domain of chaumont-sur-loire

HelenSunninghill

Each year since 2004 we have managed to visit the international Garden Festival. Always amazing in places & interesting to see how the permanent gardens are evolving. Hoping to go again this year.

Lesleyannbarlow4845

The gardens of the chateau are well worth a visit. There is a lot of work being carried out in the gardens and there is now a new entrance to the Chateau and Gardens and new parking areas. You have to pay to enter the gardens but it is worth it. The gardens are really interesting and there is a lot to see from the beautifully preserved stables, to the Dog Cemetry and of course not forgetting the elephant burial plot, to the bridge which gives you the most amazing view of the Loire. You are also surrounded by the most original and creative art work. The Chateau is beautiful inside and there is a lot to see. A must. From May to October they hold the Festival of Gardens which is entertainment in itself.

belleretraite

This Château is a bit out of the beathen path but it is worth a visit specially for the outside and the surrounding grounds ! It is easy to spend a couple of hours there . There is a walking path from the village to get to the castle and it is scenic but for those not interested of doing the walk , we found that there is free parking right beside the entrance to the castle at the top of the mountain ! It is not advertised in the village and this is why there were only a few cars using it !

fionnalove

The exterior of the castle is breahtaking. It's like a fairy tale castle. Inside is nicely decorated and furnished too. Bear in mind that you have to walk up the hill to get to the castle, but it's worth it.

897clairet

There are several that are grouped together and the history and legends of same are incredible as well as the castles themselves.

Noraatc

One more lovely chateau of the Loire Valley: beautiful grounds with winding paths, lawns, bright flower beds... It is an English garden, very different from well aligned French style gardens. The exterior is magnificent: a real example of mighty fortifications built on the top of the hill. I loved the vast open view of the Loire Valley from the terrace with an old well. The interior is quite nice, but I do agree with other reviewers that contemporary art exhibit ruins the impression. We also did not mind walking up the hill to get to the Chateau: good workout! Parking is really small and is on the side of the road. There are some very nice grocery shops on the street that leads to the Chateau where you can buy delicious typical French salami, cheeses, wine and unbelievable Apple tarts. If you are driving from Amboise into the direction of Blois, I highly recommend to stop by.

KarenM1_10

This was our first trip to Chaumont and we were very impressed. The chateau does contain some furnishings, they have a carriage house and the chapel is beautiful. We did not purchase the audio just roamed through and read the information that was provided in each of the rooms. Make sure you have a good set of walking shoes because there are a lot of steps to climb to get to the entrance.

Danmation

It must have been tough for Diane de Poitiers to leave Chenonceau for Chaumont after being forced to "trade" with Catherine de Medici! This Chateau and out-buildings are gorgeous especially in the exterior. Do the standard tour on the inside, but beware of spending too much time inside if that means it will take away from your time spent walking the English-style gardens or the contemporary art gardens off to the side. Chaumont is less popular than other chateau and we suspect the proprietors have tried to make it more relevant by curating contemporary art installations on the grounds and even in portions of the interior.The interior is more available than almost any other chateau we saw: there are dozens of unrestored rooms all over the castle that aren't entirely interesting, unless you want to bear witness to how much a chateau is constructed and deconstructed over the centuries.Walk the grounds, and set aside some conceptual space and time for the art gardens too.

hannaht690

This is a lovely Château to visit with well-kept gardens and a pleasant walk from the street-parking. The interior is well kept and there's multi-lingual explanations of what is on display.

jborrow

The chateaux itself is nice without being anything too unique on the Loire, but the art exhibition that is in the apartments at the top of the chateaux is really something. The rooms have not been 'beautified' as is so often the case in the chateaux, so its really nice to see the derelict walls and floorboards, juxtaposed with some beautiful artwork and the less transient marble fireplaces. Also of interest is the gardens, when I went there was an exhibition of different interpretations of the 7 deadly sins. These gardens are changed annually to present different concepts, it is a really novel way of presenting gardens, one which kept me around for a lot longer than I would normally spend.

mikearundel_11

we " did " five of the Loire Chateaux in 3 days and this was perhaps the most beautiful of them set in a great position overlooking the Loire with large and lovely gardens and good cultural and food facilities - the interior of the Chateau is also well worth a visit

ScottW679

This was the second chateau that we saw. The first was chateau Chenonceau which as been lovingly maintained throughout the years. This one has a wonderful exterior. However inside you can see how it has been re-purposed throughout the years. 25% of the interior is in near original condition. The rest of it has been altered and not for the better. The 3rd floor was cut up into little rooms when it became an apartment for modern living quarters and they have not been maintained. It looked sad. So if you are expecting to see a chateau with original inside materials and layout you will be disappointed. Having said that, it does point out that chateaus are really at the fate of their owners and their abilities to maintain. Also, there were modern art installations in some of the rooms and outside. I did not feel that they fit or added to the experience. I was looking for a more authentic experience and this also detracted from it.

RichardinOhio

The walk up to the chateau is a long, gentle climb, with wide stairs the entire way--this could be a real challenge for those with mobility issues. Once you reach the top of the access, you'll begn to see the many art installations that abound. Some are wonderful extensions of the environment, while others seem out of touch with the natural setting. The chateau is a fairy-tale castle, almost Disney-esque. It is well signed but some of the hallways and access points are narrow, so the traffic flow is slower than some other chateau. The apartments are interesting and the history, like so many of them, is fascinating. The kings that built so many of the chateaux on a whim and then seldom used them is interesting to non-French people.The stables are very nice. The overall views of the Loire River are stunning. The trees are majestic and the gardens are quite lovely.

AnnG557

First built as a fort because of its location, the chateau was later built as a residence. It is high on a hill which you have to walk up. As it was getting late and I was too tired and had still to face the walk down, we did not fully explore the grounds. There does not appear to be an official parking lot..at least from the side we entered.

CynthiaD152

Just 20 kilometres from where we were staying in Amboise the castle is beautiful though the interior is more an interpretation of what it once was. The gardens and other buildings are fabulous. Not as crowded as other sites but very well worth a visit.