From its headland overlooking the town of Amboise, the Royal Château will allow you to enjoy a 360-degree view over a landscape that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you’ll also be able to step into the depths of France’s history. History isn’t just made up of lists of names and dates – it has a physical element that you can touch with your own hands, like here in Amboise. Through its structure, its decor, and its well preserved or restored internal and external ornamentations, this grandiose palace belonging to Charles VIII and Francis I is a testimony to the changes Europe went through during the 15th and 16th centuries. The château’s orangery has a special area housing 3D models that retrace the modifications to the building from its origins to today. It’s the perfect way to find out about the historic and strategic importance of the Châteliers headland.
The château’s heyday really began with the reigns of Louis XI, Charles VII and Francis I. Even if they didn’t reside there all the time, staying at Loches or Chinon instead, the queens moved it and started works, progressively transforming the medieval fortified space into a majestic Gothic palace. Charles VIII made the château into what it is today, along with Francis I after him. He is responsible for the two towers named the “Tours Cavalières” (Cavaliers’ Towers), since they allow horses and carriages to get from the town to the terraces, which are 40 metres higher. The greatest French, Flemish and Italian artists worked on the construction of this monument of 220 rooms. A result of all the construction and modification projects are the breathtaking collections of furniture and other works of art.

It was at the Clos Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final days 500 years ago. He had moved in there at the behest of Francis I three years prior, along with all his sketches and notebooks, plus three major paintings. You’ll enter the intimate world of the Italian master, from the large Renaissance hall through the kitchen and on to his bedroom. The museum collection showcases models, canvases and large machines of this great scientist, philosopher and humanist, and it continues into the garden, where an interesting and interactive trail lets you continue exploring his universe. The building itself is worth checking out, with its classic structure of red brick and tufa stone, nestled amid a charming park. Step into the daily life of Leonardo as though you knew him. The monumental fireplaces and the floor coverings from the bedroom to the workshop have remained intact, as if ready for Leonardo to walk back through the door. It’ll quench your thirst – your thirst for knowledge, life and discovery, as well as for delving deeper into the mind of Leonardo da Vinci. As part of their visit, children can also enjoy an activity book. Called the Carnet de l’Inventeur, it will transform them into pupils of Leonardo da Vinci, who will give them hints and tips to invent things themselves. All they’ll need is a pencil!

Just 3 km from the hotel, discover an outstanding park which brings you closer to history, giving you a real bird's eye view. Indeed, in this two-hectare wooded park, discover 41 of the most beautiful castles of the Loire, without moving an inch from Amboise! It’s a fun way to take a step back in time, quite literally; at your feet and reduced to a 1:25 scale, discover the likes of Saumur, Villandry, Chambord, the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud and Sully-sur-Loire in Angers. No architectural detail has been spared, with the proportions and colours of the façades spot on. This is history for every woman, man and child. Furthermore, children can enjoy a unique, fun and safe trail programme that makes the visit more amusing. This can be enjoyed by car (miniature car) or mechanical horse (the children can also dress up as a knight or princess).
Young and old alike will also love the many gardens. Both the natural miniature gardens, pruned 6 to 7 times a year, around models and the life-sized ones. The latter, whether pruned in straight lines (French-style) or given a more liberal, rustic appearance (English-style), will astound you. The Jardin des Senteurs (the Garden of Scents) in particular is worth visiting with your eyes closed.

Set amid gardens overseen by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici at the heart of a 70-hectare park, one of the most beautiful châteaux of the Loire Valley awaits you in the village of Chenonceau. With its gallery bridge spanning the River Cher, both its structure and history are completely unique. Marked by the women who left their imprint on it - as well as Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, these include Louise de Lorraine, Louise Dupin and Madame Pelouze - the château became a military hospital during World War I and a passageway to the Free Zone in World War II. 
The château got most of its current allure from Catherine de Medici, inspired by plans of a Venetian palace. It is divided into three distinct parts: the two-storey main building (corps de logis); the long gallery whose five arches pass over the Cher to the south; and the Tour des Marques, a medieval remnant of a preceding castle. Spend a few glorious hours roaming the château, and explore the likes of the guard room, the chapel, the Cabinet Vert, the bedrooms of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, the gallery, and the salons of Francis I and Louis XIV. Within these rooms, you’ll encounter masterpieces by great artists, sumptuous furniture and rare tapestries.

From a medieval stronghold around the year 1000 to a majestic stately home at the turn of the 20th century, few places have seen as many changes as the Château de Chaumont! Visiting this magnificent monument and stepping into the different rooms, offices and guard rooms is like a journey through the history of architecture. It’s truly fascinating to pass from the relative darkness of the Ruggieri Room to the lighter bedroom of Catherine de Medici, and to notice in the stone of the grand spiral staircase how Gothic motifs make way for Renaissance foliage. While some subsequent developments were the work of numerous later owners, they are all in harmony with the surroundings.
Visiting the private apartments, you’ll discover luxurious furniture of Empire and Renaissance style. Then, see the large surrounding gardens. Dating from 1880, they were adapted at the request of the Princess and Prince de Broglie, and include the stables. Even if you’re not very interested in horses, you’ll be dazzled by the luxury of the buildings intended for housing the carriage and saddle horses, whether half-blood or pure-blood. 
Since 1992, the gardens have hosted the International Garden Festival, a showcase of modern creativity in the area of gardening and landscaping throughout the world. Both a mine of ideas and a hotbed of talent, the festival has reinvigorated the art of gardening and has interested both the profession and the wider public by presenting new floral arrangements and materials, as well as fresh ideas and approaches.

“I was raised in Amboise, and throughout my life, the memory of the divine beverage from this beautiful town in the Touraine, so dear to my heart, has stayed with me.” Truly a bon vivant, King Francis I knew and loved the sweet fruits of his region. Whether white, red or rosé, heavily or lightly sparkling, the divine nectar so often extolled by the likes of the Renaissance writer Rabelais continues to delight people’s tastebuds. 
From our hotel in Amboise, you’ll be able to get onto the Touraine Wine Route and explore the greatest wine cellars in the Loire Valley to try the best wines in the region. Whether in Amboise, Vouvray or Montlouis-sur-Loire, the vineyards of the Loire near our hotel offer superb landscapes and lovely trips.
Whether by car, by bike or on foot, along the vineyard paths or in a traditional “toue” boat along the water, discover France’s third most important wine-growing region. During your stay in the Loire Valley, visit a wine-making estate and meet passionate wine-growers, where you can visit their cellar hollowed out in white tufa and taste one of the Touraine’s unique wines (more than a dozen of the wines have protected AOP status).