Everything You Must See at Chateau de Chenonceau

Welcome to Chateau de Chenonceau, one of the most beloved castles of France’s Loire Valley!

Chateau de Chenonceau is known as the ladies’ castle, and from the manicured gardens and ornate ceilings to the over-the-top bouquets in every room, you can tell it has that womanly touch.

I visited Chateau Chenonceau this fall with my husband, mother and baby daughter. We rented a car and spent most of the day exploring this beautiful castle and its grounds.

After visiting seven chateaux throughout the Loire Valley this fall, I think I’m ready to declare Chenonceau Castle as my favourite! It has everything I want in a castle: dramatic architecture, flowery green spaces and rooms that transport me back in time.

Below I’m going to share everything you need to know before visiting Chateau Chenonceau, such as how to get there, how long to spend, and whether you should bring your baby or dog along with you.

I’ll then share all of the things you need to see during your visit. One of the reasons I love Chenonceau so much is because there’s a lot more to this chateau than just the castle and gardens. You don’t want to miss out on anything!

Ready? Let’s explore my favourite castle in France!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

What you need to know before visiting Chateau de Chenonceau

All of the below info is current as of Nov 2025.

Opening days & hours

Chateau de Chenonceau is open every day of the year! After living in France for almost two months, I can tell you this is very rare.

The castle is open from 9:00/9:30 AM until 4:30/7:00 PM depending on the time of year. The hours seem to change every few weeks, so be sure to check the current schedule before your visit.

Ticket prices

The standard adult ticket for Chateau Chenonceau is €18 ($21 USD), which includes an informational leaflet. If you want to upgrade that leaflet to an audioguide, your ticket will be €23 ($27 USD).

Seniors and students pay €16 ($19 USD), children 7-18 years old pay €15 ($17 USD), and children under 7 are free. Add €5 ($6 USD) to upgrade any of those tickets to include an audioguide.

We just opted for the standard Chenonceau castle ticket with the leaflet, though I think the audioguide would’ve been cool to get some additional context. Maybe next time!

Skip the line: Book your Chenonceau castle tickets here!

Parking

Parking at Chenonceau Castle is free! There is a large parking lot, as well as reserved spaces for buses, motorhomes, motorcycles and bicycles. There are even Tesla chargers available.

Though it was busy, we still had no problem finding a spot on a sunny Thursday in October.

Baby-friendly?

You can visit any castle in the Loire Valley with your baby but some castles are more baby-friendly than others. I’m happy to report that Chenonceau is quite baby-friendly!

While many chateaux don’t allow strollers inside the actual castle building, Chenonceau does allow them. They even have strollers at the entrance that you can borrow.

However, I wouldn’t recommend using your stroller inside the castle. You’ll be going up and down uneven stairs, squeezing through tight corridors and dealing with crowds.

We saw one family with a stroller awkwardly trying to get it downstairs to the kitchens and it did not look like fun!

We chose to park our stroller – a castle employee said we could park it in one of the first rooms of the castle where they were giving out audioguides – and wear Baby C in a carrier instead. This made it much easier to navigate the castle.

Chenonceau does not appear to have any rules about baby carriers, unlike some castles that forbid metal hiking-style carriers. Still, I’d opt for a soft carrier for inside the castle and your stroller for walking the grounds.

You can also find bottle warmers in all of the chateau’s restaurants.

Dog-friendly?

Chateau de Chenonceau is very dog-friendly, as far as Loire Valley castles go. Dogs are allowed on leashes throughout the grounds and gardens of the chateau.

Even better? You can bring your small dog into the castle building with you as long as it’s in a carrier/basket or being carried in your arms.

We left our dog, Ellie, at home when we visited Chenonceau but did see lots of other dogs around the grounds and one in a backpack in the castle!

How do you get to Chateau de Chenonceau?

You can get to Chateau Chenonceau by car, bike, train or day tour. We chose to drive from our home base in Orleans and it was more convenient to have our own wheels with a baby.

Here are the drive times/distances to Chenonceau from nearby cities:

• From Paris: 2.5-3.5 hrs (240 km)
• From Angers: 1.5-2 hrs (155 km)
• From Orleans: 1.5-2 hrs (115 km)
• From Saumur: 1.5 hrs (105 km)
• From Blois: 50 mins (45 km)
• From Tours: 40 mins (45 km)
• From Amboise: 15 mins (15 km)

Taking the train is another great option as Chenonceau Castle is only a two minute walk from Chenonceaux train station! This doesn’t happen often in the Loire Valley as many castles are remote and only accessible by car.

Note that Chenonceaux is a smaller train station, so you may need to connect in Tours if you’re coming from a city on a different train line.

For example, from Paris you’d take a 75 minute train from Gare Montparnasse to Tours and then a 25 minute train to Chenonceaux.

But if you don’t want to deal with train schedules and you don’t want to rent a car, you can hop on a convenient day tour to the Loire Valley!

These tours do all the logistical work for you, plus give you the option to have other experiences in the area, such as wine tasting or seeing other castles.

How much time do you need at Chateau Chenonceau?

We spent about four hours at Chateau Chenonceau and that felt like a good amount of time. In those four hours we toured the castle, got lunch, and walked through the gardens, Domes Building, farm buildings and more of the grounds.

The castle itself isn’t as huge as say Chambord Castle, but it isn’t small either. There are about 20 rooms open to visitors, each with plenty of detail and decor to take in.

The grounds also aren’t as expansive as some castles – like Cheverny Castle where you can go on boat and car tours – but there’s still plenty to see and do.

You could easily spend a whole day at Chenonceau Castle, taking your time through all of the indoor and outdoor places to visit. Have a leisurely lunch, browse the gift shop, pay attention to the whole audio tour and stop to smell the roses.

That being said, I think you could also see the highlights in an hour or two. If you prioritize just the castle and one or two areas on the grounds, you could visit at a faster pace.

But I found Chenonceau Castle to be so beautiful that it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to rush through. So if you can, dedicate at least a couple of hours to this Loire Valley chateau!

Why is Chenonceau known as the Ladies’ Castle?

Chateau de Chenonceau is known as the Ladies’ Castle because of all of the fabulous ladies who lived there! Unlike many other castles that were primarily lived in by kings or other royal men, Chenonceau was for the girlies.

And, if you ask me, that’s why it’s one of the prettiest castles in the Loire Valley!

Let’s do a little historic roll call and meet the women who once called Chenonceau home:

1. Katherine Briconnet: Katherine and her husband Thomas Bohier built the current Chenonceau Castle in the 16th Century when they demolished the previous fortified castle and mill.

All that remains of the original castle is the tower and well that you’ll see out front of the “new” (if you can call the 16th Century new) castle.

2. Diane de Poitiers: Diane was given Chenonceau Castle by King Henri II. She created the gardens and built a bridge onto the back of the castle going over the River Cher. Diane may well be the reason so many people flock to Chenonceau Castle today!

3. Catherine de Medici: The famous (or infamous?) Catherine de Medici removed Diane from Chenonceau so she could move in. She improved the gardens, raised the ceiling height and brought in lots of Italian glamour.

4. Louise of Lorraine: After her husband, Henri III, died, Louise moved into Chenonceau Chateau. Because she was in mourning, she didn’t do much to leave her mark on the castle. She was also the last royal to live there.

5. Louise Dupin: Let’s fast forward to the 18th Century when Louise D moves into Chenonceau. She brought life back into the chateau, hosting salons for poets and philosophers and even saving the castle during the French Revolution.

6. Apolline, Countess of Villeneuve: Apolline devoted herself to restoring the castle and gardens. As a plant lover, she installed all of big trees along the path that you walk down as you enter the chateau grounds.

7. Marguerite Wilson Pelouze: Marguerite took the reins in the 19th Century and worked to restore Chenonceau Castle so it would resemble the castle it was in Diane de Poitiers’ time.

8. Simonne Menier: Lastly, Simonne moved into Chenonceau to oversee the hospital that was stationed there during WWI. She helped care for over 2000 wounded soldiers. During WWII, Simonne was also involved in the French Resistance.

Ready to see where these ladies lived? Book your tickets to Chateau de Chenonceau now!

Enter the impressive Chenonceau Chateau

Now that you’ve finished your history lesson, it’s time to enter the impressive grounds of Chateau de Chenonceau!

Directly at the entrance you’ll find the Creperie (a small cafe selling sandwiches and drinks), the ticket office, the gift shop, washrooms and vending machines.

But don’t make the same mistake we did and assume that just because the Creperie is on castle grounds and listed as one of the castle’s eateries, that means you can take the food past the entrance gate.

We were swiftly told by the gentleman checking tickets and bags that no outside food was allowed.

Keep in mind, I’m not talking about entering the castle itself – I’m just talking about walking through the gates and onto the official grounds. Also remember that the food in question was purchased from the castle’s own on-site cafe (albeit, just outside of the gates).

We did see a family buy coffees from the Creperie and get waved right in, so I guess drinks are allowed. But no “outside” food!

Food-free, you’ll then walk down a long pathway with tall trees overhead (the ones planted by Apolline, Countess of Villeneuve) towards the castle. This path is called the Driveway.

While the trees are quite impressive and provide nice shade, they do cover the view. You won’t really be able to take in the castle until you emerge from the driveway path.

From there it’s over a moat and into the castle!  

Explore the interiors of Chenonceau Castle

Chenonceau Castle is comprised of four floors: basement, ground, first and second. (In North America we call the ground floor the first floor, but in Europe the ground floor is “0” and then one flight up would be the first floor.)

As soon as we entered, I noticed how beautiful the interiors were at Chenonceau Castle. They were intricately decorated and made even more beautiful by large flower arrangements in each room.

We later learned these flowers come from Chenonceau’s own garden, which you’ll visit after the castle.

Ground floor

On the ground floor you’ll start by walking through the Guards’ Room and the Chapel. Next is Diane de Poitiers’ bedroom, with the blue bed and tapestries on the wall.

From there you’ll move onto the Green Study and library, which belonged to Catherine de Medici. Green was her favourite colour!

After a few more halls and salons, you’ll arrive in the Gallery, which is the long room with checkered floors that extends over the River Cher.

During WWII, the River Cher was the line of demarcation, meaning that Chenonceau Castle was in the occupied zone. But because the Gallery extended over the river, it was used by the Resistance to pass people and supplies through to the Free Zone.

Basement

The basement of Chenonceau was one of my favourite areas as it was fully decked out to resemble 16th Century kitchens. It felt like stepping into the set of Downton Abbey!

There were different rooms showing the ovens, butchery, dining areas for the servants, kitchen prep spaces and more. It was really cool and not something you’ll see at every castle.

Most of the castles we visited in the Loire Valley didn’t allow access to the basements and if they had a staged kitchen, it was only one room. So this was a unique feature of Chenonceau.

1st floor

On the first floor is where you’ll find most of the bedrooms and studies. I loved seeing all of the different room set ups with beautiful paintings and tapestries on the walls. The fireplaces were stunning and even the ceilings were intricately decorated!

You’ll walk down Katherine Briconnet Hall to the 5 Queens’ Bedroom. This bedroom is named in honour of Catherine de Medici’s two daughters and three daughters-in-law.

Next door is Catherine’s bedroom; both rooms have ornate red beds and tapestries on the walls. I loved taking in all of the decorative details.

From there, you’ll move into exhibition rooms with drawings of the castle hung on the walls. There’s also Cesar of Vendome’s bedroom and Garbielle d’Estree’s bedroom on this floor.

Before you leave the first floor, make sure you pop out onto the balcony. It offers a really gorgeous view of the gardens and moat!

2nd floor

The top floor of Chenonceau Castle just has one room to visit, Louise of Lorraine’s bedroom. Though the hallway leading to her room, the Vestibule Bourbon Vendome, is also worth seeing (look up at the cool ceiling!).

Louise’s bedroom is decorated all in black to signify that she spent her time at Chenonceau in mourning. There’s also a portrait of her deceased husband in the corner of the room.

Wander through the gardens of Chenonceau

It’s now time to take your chateau visit outdoors and explore the beautiful gardens of Chenonceau. Walking up to the castle, you would’ve seen two gardens; Catherine de Medici’s to the right and Diane de Poitiers’ to the left.

Diane’s garden was designed in the 19th Century to resemble the same layout Diane would’ve enjoyed when she lived at Chenonceau in the mid 1500s. Behind her garden is the Chancellery, where the estate steward would have lived.

Catherine’s garden, while smaller, is more refined and more ornate. We liked the look of all of the flowers and fountains, so headed there first.

You also get a gorgeous view of the castle with the bridge over the River Cher from Catherine’s garden. Don’t miss this photo opp!

Besides these two prominent gardens, Chateau de Chenonceau has a few more green spaces for you to enjoy:

• Green Garden: Designed in 1825 for Appoline, Countess of Villeneuve who wanted it to resemble an English park.
• Russell Page Garden: Opened in 2018 as a tribute to Russell Page, a famous landscape gardener.
• Vegetable and Flower Garden: Twelve garden plots that are overseen by a team of 10 gardeners. This is where they grow all of the flowers you’ll see inside the castle!

My favourite was the Vegetable and Flower Garden (photos above). We visited in October and there were still lots of colourful plants in bloom. It was super lush and, unlike some other parts of the castle, completely uncrowded.

There are also animal pens at the back of the Vegetable and Flower Garden. We saw chickens, rabbits, horses and donkeys!

Check out the gardens for yourself: Book your tickets to Chateau de Chenonceau here!

Discover the Domes Building

The Domes Building was built by Catherine de Medici and is where you’ll find a few more interesting rooms to walk through. I loved that there was more to see besides just the castle building.

Up first is the Queen’s Apothecary, another one of Catherine’s creations. This was such a cool room to walk through and reminded me of something out of Harry Potter.

Speaking of Harry Potter, the earliest remedies did resemble witches’ brews with ingredients like toads and slugs. After that, medicines became more plant-based.

Next is the Science Cabinet, which was created in the 1740’s. Here you’ll find lots of machines on display that show off the scientific advancements of the time.

Most of the machines in the Science Cabinet were built by Dupin de Francueil, the son of Louise Dupin. He was helped by his assistant, the famous philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau!

The Domes Building is also where you’ll find the Orangery. Many Loire Valley castles have orangeries, which were originally built to shelter citrus trees in the winter.

Now, Chenonceau’s Orangery holds a fancy restaurant and a wine cellar. You can even do wine tastings in the cellar during your visit.

Stop for lunch (or maybe don’t!)

Besides the Orangery and Creperie out front, Chateau de Chenonceau also has a self-service restaurant within the Domes Building. This is the main place to grab lunch during your visit, but I have to warn you that it may not be a great meal…

We went here for lunch and had an awful experience. For starters, we waited in line for almost 30 minutes just to order. All of the food is pre-made, so it makes no sense why it takes this long to get through the line and order.

Unfortunately, once we did finally order and receive our food, the experience didn’t improve. They were out of a few things so we ended up with a burger and chicken fingers, and my mom got a pâté plate and soup.

Not only was the burger pre-made, it was pre-assembled. The entire thing came out of a warming drawer with the meat, sauce and lettuce already on the bun. If I had known that, I would’ve changed my order.

As is to be expected, the burger was extremely dry with wilted lettuce and tasteless meat. The chicken fingers weren’t bad, but the portion was very small. And the fries we got were just fine. My mom’s soup was bland and her pâté was just all right.

Overall, we were disappointed. Not only did we waste so much time waiting for the food – something that could be fixed by simply reorganizing how they set up their restaurant – but the food was definitely not worth the wait.

We had had such a great meal the day before at Chateau de Cheverny – it was fast, tasty and affordable. Lunch at Chateau de Chenonceau was the complete opposite.

So lower your expectations for this meal, skip the burger and give yourself lots of time to wait in line. Or, better yet, find somewhere else to eat!

Visit the hospital, farm and maze

Before you leave, there are a few final places to visit at the chateau.

Make your way to the Military Hospital to see how Chateau Chenonceau was used as a convalescence hospital during WWI. You can see hospital beds set up and learn more about this impressive part of the chateau’s history.

Also in this area is a 16th Century farm, which seems to be just a collection of farm buildings covered in beautiful greenery with bright red doors.

There wasn’t a ton to see or read about in the farm area, but it was very picturesque. It felt like walking around an old-timey village. And unlike other parts of the chateau, there were only a handful of other people around.

Lastly, you can check out the maze. 2000 yew trees covering one hectare of land have been transformed into an Italian maze, at the direction of Catherine de Medici.

We missed the maze, but let me know how it is if you go!

My final review: Is Chateau de Chenonceau worth visiting?

Yes, I absolutely think Chateau de Chenonceau is worth visiting. Add this to your Loire Valley chateaux bucket list!

Chenonceau Castle has it all: beautiful interiors that are richly decorated and nicely landscaped gardens. Both the indoors and outdoors of the chateau are worth seeing.

The actual castle itself is incredibly unique with the long gallery room going over the River Cher. It’s striking and something you’ll definitely want to see in person!

Plus, it’s not just the castle and gardens that you can visit. There’s also the apothecary, farm, donkey pen, maze, military hospital, etc.

And to top it all off, Chenonceau Castle is easy to get to by train, baby-friendly and dog-friendly!

The only thing I didn’t love about my visit to Chateau de Chenonceau was lunch. Otherwise, it was incredible. That’s why I say I consider it my favourite chateau in the Loire Valley (don’t tell the other chateaux!).

If you only have time to visit one castle in the Loire Valley, I’d make it Chateau Chenonceau. It’s got the wow factor with its architecture, stunning castle interiors, beautiful gardens and bonus buildings to discover.

Don’t miss out: Book your tickets to Chateau de Chenonceau here!