chateau royal de blois

Sandyexpat

Enjoyed this Château during our Loire tour and would recommend having it on the list. Important site historically and many areas of the castle have been restored to give a realistic feeling of how life and the decor would've been at the time. Not a "wow" Château but one which pulls everything together in terms of the history of the area. The audio guide was very disappointing and the awfully dramatized commentary made me wonder if I had picked up the children's edition by accident. Ditched it after 10 mins and relied on the excellent signage instead. We found the rest of Blois township a little run down and not as exciting as we had felt it would be from the guidebook.

KevinSully

Right in the middle of Blois. The history of this chateau is well worth the visit and it is amazing that it survived the air raids during 1940 when buildings around it were destroyed. Good Gothic display and Great views over surrounding Blois. Blois is a great city with great cafe's and restaurants to enjoy after your walk.

worldtraveller955

Both the castle architecture (the impressive stairs) and the view on the valley are breathtaking!Located in the heart of the pedestrian area, a wonderful place to visit with friends or family

alinesaramago

I enjoyed the city of Blois and the castle, although we didn't get in the castle because they close many touristic places at lunch time. But it is nice to go to the square in front of the castle, enjoy the view and the outside. Great gift shop too. I would like to return someday.

933DaveS

Not usually my kind of thing, but on holiday in the area with my wife..... Had to do the usual sightseeing.Was pleasantly surprised! For about 10 euros ( I think, maybe even less) you get to see round this large, and fantastic chateau. It has so much Individual history.... And along the way you can get other interesting info about French history, particularly their (now extinct) royal families over the centuries, many of which lived here or at least visited.Lots of different rooms, each with exquisite decor and history. Several 'interactive' bits too.Perhaps I rated the chateau so highly because I expected so little, but there we go. We enjoyed a good 2 hours walking round, and learnt a lot while we were there. Friendly and knowledgeable staff were also on hand.As a side note, we even got chatting to a really lovely elderly French couple, while having a hot chocolate down the road, before visiting the chateau. They invited us back to their home, following our chateau visit, which was almost next door. They had their own 'whisky bar' and their home was simply stunning. Good conversation and some lovely whisky really topped off a great day out!

kittyCB

The "château" is a gorgeous Renaissance Palace. The paintings and furniture have just been renewed in conformity with History.

dreamer2012

Specifically went on a morning for the English tour but it wasn't running that day, we were there in mid July before too many brits I suppose. Information boards are bi-lingual thank goodness.

seanf526

We chose to stay in Blois for a base to explore the Loire Valley. This was a fantastic decision, the town is charming, is a good size so has plenty of amenities and attractions and has some great history also. The Chateau Blois was a surprising highlight. We stayed on the Southern side of the River, which I would recommend because you have panoramic views across the river of the old town, the Chateau and the Catherdral. At various times in France's history the Chateau Blois (over 1000 years old) was actually used as the Capital of France. It is so convenient right in the middle of town, yet once inside it is as magical as any of the Estate Based Chateaus. It's well preserved and the access to history is amazing, being able to sit in what was at one time the Throne room of the King is a real treat. This is undoubtably amongst the top 5 Chateaus in the Loire and well worth the visit.

DJinNashville

Blois castle is another Royal Castle. It is located in the center of the town from which it takes its name: Blois. The stairs to the castle tests to the visitors’ endurance, and disabled/ “faint-of-the-heart” ones should make sure to access it via another route. The castle sits in the middle of the old town square, and it doesn’t look very impressive from the outside. But don’t be fooled: it’s a big castle with vast, richly decorated rooms that span the ruling by seven Kings. The two main points of interest to us was the decoration in the Salle des Etats (States room) and the inside court staircase that Biltmore Estate visitors may find familiar. Although the castle is a definite staple of France history, we made a very expedited visit—the castle was closing for the day.

867duncans

Absolutely great but a bit crowded we just walked around unguided allow plenty of time and the views are spectacular, food available though a bit limited will visit again

katevalle

A very beautiful castle, lovely stone work and the most impressive stair case. Just across form castle is a court yard with a building that on the hr has dragons that come out of the Windows do not miss this

gramer999

The Chateau Royal de Blois is built high overlooking the ancient market town of Blois. It was constructed over four different periods, and was, at one point, the royal "country residence". A few of the rooms are decorated with excellent paintings and sculptures and the view over the river Loire and surrounding countryside is exquisite. In the summer, sound and light shows feature on the castle walls, and these are certainly worth seeing. However, considering its location close to the many amazing chateaux of the Loire valley, it was, for me, a "time-filler" rather than a "must go and see".

OceanSoulNZ

The chateau is the centrepiece of the beautiful town of Blois. It actually comprises wings from 4 different periods, and was the royal residence from 1498. The rooms are richly decorated with paintings and sculptures. Several evenings a week a sound and light show is displayed on the chateau's outside walls, telling the history of the building in a vividly engaging way.

likebeach

The chateau has four wings from different times. It is very interesting to walk through. The furnishings, wall coverings and flooring are exquisite. Everything is a sight to see.

fionnalove

I was not very impressed with this castle. Of course the staircase is breathtaking and view from the castle amazing. But I think this is where it ends. For me the castle was not furnished enough. Though I have to admit I did like the paintings.