It's no surprise that France is the land of castles . With their huge defensive walls, their surrounding moats, their drawbridges and their thousand stories, it's easy to transport us back to a time long gone by, a time of kings, courtiers, jesters and even princesses trapped in towers, dragons, fairies and sorceresses... In the area around Paris there are some of the best examples of medieval castles in France , such as those in the Loire Valley. Here we tell you more about some of them.
:: The best castles near Paris ::
The castle of Chambord
Built in 1519 by Francis I as a hunting lodge, it is today the largest and most famous castle in the Loire Valley, thanks in part to its French Renaissance architecture. The double-helix staircase and terrace turrets are said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. In 1981, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
→ How to get there. It is located about 2 hours south of Paris. To get there, the best option is to take a train from Austerlitz station towards Blois and then change to Chambord. Trains only run in the Haute-Season, alternatively you can take bus line 18. Or take a tour that includes several Loire castles .
→ Prices. General admission, €11. Free for EU citizens under 26 years of age.
The castle of Cheverny
If Chambord stands out for its size and architecture, this one is the one with the most beautiful decoration of all those in the Loire Valley. It was built in 1620 by the Hurault family, to whom it still belongs today, and is in fact still inhabited! Hergé, the Belgian creator of Tintin, was inspired by this castle to create the Château de Moulinsart .
→ How to get there. It is located about 2 hours south of Paris and 18 km from Chambord. To get there, the best option is to take a train from Austerlitz station towards Blois and then change to Chambord. Trains only run in the Haute-Season, alternatively you can take bus line 18. You can also take the TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Vendôme and from there to Blois and Cheverny. Or take a tour that includes several Loire castles .
→ Prices . General admission, €9.50. Free for children under 7 years old.
The castle of Chenonceau
Known as the "Chateau of the Ladies" because its history is linked to the female sex, it was built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet; later renovated by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis and finally saved from destruction during the French Revolution by Madame Dupin. Its gallery bridge over the Cher River is noteworthy.
→ How to get there . It is located about 2 hours south of Paris and 34 km from Tours and 36 km from Blois. You can do as in the previous ones, get to Blois by train from the Austerlitz station and there change to Chenonceau. Or get to Tours from Paris-Montparnasse by TGV and then take a TER train to Gare de Chisseaux Chenonceaux, which is 2 km from the Chenonceau castle. Or take a tour that includes several Loire castles .
→ Rates . General admission, €12.50.
The castle of Amboise
In a privileged location in the middle of the town of Amboise, and with excellent walls, this castle is famous for being the place where the skeleton of Leonardo da Vinci was found, who lived in the same town. In reality, it is not certain that these remains were those of the genius, although they were later buried in the Saint-Hubert chapel, next to the castle, which can be visited today.
→ How to get there . The town of Amboise is located about 22 kilometres east of Tours. To get there, take the TGV train from Paris-Montparnasse to St. Pierre des Corps (Tours) and then take a regional train to Amboise. There is also a bus service from the Touraine Fil-vert company that connects Tours with Montrichard via Amboise for €1.50.
→ Rates . General admission, €10.70.
These four castles can be visited in one day with private excursions to “The Castles of the Loire”. In fact, they can be quite recommendable considering that transportation here from Paris is not at all easy, and not cheap either.
Castle of Fontainebleau.
This palace, one of the largest in France, is the precursor of several artistic styles throughout its history. Firstly, it introduced Italian Mannerism to France in the decoration of the interiors and gardens, adapting it to its own style, known as the “Fontainebleau style”. It was also here that the Renaissance was introduced to France for the first time, under the influence of Henry II and Catherine de Médici, who hired the architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant, with whom they carried out a major campaign of remodelling. The new style began to be transmitted through the engravings made by the Fontainebleau School to the rest of France and northern Europe. Near Fontainebleau is the village of Barbizon, famous since the 19th century thanks to artists such as Millet, Rousseau and Stevenson.
→ How to get there . It is located about 60 km south-east of Paris. To get there, take the train from Gare de Lyon towards Montargis, Montereau or Laroche-Migennes and get off at Fontainebleau-Avon station. Then take bus line 1 towards Les Lilas which goes to the castle.
→ Prices . General admission, €11.00. Free for children under 18 and on the first Sunday of every month. The gardens are free to enter.
The castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte.
It is the little brother of the Palace of Versailles , we say small because it is less acclaimed and well-known than the latter. However, its construction was earlier and actually served as a reference for Versailles. The castle was built in 1661 by Nicolas Fouquet, finance minister of Louis XIV, who felt his ego hurt when he saw that an official had such a lavish palace at his disposal and sent him to prison, where he would die in 1680. Not being happy with this, the Sun King hired the services of the gardener-landscaper Le Nôtre and began the project of the Palace of Versailles and its gardens, as we say, inspired by this castle. Today it is the largest private castle in France and the visit is interesting if it coincides with one of the water shows that are organized in summer.
→ How to get there . There are direct trains from Gare de Lyon to Melun, every half hour and taking 30 minutes.
→ Rates . General admission, €16.50.
Bonus track: The Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
We're cheating a bit here, it's not a castle per se, nor is it close to Paris, but the special charm of this place deserves to be included on the list... and what the heck, the place is really cool! Who doesn't know the evocative silhouette of Mont Saint Michel surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic and rising towards the sky? The construction of the Abbey was completed in the 16th century and it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. Since then it has become one of the most visited places in all of France, and we're not surprised! But already in the Middle Ages it was an important pilgrimage center, full of legends and myths that made it special even then.
The visit can begin at the foot of the “island”, in the village from where you can start the climb to the Abbey surrounded by walls, a path to a fascinating fairy-tale world (if you have imagination). At its highest point, the abbey is crowned by the statue of the Archangel Michael slaying a dragon, a symbol of the triumph of good over evil.
And of course, be amazed by the extreme changes in the tides. At low tide, the mountain is surrounded by miles of dry land, but when the tide comes in, it becomes a bay covered in water from which the impressive rock is born.
→ Prices . General admission: €9; reduced admission (non-Europeans aged 18-25): €7; Europeans under 26: free.
→ How to get there on your own:
:: By train. The nearest train station is “Pontorson”, 9 km from Mont Saint Michel. You can get there by regional train and then take a local bus or take a TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes station and then take another train to Pontorson or a direct bus to Mont Saint Michel, the bus station is located just outside Rennes station. Prices for the train from Paris to Rennes depend on how far in advance you buy it (between €25 and €60). The bus from Rennes to Mont Saint Michel costs around €15.
:: By bus. There is an option to get from Paris to Rennes by bus. This Omio map shows the companies that operate after the liberalisation of the bus market, the Paris-Rennes route is covered by two different companies. The journey is cheaper (around €15) than by train but it is a bit longer, so it is best to spend the night in that area.
