Royal Chateau of Blois

We will start our day with Acco Dispo with the visit of the Chateau of Chaumont-sur-Loire - known for its International Garden Festival since 1992. Each year, internationally renowned landscape architects, compete on a specific theme. Before Catherine de Medici used this Chateau to evict Diane de Poitiers from the Chateau of Chenonceau, she and Nostradamus dwelled there. After the lunch break, we will get back to the Cher valley in order to visit the Chateau of Chenonceau, also known as the « Ladies’ Chateau » which was embellished by famous women, such as Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. This elegant structure built on the river will mesmerise you with its unique Renaissance architecture, furniture and gardens that will make you daydream. We will finish up our day with the visit of the Clos Lucé - a royal present from Francis the 1st to Leonardo da Vinci, where he spent his last 3 years of his life. You will enter his privacy as you roam his study, and will discover a large collection of models based on his sketches, as well as his bedchamber where he took his last breath at the age of 67.

Price: €20.50 (retail price: €22) A festival of visual and sound special effects marries the grandiose architecture of the courtyard, evoking famous episodes in the history of the Château. The favourite residence of the Kings of France during the Renaissance, the Château Royal de Blois is a true architectural and historical synthesis of the Châteaux of the Loire. Its four wings, each in a different style, and its monumental staircase, all grouped around the same courtyard, offer an astonishing panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the Classical period. The royal flats feature magnificent restored polychrome decorations, and the furniture and paintings on display evoke the daily life of the Court and power during the Renaissance. The private chambers of François I and the royal rooms of Catherine de Médicis and Henri III, where the Duke of Guise was assassinated in 1588, are steeped in the major events of French history. From 5 April to 27 September 2025, then from 18 October to 1 November 2025.

Price: €18.50 (public price: €19.50) In 1516, Leonardo da Vinci accepted the invitation of Francis I and moved to the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, where he worked on numerous projects for the King. From Rome he brought his notebooks and three of his major works: the Mona Lisa, the Saint Anne and the Saint John the Baptist, now in the Louvre. Prolific and inspired, he worked as an engineer, architect and stage director, organising sumptuous festivities for the court. On 2 May 1519, he died in his bedroom. The house, its park - a veritable open-air museum - and the Leonardo da Vinci Painter and Architect Galleries invite you to discover the many facets of this genius through his restored workshops, models of his inventions and an immersive show presenting his 17 masterpieces...