7 Castles You MUST See in the Loire Valley (Updated 2025)

"Walking through a forest that opens onto two historically maintained gardens, I was struck by this thin château spanning the river—built on an old mill and later extended across the water with a grand gallery commissioned by Catherine de’ Medici after Diane de Poitiers originally laid out the gardens. The gardens are marvelous in bloom (still in Diane’s original design) and the grounds even include a small maze, but the interior rooms are long and narrow, well preserved yet often very crowded because of their size. Beyond its beauty, Chenonceau has a rich and sometimes haunting history—it divided Vichy and German-controlled France in WWII and was used to smuggle Jews to safety. Admission is 15.50 EUR; it’s about a 35-minute train ride from Tours." - Matthew Kepnes