Chris Christensen
Google
This chateau, of the many I visited in northern France, ranks at the top for me. It's not too big, includes many original elements, and wasn't packed with tourists.
An easy walk from a parking lot, through street vendors (it was also market day), along the village street and you're there. The chateau is incredibly close to the main shops of the village (visit the Cafe du Chateau Brasserie for cappuccino), with an easy walk up the cobbled street to stairs leading across an intact drawbridge (rare to find in many places these days). Pass through the portcullis and the barbican into the courtyard, hang left to purchase tickets and begin your personal tour.
As with all castles, this one includes many stairs--from the towers to the courtyard gardens and back into the woods where you'll find a really cool tree house and the medieval ruins of a chapel--as well as views over the Loire River. There are no cafes but toilets are available in the courtyard (bring your own water bottle).
You can tour many rooms, climb a tower or two, and even walk between the castle walls (parts of which were under restoration when I visited). One large hall is dedicated to a representation of the marriage of Charles VIII & Anne of Brittany; this marriage merged Brittany with France. Another room contains The Tapestries of Nine Worthies, which date from the 13-14th c.
Venture back outside to see the old keep (ruins) and a lovely rose garden. Keep going up the hill, through the gate, and past the old Keep. There's a treehouse built within a giant cedar, the 11th c. chapel ruins, and views of the village, river, and the 1859 Pont de Langeais suspension bridge.
Once done, there are only a few restaurants, so, if it's market day, head over for food and set up an impromptu picnic.
