Villandry Travel Guide

 balhannah Says:  First of all, to have a good view of the ornamental garden, I climbed the steps to the Belvedere. From here, the view is great!There are four squares which make up the love garden. They are "tender love," "passionate love," "fickle love" and "tragic love."Tender love is... 

 balhannah Says:  Heading into a bedroom, I wondered, who was Joachim Carvallo? He was the owner of Villandry Chateau. His bedroom was opened to the public in 2006, the 100th anniversary of his ownership of the Chateau.I think he must have been short, as the bed in the photo was not very... 

 balhannah Says:  I really liked how the vegetable garden was laid out. Looking down on it from the Castle Keep gave a wonderfu view of this garden.The vegetable garden is a Renaissance kitchen garden, made up with nine squares of equal size, but with different geometric patterns in each.The... 

 balhannah Says:  This garden was a surprise. No trimmed hedges here, but a garden of flower's blending together. It is made up of three different areas.There is the "cloud room" where there are flowers of Blue and White, "The Sun room," which as the name suggests, I found the "hot" colours... 

 balhannah Says:  Walking further on than the Ornamental garden, I came across the water garden. The pond is in the form of a Louis XV mirror, and is surrounded by trimmed Lime trees. Added to the pond, were a couple of lovely White Swans. Another nice area! 

 balhannah Says:  A MUST DO is to climb the spiral staircase to the top of the Keep to admire the fantastic gardens. The views are over the garden's and of the valley where the Cher and Loire Rivers flow. This landscape is a UNESCO world heritage site.The garden layout would have to be the... 

 balhannah Says:  Joachim & his wife were both collector's of old paintings, especially Spanish art in the 17th century.They actually bought Villandry, so they could exhibit their Art collection. It was a quite famous collectiion before the war, but since has been broken up because of... 

 balhannah Says:  Another two rooms I have photo's of, are the Kitchen & Moat bedroom.The kitchen has terra-cotta floor tiles, a huge fireplace, an old oak table, copper pots and pans of the era and a roasting spit.The Moat bedroom, also designed in the 18th century, was used by Joachim... 

 balhannah Says:  I had read about Villandry Chateau and its beautiful garden, so, as we were nearby, a visit was a must. We found it easily, and parked in the carpark alongside the road. We paid for admission to the garden and inside the Chateau.The Drawing Room was painted in a soft... 

 balhannah Says:  The Marquis de Castellance re-designed this room in the 18th century. Salmon pink in colour, it has been renovated. Old tapestries were replaced by panelling, and parquet replaced the marble flooring. From the window's, there is a beautiful of the gardens. What a nice dining... 

 Herkbert Says:  Chateau Villandry was one of the prettiest of the chateaux that we visited. No trip to the Loire Valley would be complete without stopping at the chateau.For me, the gardens were the most beautiful part of the tour. Lush and green with dazzling colors everywhere your eyes... 

 von.otter Says:  “The ways of the sea are unknown to us.”— Philippe Auguste, King of France (1165-1223)Philippe-Auguste played a key role in establishing a French navy. In 1185 he created the position of maréchal de France, an officer of the greatest dignity in the French army. Philippe’s... 

 von.otter Says:  A castle’s need defensive for a moat had past by the time Villandry was built in 1536; but there it is. It must have been an act of clinging to the past on the part of its owner, Jean LeBreton.The word English ‘moat’ comes from the French word ‘motte’ meaning mound. It was... 

 von.otter Says:  “I can only concede the miracle, that my excellent friend Carvallo has been touched by grace.”— Dr. Charles Richet (1850-1935) describing his protégé Dr. Joachim Carvallo, after the later’s marriage and immersion in domestic lifeDr. Carvallo, a Spanish native, became a... 

 Beausoleil Says:  This isn't a restaurant per se. It is an outdoor dining area just outside the wall of Chateau Villandry. You park your car (for free) across the road under the lime trees and walk across to the little restaurant with seating on gravel underneath more lime trees.It is not... 

 Goner Says:  All the chateau I visited in the Loire Valley had lovely gardens, but Villandry is definitely the best in my opinion. It was Dr. Joachim Carvallo from Spain who created the spectacular gardens in 1906, however they are 17th century in style. They include vegetable and herbs...