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See French Chateaus Chaumont and Cheverny on a Day Trip
French castles Chaumont and Cheverny deserve a place on your Loire Valley itinerary if you’ll be spending a few days in the region. You can easily combine both into a single full day. At Chaumont, enjoy dramatic views of the Loire River. Cheverny offers opulent rooms. Both are located east of Tours, France.
Keep reading for some of the best things to see at Chaumont and Cheverny. Discover when to go, how to get there, and what other chateaus are worth your time in the Loire Valley of France.
When to Visit
You can generally count on Loire Valley castles to be open throughout the period between late spring and early fall. However, do be careful when planning out your itinerary to ensure your priority castles aren’t closed during your visit.
Chaumont Chateau is open daily except for 1 January and 25 December. The chateau opens at 10 a.m. and closes between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., depending on the season, with shorter hours during the colder months.
Cheverny Chateau is open daily except for 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December. The castle opens at 9:15 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. between April and the end of September. It’s open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the winter and most of fall.
How to Get There
I’d strongly encourage you to rent your own vehicle to see these chateaus and some of the many others in the Loire Valley. This will make for a more enjoyable and efficient trip. With a car, you can spend as much time as you like at the attractions that interest you most.
It’s not really practical to try to visit these places using public transportation. Reserving a guided tour of all of them is possible too, but can be very expensive.
Cost of Entry Tickets at Chaumont and Cheverny
Chaumont charges €19 for each adult from April through October, and €14 during all other months. There’s also the option to buy a 2-day pass for €33 from April through October.
Cheverny charges €13.50 for each adult, with extra fees for special tours and rides around the estate.
What to Expect at Chaumont
Park in the big lot by the rear of the chateau. Buy your entry ticket and approach the thick cylindrical defensive towers of imposing Chaumont Chateau.
Even by the Loire Valley’s high standards, Chaumont is an impressive building. It once belonged to a Frenchman named Le Ray who lent money to the United States during the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, he never got his money back and he went bankrupt.
Inside, one fancy room called the Ruggieri Room may have once belonged to the astrologer of Catherine de Medici. It’s filled with 17th-century furniture and portraits.
The Catherine de Medici room has a late 15th-century tapestry made in Tournai. The room also has a giant portrait of Catherine de Medici, tapestries, and a throne that shows a heron gobbling up an eel.
The large Council Chamber is covered in tapestries depicting Roman gods riding chariots depicting Zodiac signs. Much of the original décor remains intact. Look up at the ceiling beams to find coats of arms, including those of the Chaumont-Amboise family, Broglie family, and French Royalty.
The Guard Room holds a 16th-centruy iron chest that weighs about 600 pounds and has a fake keyhole. Also in the room is a collection of Ottoman weapons. You’ll also see breastplates and shoulder pieces.
Proceed to the Diane de Poitiers room. Look at the collection of 70 medallions produced by Jean-Baptiste Nini. One or two are dedicated to Benjamin Franklin.
The King’s Room is adorned in the Romantic style from the 1830s-1840s, especially on the ceiling and paneling. The room also may have some materials describing daily life in the chateau when the de Broglies family lived here.
The Dining Room is an especially striking part of the chateau. It once held the kitchen but was converted into a dining room in the middle of the 19th century.
Other notable rooms include the Library, Billiards Room, and Great Salon. In the Great Salon, you may notice a porcupine design. This was the emblem of King Louis XII.
You can sit down in the small theater to watch an arty film about paintings transitioning to landscape videos and vice versa.
The chapel is strewn with wilderness-themed art, branches, and leaves.
When you’re ready for lunch, you can eat at the on-site café. There you can order treats like quiche, croissants, and apple tarts.
What to Expect at Cheverny
The furnishings at Cheverny are even more lavish than those at Chaumont.
When you enter, you’ll see the Dining Room. It features 34 wooden panels, oak furniture from the Hurault family, a bust of King Henri IV, and a silver-plated 18th-century Dutch chandelier.
Go up the main staircase, and you’ll see one of the most striking exhibits in the chateau: the mounted antlers of a cervus megaceros, an animal that roamed the Siberian ice fields about 6,000 years ago. On the landing you’ll also see a 16th-century suit of armor from Savoy.
Proceed to the Private Apartments at the top of the staircase. You’ll find a birth chamber where newborns were presented, a nursery, bridal chamber, family dining room, and salon.
The weapons hall is the biggest room in the chateau. It displays a variety of arms and armor from the 15th through the 17th centuries. There’s even a tiny suit of armor for the 4-year-old Duc de Bordeaux. Here you’ll also find traveling trunks from the 17th century.
Visit a few more of the opulent rooms, such as the King’s Bedchamber, Vestibule, Grand Salon, Gallery, and Portrait Room. At one point, you’ll get a chance to look at a document signed by George Washington. Wrap up with the Library and Tapestry Room, then exit.
Walk about the grounds for a while, looking at the chateau’s exterior and gardens. You can also see the half-French, half-English hounds in their kennel.
If you’re visiting in the fall, take a look at the collection of huge, colorful pumpkins outside.
What to Do Next
Many other chateaus in the Loire Valley beckon after you’ve seen Chaumont and Cheverny. I’d recommend seeing at least some of them, but seeing no more than two or three each day. Consider the following Loire Valley itineraries:
If you’d like to see another castle in the United States that resembles those of the Loire Valley, consider a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. George Vanderbilt and Richard Morris Hunt were inspired by the chateaus of the Loire Valley when they built it.