Chateau and garden is one of my favorite. This chateau is famous on the very well maintained…read moregarden. The chateau was built 1536. This is the actual chateau without castle. It listed as UNESCO world heritage site for their landscape. The chateau has 14 rooms to visit. I like the drawing and study room. It has a grand piano in that room. The office of Joachim Carvallo is the location he plans his vegetable garden. The dining room has a checker board marble floor. The Prince Jerome's bedroom is Napoleons youngest brother. The red silk reflects military lance. There table in front of the bed has decorative surface. The garden is huge. There are total 7 sections. This includes Ornamental, Wood, Water, Sun, Maze, Herb and Vegetable Garden. The ornamental garden is my favorite. This garden has multiple colors. The edge of each tree or bush corner was perfectly trim. Picture perfect. I wish my lawn care company can do this.

Surprisingly this ended up being my favorite chateau out of our 2 day visit in loire valley. We…read moreonly toured the Jardin but that alone was still quite lovely. Villandry boasts some of the best, if not the best Jardins in the region. Signage is well posted so you can understand what is being grown and the trimming is immaculate! The castle itself is beautiful, complete with running water in front outside. Definitely worth the visit even though it's in the other direction as compared to the other chateaus. This was also the only chateau we found with free parking, which we appreciated!

3.5 stars This is a…read moregreat chateau/fort with a lot of history. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a stop. However, their self-guided tour was really poorly put together, and it forces you to click through endless maps and details, rather than telling a story or guiding you through the highlights. The museum shop was cute, and the people working there were nice.

From the owner: Chargé d'histoire Bâtie sur un éperon rocheux, dominant la vallée de la Vienne, la forteresse de…read moreChinon fut édifiée à l'emplacement d'un ancien lieu celtique fortifié. Les Plantagenêts : Henri II, Richard Coeur de Lion, Jean sans Terre... furent les premiers hôtes célèbres de ces lieux. Les femmes marquèrent également l'histoire de ce château, Aliénor d'Aquitaine, épouse d'Henri II et surtout en 1429 Jeanne d'Arc qui rencontra le Dauphin futur Charles VII dans la grande salle du Château.