Whether you tour France\u2019s ch\u00e2teaux of the Loire Valley by bike, bus or car, one thing remains constant: you won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Each ch\u00e2teau (castle) is impeccably preserved\/restored and unique in its architectural appearance and history.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Most of the ch\u00e2teaux offer guided tours. I highly recommend taking one to get a true sense of the historical particularities of each of these impressive structures.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Only have time to visit a few? Here is a brief overview three of our favorites:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ch\u00e2teau de Blois<\/strong>: Located in the middle of the charming city of Blois, Ch\u00e2teau de Blois is comprised of a fascinating architectural mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Classic styles. Historically, Blois is known as the place where Jean d\u2019Arc (Joan of Arc) received her blessing by the Archbishop of Reims in 1429 before going off to war. I highly recommend staying the night in Blois so that you can catch the \u201clight and sound show\u201d narrated by some of the \u201chistorical figures\u201d who inhabited this castle at various points throughout its history.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ch\u00e2teau de Chenonceau<\/strong>: A true crowd pleaser, Chenonceau was built in early Renaissance style, and stretches across the Cher River. After the Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles, it is the most frequently visited ch\u00e2teau in France. One wing of Chenonceau was used as a hospital during WW1, and the ch\u00e2teau served as a means of escape for those being persecuted by the Nazis during WWII (it stood between the Nazi occupied zone of the Cher River and the Vichy side on the other bank). Today, Chenonceau is known for its impeccable gardens and grounds.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ch\u00e2teau de Chambord<\/strong>: The very image of a \u201cfairytale\u201d castle, Chambord is the perfect example of French Renaissance architecture. The largest of the Loire Valley ch\u00e2teaux, Chambord was originally constructed as a hunting lodge for King Fran\u00e7ois I. It was also conveniently adjacent to the Ch\u00e2teau de Muides, home of the Comtesse de Thoury, Fran\u00e7ois\u2019 mistress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you tour France\u2019s ch\u00e2teaux of the Loire Valley by bike, bus or car, one thing remains constant: you won\u2019t be disappointed. Each ch\u00e2teau (castle) is impeccably preserved\/restored and unique in its architectural appearance and history. Most of the ch\u00e2teaux offer guided tours. I highly recommend taking one to get a true sense […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98881159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98881159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98881159"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98881159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98898279,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98881159\/revisions\/98898279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98881159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98881159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98881159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}