Chambord Travel Guide

This photo was taken just after passing through Blois. When we visited Chambord, the area had just experienced severe flooding, so the banks of the river were all brown and swollen. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful scenery, and the anticipation of arriving at the Chatteau made the trip even more exciting.

The Loire Valley had some of the most spectacularly picturesque little country roads in all of France.

Walk around to the southern side of the Chatteau, and you'll feel quite insignificant when you're greeted with the sheer magnitude of the formal gardens and grounds.

One thing that delighted our daughter Imogen, was the Mini-Chambord built identical to the original - only a portion of it's size! Great photo opportunity for the kids!

Some of the collections of art housed in Chambord, are paintings by Albert Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Piere-Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders.

There is also a large display of military items (weapons and rifles) from the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries.

It is said that over 1800 men worked on the construction of this massive castle, and it took in excess of 30 years to complete!

It's quite unbelievable to think, that apparently this Chatteau was hardly ever lived in - all that work, money (and financial hardship - building had to be halted for 1 year) and King Francois didn't even get to really enjoy it!

This Chatteau is set on a whopping 10,000 acres of land, and was built under the direction of King Francois I (who also owned the spectacular Chatteau's of Blois, Amboise and Chenonceau at the time).

There are 440 rooms in this massive Chatteau, and apparently just as many fireplaces!

There is a huge double staircase built out of Italian marble, which is said to have been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci.

It's quite a hike to the Chatteau itself (like with Chenonceau), but the whole trail provides the most spectacular photo opportunities! We were in Europe during Winter, so I can only imagine how beautiful the grounds are during the summer months!

Unlike Chenonceau, where you must pay even if you don't wish to enter the Chatteau itself, Chambord has free entry to allow you (if you don't have enough time), to just stroll through the grounds, and around the exterior of this amazing building! Just park your car at the edge of the property, walk down the little lane past some of the souvenior shops and small cafe, and you're there!