Chateaux & Gardens

Price: €8 (public price: €8.50) The Château de Villandry is a unique example of Renaissance architecture and gardens. Six sumptuous gardens await you: the vegetable garden, the ornamental garden, the water garden, the medicinal plant garden, the labyrinth and the sun garden.

Price: €11.50 (public price: €12) A castle facade (drawbridge, towers, machicolations...), but on the garden side, a residence marked by the Renaissance style! In this castle located 200 metres from the Loire, the marriage between Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany sealed the attachment of Brittany to the kingdom of France. Richly furnished, this monument belongs to the Institut de France.

Price: €18 (public price: €19) Its arches gracefully span the Cher. Cherished by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis, Chenonceau remains the most visited château in France after Versailles. Wonderfully furnished (ah, its kitchens!), this 16th century château can be visited with an iPod. You'll fall under the spell of the gardens planted on either side of the keep... and the delightful village, whose name is spelt with an ‘x’!

Price: €15 (retail price: €16) The Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, which now covers 32 hectares, offers one of the most beautiful views of the royal river and is a belvedere on the wild Loire. It welcomes more than 385,000 visitors each year. It includes the Château (15th-19th century), its stables, its landscaped park and the International Garden Festival. As a centre for the arts and nature, the estate also hosts installations by contemporary artists and exhibitions by major photographers. In season: the "Gardens of Light" invite you to a night walk to discover the gardens of the Festival; the Restaurant of the Domain welcomes you and offers you an inventive cuisine.