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Put French Chateaus Villandry and Valencay On Your Loire Valley Itinerary
If you’re planning out your Loire Valley itinerary, I’d recommend setting aside a day to explore the French chateaus Villandry and Valencay. Villandry boasts not only a good chateau, but also exquisite gardens—perhaps the finest of any castle in the valley. Valencay was the home of Napoleon’s Foreign Minister Talleyrand. There’s enough to see and do at both places to make for an excellent day trip, but I wouldn’t try to fit much more sightseeing into this day to avoid “chateau fatigue.”
Read on for an overview of the highlights at Villandry and Valencay, when to go, how to get there, and what else to see and do elsewhere in France’s Loire Valley if you have more time.
When to Visit
Keep in mind that French castles are not necessarily open year-round, so you’ll want to plan your visit for a time when you’ll be able to see them.
Villandry Chateau is generally open from February until almost mid-November, then open again for most of December. However, the gardens are open all year. Naturally, the gardens will be more impressive when the weather is warmer—from the spring until fall.
Valencay Chateau is open daily from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
I recommend seeing Villandry first and Valencay second. Villandry gets more crowded later in the day, so if you see it first thing in the morning you’ll have more of the chateau and gardens to yourself.
How to Get There
Ideally, you’ll be spending at least a few days touring the chateaus of the Loire Valley. The most convenient and efficient way to see these chateaus is with a rental car that you can pick up at the airport in Paris. This will maximize your time at the chateaus you most want to see and allow you to change plans quickly if necessary.
Parking outside of the chateaus is free of charge.
With limited time in the region, it’s simply not practical to try to visit these places using public transportation. Arranging a guided tour of all of them is another option, but is sure to be more expensive than doing it yourself.
Cost of Entry Tickets at Villandry and Valencay
You can buy your entry ticket to Villandry at the ticket counter or buy it online to save time. It’s 12€ to see the chateau and gardens, or 7.50€ to see the gardens alone.
You’ll need to buy your entry ticket to Valencay at the ticket counter. At the time of writing, there was no online order option.
What to Expect at Villandry
Construction of Villandry finished in the 16th century, and it’s the last of the great Renaissance chateaus to be built in the Loire Valley. The castle has three wings surrounding a court.
It’s most famous, however, for its sprawling gardens that are divided into squares. They feature tens of thousands of plants—some medicinal, some for food, some decorative—tended by a team of gardeners.
You can tour the chateau and grounds yourself, or take a 75-minute guided tour (in French only) on most days between April and October.
If you’re touring it on your own, park your car outside and walk up to the belvedere. Survey the gigantic gardens with neatly trimmed hedges encircling the chateau and moat. Some of the hedges symbolize the four types of love: tragic, passionate, tender, and adulterous.
Walk around the gardens for a while when they’re uncrowded, then explore the chateau. Look out at the waterways and terraces. Walk through the rooms and study its history.
Villandry had been built over a 12th-century fortress where Henry II Plantagenet of England and Philip Augustus of France signed a peace treaty in 1189. Former French Ambassador to Italy Jean le Breton was responsible for the gardens; inspired by his time in Italy, he designed the current gardens in the Italian style. The chateau also holds the former bedroom of Napoleon’s youngest brother, Jerome.
Back outside, you may want to take a short walk through the woods or feed some bread to the hungry carp who live in the moat. You can watch a video about the chateau across the seasons and buy a souvenir or two in the on-site gift shop before getting on your way.
Lunch
It’ll probably be about time for lunch. You can drive just a kilometer from the chateau to get to the farmhouse of L’etape Gourmande. It’s one of the top restaurants in Villandry. I had some tasty pheasant with mushrooms, barley, bread, and coffee during my visit.
That afternoon, proceed to the second chateau of the day. It should take a little more than an hour of driving to get there.
What to Expect at Valencay
Plan to arrive at Valencay, home of Napoleon’s Foreign Minister Talleyrand, before 3 p.m. It closes at 5 p.m. and two hours is just long enough to see everything here.
At Valencay, you’ll have several tour options:
- A self-guided tour with information displays
- An audioguided tour
- A guided tour
I recommend the high-quality audioguide, which makes the chateau and interesting life of Talleyrand come to life. Here are some fun facts about Talleyrand and the estate.
- Talleyrand believed you can say anything you like, as long as you say it with wit.
- Despite being a bishop, Talleyrand got married and was quite the ladies’ man. Napoleon’s influence helped Talleyrand to evade his vows. Talleyrand fathered an illegitimate daughter with a blonde woman named Catrin.
- Talleyrand held important posts under every French regime, from the monarchy, Directory, Republic, Empire, and monarchy again.
- Talleyrand owned about 15,000 books.
- He ate sparingly (just coffee in the morning until it was time for a lavish dinner) but ate food that was of the highest quality.
- He had a club foot that made it difficult for him to walk.
- Talleyrand bought the chateau in 1803 on Napoleon’s orders to entertain and influence important foreign dignitaries. It was used for the house arrest of Spain’s King Ferdinand VII and his family between 1808 and 1813.
As you tour the chateau, be sure to not miss highlights such as the Grand Salon, Blue Salon, King of Spain’s Bedroom, Duchess de Dino’s Bedroom, Dining Room, Hall of Treasures, Prince de Talleyrand’s Bedroom, and Study.
When you finish your tour of the interior, you can take a walk through some of the 53-hectare park and gardens on the estate.
Then return to your hotel.
What to Do Next
If you’d like to know more about what to do in the Loire Valley of France after you’ve seen Villandry and Valencay, you can choose from among countless other chateaus. I’d recommend taking a a few more day trips to see them, visiting no more than two or three each day. Consider the following Loire Valley itineraries:
A visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina will also give you the chance to see a building that looks like the Loire Valley castles.