This beautiful castle, which began life in the eleventh century, was at one time the French royal palace during the 15th & 16th centuries when it was home to royal kings. On the 4th of September in 1434 Charles VII seized the Chateau after its owner, Louis d’Amboise, was executed for plotting against Louis XI. Once in the hands of the Royal family it was a favourite of French kings, notably, King Francois...

The Chateau Chaumont dominates the Loire River from its heavy silhouette which looks more like a fortress than a palace. Despite its medieval façade, the castle was only completed in the 18th century. The province had belonged to the Amboise family since the 12th century, and by the end of the 15th century became one of the most important domains in the French Kingdom. The reconstruction of the old fortress...

The Loire Valley and its famous castles have perfectly preserved a time when western European architecture set a new standard in luxury, beauty and scale. The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns, villages, wineries, monuments and most importantly castles. In the year 2000 UNESCO made the central part of the Loire valley a World Heritage Site. This honour...