France has plenty of beautiful castles to visit. Medieval, Gothic or Renaissance castles, they all testify from France rich history.
Château de Chambord (Loire Valley)
One of the most beautiful Renaissance castle in the World, the Château de Chambord is registered as a UNESCO site. It is famous for its impressive size and because plenty of kings stayed there.
Château d'Ussé (Loire Valley)
This beautiful private castle has inspired Charles Perrault for its famous fairytale, The sleeping beauty.
Château de Chenonceau (Loire Valley)
The elegant castle is renown for its magnificent architecture, a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance style, atop a beautiful arched bridge over the Cher river.
Château de Cheverny (Loire Valley)
Chateau de Cheverny has become famous because of The adventures of Tintin, the popular European comic created by the Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé
Château de Saumur (Loire Valley)
Perched above the town of Saumur, the castle offers an impressive view over the confluent of the Loire and the Thouet and the surrounding plain. The castle houses the town's museum
Château de Blois (Loire Valley)
With its magnificent architecture, the castle has a rich and fascinating history. The domain also houses a museum with more than 30.000 works of art.
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle (Alsace)
The fully restored medieval fortress is a must if you ever go to Alsace. Immerse yourself in the Middle Ages during your visit and enjoy a breathtaking view over the Alsacian valley.
Château de Chantilly (near Paris)
This domain is a treasure of France's architecture and history. It includes the castle, the Condé Museum, the stables and beautiful gardens à la française designed by famous Le Nôtre.
Château de Pierrefonds (near Paris)
Far less familiar than the other castles in this list, Château de Pierrefonds is a fairytale castle with a gothic architecture and where the Merlin series were filmed. Until the architect Viollet-le-Duc completed the restoration for Napoléon III at the end of the 19th century, the château de Pierrefonds was in ruins.
Château de Fontainebleau (near Paris)
Once a hunting lodge, the Chateau is now the perfect representation of French architecture and decorative arts. This rich cultural and historic place is considered as the true French kings' residence. It was the residence of 34 kings and two emperors.
Château de Vaux Le Vicomte (near Paris)
The estate of Vaux-le-Vicomte was Nicolas Fouquet's home. Three of the greatest artists of the era worked on the design of the beautiful domain: the architect Louis Le Vau, the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre and the painter and decorator Charles Le Brun. The result was so impressive that it inspired King Louis XIV for Versailles.
Château de Versailles (near Paris)
I am sure that you know Versailles. If you haven't visited it yet you have heard of it. But did you know that Versailles was the biggest castle in the World? It is Louis the 14th who decided to transform it into a prestigious palace, where he would settle with his court.
Château des Ducs de Bretagne (Brittany)
Located in Nantes, this Gothic-Renaissance style castle houses a museum entirely dedicated to the city's fascinating history.
Château Comtal (Carcassonne)
Château Comtal is a medieval castle within the Cité of Carcassonne, the largest city in Europe with its city walls still intact.
Château Castelnau (Dordogne)
This impressive medieval fortress offers a breathtaking view on the Dordogne Valley. Visit the castle with your family and dive into the Middle Ages century.
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