Castles of the Loire

There was a time in history when France it was full of castles. Literally. Not all have survived the passage of time or the fury of the French Revolution, but to the liking of lovers of history and medieval architecture some still stand. The Castles of the Loire They are very popular.

But some are more popular than others and a few do not even appear in the typical tours that one can hire from Paris. Let's see today some of the most beautiful castles of the Loire, not so well known, but magnificent.

The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is studded with castles and when thinking about which ones we want to visit, when and how it gets a bit complicated. Is there a Route of the Loire castles that you can follow? Yes and no. There is no predefined route, you have to create it and choose ourselves which castles to include in it.

It is best to rent a car. Although the tours that are hired in Paris are not bad and they give us a good glimpse of what a medieval castle of the Lora is, they always fall short. I did one, for example, and when I came back at the end of the day with a certain overdose of chateaus my French friend was surprised that he hadn't seen some that are popular and important.

The advice is plan a route of a couple of days Or, if we like France a lot and you know you will come back, then put off future castles for future trips. We said that there is no predefined route although in a way we can think that the route along the Loire does exist: it goes from the Giennois area to Anjou, via Orléans, Blois, Amboise, Tours and Saumur. It covers a total of 300 kilometers within a perimeter that has been honored by UNESCO.

Obviously, it goes further then not all castles are built on the banks of the Loire. Some are inside forests, hidden, not seen, others are on tributaries of the famous river. The number of castles in the area is explained because these lands were in the hands of great nobles and landowners who marked their limits by building castles that ultimately passed, many, to the hands of the Crown.

It has to be said that the most popular castles in the area are grouped together in the central part of the valley, between Tours and Orléans. Coming from Paris or from eastern France, one reaches the valley via Loiret and there one can start the route in the Giennois area or around the Orléans forest with castles like the Chateau de Chamerolles or the La Bussiere. Today we are going to know some of these castles that do not offer you much in the tours from the capital.

Châteaux de Saint-Brisson

It's a castle in Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire, six kilometers from Gien, on the left bank of the Loire. It is the highest fortress in the valley and is Monument History. In the 1135th century it was just a Romanesque tower with a palisade, but around 1210 it was ruined by royal troops and in XNUMX Count Etienne II de Sancerre started a new construction. Since the XNUMXth century, the castle has been the property of the Séguiers, under whose protection it ceased to be a fortress to be a residence.

In 1987 the castle was bequeathed to the municipality and renovation work began. Since 2015 it has been private property as the State sold it to the Tous Au Châteu company. 800 years old of history so the visit is something charming: more than 15 furnished rooms, between private apartments and ceremonial rooms, kitchens, laundry, bakery, offices ...

There are different types of visit: for individuals and for groups that may include families with children. Admission per adult costs 9 euros. If you go as a family you can make a special visit that includes a treasure hunt, shadow theater, game fair and medieval activities. In a large family with four children, the fourth does not pay. The guided tour for groups of up to 25 people costs 8 euros per person and individually the price is 10 euros.

Chateau de Gien

This castle It was built in 1482 on the ruins of a medieval fortress under the orders of Anne de Beaujeu or Anne of France, the eldest daughter of Louis XI and for a time regent of her brother. Have Renaissance style and it has received the illustrious visit of Catherine de Medici or Louis XIV.

During the Second World War Gien suffered a lot of damage but miraculously the castle survived the bombs. Today it houses the International Hunting Museum and it is an architectural example of the French pre-Renaissance style.

On the ground floor of the castle there are six rooms: Room 2 is an introduction to the museum, the castle and its history and its famous owner. In Room 3 the accent is placed on the flying fighter, in Room 4 on the hunting in flight, in Room 5 on the man who hunts and in Room 6 it delves into this topic. On the first floor are the rooms following room 16 following the hunting theme with information on objects, tools, art related to hunting and others.

Gien Castle is open from May 1 to September 30 from 10 am to 6 pm. Between October 1 and April 30 it does it from 1:30 to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Closed on Tuesdays, unless it is a holiday, December 25 and all January. The entrance costs 8 euros.

Chateau de La Bussiere

This castle is in La Bussière, on a 65 hectare estate, and is a Historic Monument. It is part of the castles of the Loire but is not exactly within the popular area. It's a XNUMXth century medieval castle and it knew how to be part of the belt of castles that divided Burgundy from Île de France and controlled the trade route between Lyon and Paris.

The castle keeps many stories: here 15 Catholic priests were beheaded in the hands of Huguenot soldiers, for example. The same religious conflicts caused damage and thus the castle also suffered modifications of style. The façade changed in the XNUMXth century and later, in the XNUMXth century, the moat was drained.

Inside the succession of rooms that are open to visitors is beautiful, with furniture, decorations, colors. In addition, there is a garden - orchard with many fruit trees and medicinal plants among which a path runs along the edge of the huge lagoon that rests next to the castle.

The individual visit includes ten furnished rooms, a collection of fishing items and a view of a prehistoric fish, the coelacanth. In the park you can walk through the garden and if there are children there are some activities. calculate a whole hour. Guided tours are at 11 am, 2, 3, 4 and 5 pm between July and August; 11 am, 3, 4 and 5 pm May, June and September; 3, 4 and 5 pm from April to October. The castle offers picturesque activities at Easter or Christmas. 

For example, for these holidays the entire castle is decorated and illuminated, there is a Santa Klaus, chocolate cakes are made, carriage rides and people dressed in medieval style. The price of entry to the castle is 9 euros.

So this article has not been like the others we wrote about the Loire Castles. There is always talk of the same buildings, beautiful, yes, but so well known that there is nothing new under the sun. So I decided to show you some fortresses off the beaten path but just as beautiful, active and historical.


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