countess of Champchevrier, with her husband, Laurence Bizard-Hamilton, guided us around their home. King Louis XI and XIII stayed here, and in June 1940, the UK Embassy used it as their base. The Countess highlighted her ancestor portraits, 16th-century tapestries of landscapes with hidden animals woven into the thread. Touring this well-furnished castle full of heirlooms included rows of antlers and bear heads above the fireplace, a hunting horn and a pharmacy cabinet of age-old potions. It’s easy to imagine the lives of servants here and the copper-littered kitchen is reminiscent of a Downton Abbey production.
It felt very decadent to stay in the 17th-century Château de Rochecotte, built in baroque and classical styles, surrounded by 25 hectares of French gardens and wooded park. Here, 37 elegantly decorated rooms, suites and apartments sit within an intimate, verdant setting. Statuesque dogs stand guard beneath the entrance pillars to welcome guests. The gourmet restaurant serves authentic French cuisine across two settings: Le Dino, a neo-classical dining room, and La Verrière, a contemporary space opening onto gardens. Château de Rochecotte was abandoned and closed for years. During the Hundred Years’ War, its hilltop was a military stronghold to keep watch on advancing English troops. In 1984, it was bought by the Pasquier family, who restored it and turned it into a hotel that preserves the memory of the Duchesse de Dino de Talleyrand-Périgord and the Duchesse de Sagan. Today, three generations on, the family maintains an intimate, personalised service in a refined setting.
Château de Langeais c. ADT Touraine
The entrance to Château de Langeais is over a drawbridge, one of the last still in operation in France, lowered every morning to welcome visitors into an authentic medieval atmosphere. This is the site of the secret marriage of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany in 1491, which sealed the duchy of Brittany’s attachment to the crown of France. Its towers, sentry post and austere facade reveal its defensive character. This flamboyant Gothic castle in Indre-et-Loire is both a fortress and a princely residence, containing many treasures of carved furniture, 15th-century tapestries and works of art, all recalling the life of the great lords who once lived there.
Chateau Miniere c. ADT Touraine Marieke Gourdin
Originally built as a farm in the 15th century, Château de Minière was later transformed into a manor house. For over 200 years, women have led the estate, and each “Lady of Minière” has added her own touch, blending nature with art. Here, wine bottles double as pieces of art and a visit combines wine tastings with a stroll through the vineyards.
Château de Candé achieved celebrity status on 3 June 1937, when it hosted the wedding of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, chosen for its discreet location. This 16th-century Renaissance château, a blend of Gothic and Italian styles, looks deceptively small from the outside with a French-style entrance hall topped by a painted ceiling.
Domaine Cande Monts c. Léonard de Serres
The ceremony took place in the wood-panelled library, while the dining room hosted the small group of just 16 guests; no royals attended. The tour of the château is a memorabilia trail of the event: the original wedding certificate is on display, signatures are written on the wood ledge above it and framed photos of the couple. In the shop, books on the late Queen Elizabeth and the then Prince Charles are on sale, alongside collector’s items such as mugs picturing the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson. The private bathrooms are decorated with glass mosaics and even a fitness room, innovative for its time. The guest room was used by the wedding photographer, Cecil Beaton. Outside, hiking trails lace through 230 hectares of grounds, alongside a tennis court and vegetable garden.
Perfumer François Coty built the 18th-century-style Château d’Artigny amid twenty-five hectares of parkland, complete with a French garden, marble statues, ornate woodwork and trompe-l’oeil frescos. This elegant residence was the dream of the famous perfumer and today exudes the air of a Belle Époque castle with a breath-taking entrance into a spacious lobby. The fine-dining restaurant, L’Origan, serves gourmet French cuisine in a timeless setting with views over the valley. A spa is reached by a tunnel from the hotel, leading to a small Romanesque swimming pool.
If I had to choose a favourite from this tour, it would be Château de Villandry, the grand dame of exquisite gardens, with spectacular views of symmetrical patterns and surrounding moats. Ten gardeners maintain the variety of ornamental gardens and a maze to lose yourself. The château has been family-owned since 1906 and is set on the site of the first medieval fortress. Inside are religious paintings, a dining room and staircase which are registered as historical monuments. Napoleon’s youngest brother, Jérôme Bonaparte, purchased the Château de Villandry in late September 1813.
Nicknamed “the Garden of France,” Touraine remains one of the country’s most diverse wine-growing areas, producing not just reds, whites and rosés but also sweet dessert wines and sparkling vintages that rival those of nearby Champagne. Domaine de La Rodaie, in the heart of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, has 21 acres of vineyard and five generations of family history, producing light, fruity reds and rosés. The estate also runs a brewery and is the first in Touraine to make whisky for the locals.
Between château visits, there are trips on traditional toue boats along the UNESCO-listed stretch of the Loire near Port de la Chapelle, with picnics onboard and, on occasion, an accordion for a sing-along. It’s not surprising that this area of France attracted artists such as British landscape painter J.M.W. Turner to create works such as The Banks of the Loire and inspired Charles Perrault’s fairy-tale story of Sleeping Beauty. Sadly, there was no time on this busy châteaux -hopping schedule to visit them all, but there will be a next time.
More information: www.TouraineLoireValley.com
What else?
City tour of Tours, a historic old city with half-timbered buildings. The Basilica of St Martin (1886–1924) was designed by Touraine architect Victor Laloux. It is built over the tomb of St Martin, discovered in 1860 in the cellars of houses built on the site of the old basilica. Tours Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Gatien) features three magnificent medieval rose windows at the west front and both ends of the transept, one dating back to the early 14th century.
Food Tours in Tours offer regional specialities around the city from local producers of fine cheeses, home-made ice creams, local beers, air-dried meats, Touraine wines and the veritable nougat de Tours.
Where to Eat:
La Belle Vue: a rooftop bar facing Saint-Gatien Cathedral
Nuances a riverside wine bar and bistro serving local and seasonal French cuisine with regional wines.
Chez Odette on the bank of the Loire between Angers and Tours, serving a creative seasonal menu
La Cabane a Matelot fish restaurant in the village of Bréhémont run by Gadais, a Loire fisherman, and chef Ambroise Voreux. Inventive cuisine “from the Loire to the plate.”
Tours Guinguette is a riverside designated area open May to September, serving comfort food and cheese plates and live music.
Where to Stay:
Dixmeresse guesthouse with five rooms and two gîtes. This is perfectly located for touring the châteaux.
Huttopia Lac de Rillé is an upscale campsite of stylish wooden tents and cabins overlooking the lake with sports activities.
Getting There from the UK:
By air: Stansted direct.
By Eurostar: to Paris Gare du Nord (2 hours 20 minutes), then metro to Montparnasse, followed by TGV to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (1 hour).