Château d'Azay-le-Rideau

Azay le Rideau is a beautiful, compact, château, within a few minutes walk of the village. We had no problem parking in the Chateau car park, but it was the end of September. We had a lovely meal in the restaurant at a reasonable price. The visit route takes you to the top floor first, then brings you down. We were advised, by a guide, to unhook the rope on the second floor and not proceed to the top as the stairs are much more uneven and my sister walks with a stick. I continued to the top, but she, wisely, followed the advice. I have to endorse what the guide told us; for anyone not too steady on their feet, do stop at the first floor. The rooms are furnished; particularly the ground floor which makes the chateau very homely. It is not a grand or pompous place, you can imagine a family living there! The chateau is surrounded by lovely parkland, which we didn't explore as my sister had walked as far as the day permitted and we still needed to return to the car park. Unfortunately, we hadn't realised that there was BLUE BADGE PARKING right outside the entrance where you pay to go in.

So beautiful. Should come here to visit. It’s large, the light is very good to take pictures. I feel like you can take pictures everywhere in this château it still turns out to be beautiful

This is a masterpiece among the castles of France. The castle is very beautiful, there is a picturesque park around the castle. Near the entrance there is a cafe where you can have a snack and delicious ice cream. Don't forget to look into the secret garden in front of the entrance to the castle grounds. In the parking lot you can find a place on the grass in the shade of the trees.

We truly enjoyed the visit to the chateau. Paid parking lot is a few 100 meters away, but still convenient. Tour guidebook and laminated descriptions in each room also helped, but some of the furnishings did not match the descriptions. The walk around the property was also a highlight with the Indre River flowing high today.

Lovely gardens and very nice chateau. Not too large so a stroll around gardens and visit inside is very pleasant without being exhausting. There’s a bistro onsite which does excellent coffee (rare in France!) and a very nice simple lunch including a couple of plat du jour. Service is excellent.

A wonderful castle both inside and outside, the entrance costs €13/person. The visit was during the week at 10:00, I think that on weekends or holidays the tourist traffic is much higher. We were lucky to have few tourists. 07.05.2025

Beautiful, small, chateau with a lot of history and a beautiful setting. I also appreciate that most of the chateaus have something to eat outside. Rideau has beautiful gardens to stroll around or by wheelchair. I always say getting there when they first open is the best because everyone else will be behind you!

Wow. Stunning château with moat. Great for photography and much more stunning than Villandry but the gardens are no match to them

This chateau is on an island which made a natural moat of protection around it. The entries and stairs were all sculpted out of marble including the handrails. There is an where they kept the grain; it takes a huge amount of food to feed a chateau full of people! Since the only heat was with fireplaces, every room had one and a billard table for times when the weather made staying indoors more fun. This is one of the smallest chateau, but it is so picturesque and well maintained that you can almost imagine living here:)

After seeing the other chateaus-Villandry, Chambord, Amboise,Clos Luce & Chenonceaux- this chateau was disappointing. The rooms & gardens are not as well kept. My least favorite.