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Castles of the Loire Valley

Updated November 2026

The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its châteaux are the reason. During the Renaissance the French kings moved their court here, and the nobility followed with castles of their own.

Beyond the famous names lies a whole landscape of smaller châteaux: Blois with its spiral staircase, Clos Lucé in Amboise where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years, Brissac with seven storeys, and Montreuil-Bellay above the Thouet river.

PrimeMap lists 1,358 castles and châteaux in the Loire departments. Here are some of the best known.

How to find them

In the free PrimeMap app you will find all 1,358 places from this page on the map, with descriptions, photos and directions. Open the map wherever you are and see what is nearby.

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Château de Blois

Photo: Tango7174 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Blois

📍 Blois, Loir-et-Cher

The Royal Château of Blois (French: Château Royal de Blois, pronounced [ʃɑto ʁwajal də blwa]) is a château located in the city center of Blois, Loir-et-Cher, in the Loire Valley, France.

Clos Lucé

Photo: Nadègevillain · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Clos Lucé

📍 Amboise, Indre-et-Loire

The Château du Clos Lucé (French pronunciation: [ʃato dy klo lyse]; or simply Clos Lucé), formerly called Manoir du Cloux, is a large château located in the center of Amboise, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. It is located in the Val de Loire (formerly called Touraine) region.

Château de Brissac

Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Brissac

📍 Brissac-Loire-Aubance, Maine-et-Loire

The Château de Brissac is a French château in the Brissac-Quincé area of the commune of Brissac Loire Aubance, located in the department of Maine-et-Loire, France. The property is owned by the noble Cossé family, whose head bears the French hereditary title of Duke of Brissac.

Château de Brézé

Photo: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Brézé

📍 Bellevigne-les-Châteaux, Maine-et-Loire

Château de Brézé is a small, dry-moated castle located in Brézé, near Saumur in the Loire Valley, France. The château was transformed during the 16th and the 19th centuries. The current structure is Renaissance in style, yet retains medieval elements including a drawbridge and a 12th-century troglodytic basement.

Château du Rivau

Photo: Aliasse16 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château du Rivau

📍 Lémeré, Indre-et-Loire

The Château du Rivau is a castle in the village of Lémeré, Touraine, France. In the book of Rabelais' Gargantua, it was given to captain Tolmere as a reward for his victories in the Picrocholean Wars. In 1429, towards the end of the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc and her followers came to fetch horses at Le Rivau.

Château de Luynes

Photo: Myrabella · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Luynes

📍 Luynes, Indre-et-Loire

The Château de Luynes is a castle located in Luynes, Indre-et-Loire, France. It is first a medieval fortress, built in the 13th century, on a rocky promontory, overlooking the Loire Valley.

Château de Plessis-lez-Tours

Photo: Guillaume70 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Plessis-lez-Tours

📍 La Riche, Indre-et-Loire

The royal Château de Plessis-lèz-Tours (French pronunciation: [ʃato də plɛsi le tuʁ]) is the remains of a late Gothic château located in the town of La Riche in the Indre-et-Loire department, in the Loire Valley of France. Around three quarters of the former royal residence were pulled down during the French Revolution in 1796.

Château de Candé

Photo: Gilbert Bochenek · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Candé

📍 Monts, Indre-et-Loire

The Château de Candé is a château located in the commune of Monts, Indre-et-Loire, France. It is situated 10 km (6 mi) to the south of Tours on the north bank of the river Indre.

Castle of Menars

Photo: Chatmouettes · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castle of Menars

📍 Menars, Loir-et-Cher

The Castle of Menars (French: château de Menars, pronounced [ʃɑto də menaʁ]) is a castle (château) associated with Madame de Pompadour situated on the bank of the river Loire in Menars, Loir-et-Cher, France.

Château du Plessis-Bourré

Photo: The original uploader was NonNobis at French Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château du Plessis-Bourré

📍 Écuillé, Maine-et-Loire

Château du Plessis-Bourré is a château in the Loire Valley in France, situated in the commune of Écuillé in the Maine-et-Loire department. Built in less than 5 years from 1468 to 1472 by Finance Minister Jean Bourré, the principal advisor to King Louis XI.

Château de Serrant

Photo: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Serrant

📍 Saint-Georges-sur-Loire, Maine-et-Loire

The Château de Serrant (French pronunciation: [ʃato də seʁɑ̃]) is a Renaissance château situated in the Loire Valley, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west of Angers. The château is the private residence of the Prince of Merode, but it is open to visitors.

Château de Challain-la-Potherie

Photo: Romain Bréget · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Challain-la-Potherie

📍 Challain-la-Potherie, Maine-et-Loire

The Château de Challain-la-Potherie is a castle located in the French commune of Challain-la-Potherie, in Maine-et-Loire. Constructed between 1847 and 1854 in the neo-Gothic style, the Château de Challain-la-Potherie is a notable example of French architectural heritage.

Château de Montreuil-Bellay

Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Montreuil-Bellay

📍 Montreuil-Bellay, Maine-et-Loire

The Château de Montreuil-Bellay is a historical building in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France, first built on the site of a Gallo-Roman village high on a hill on the banks of the Thouet River. It is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

Château de Beauregard, Loire Valley

Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Beauregard, Loire Valley

📍 Cellettes, Loir-et-Cher

The Château de Beauregard is a Renaissance château in the Loire Valley in France. It is located on the territory of the commune of Cellettes, a little south of the city of Blois and a few miles from other famous Loire châteaux such as Cheverny. Although still inhabited, it can be visited by tourists.

Château des Réaux

Photo: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château des Réaux

📍 Chouzé-sur-Loire, Indre-et-Loire

The Château des Réaux is a French medieval castle located in the commune Chouzé-sur-Loire in the Indre-et-Loire department in the Centre-Val de Loire region. It has been listed as a historic monument since 1930.

Château de Pignerolle

Photo: Eusebius · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Pignerolle

📍 Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, Maine-et-Loire

The Chateau de Pignerolle is located to the east of Angers in the commune of Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou in the department of Maine-et-Loire in France.

Château de Montrésor

Photo: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Montrésor

📍 Montrésor, Indre-et-Loire

The Château de Montrésor is a medieval castle with a Renaissance mansion built in the grounds, located in the French village of Montrésor in the département of Indre-et-Loire. The Château de Montrésor has been listed since 1996 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture and is a popular visitor attraction.

Château de Montpoupon

Photo: Lieven Smits · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Montpoupon

📍 Céré-la-Ronde, Indre-et-Loire

The Château de Montpoupon (pronounced [ʃɑto də mɔ̃pupɔ̃]) is a castle in the commune of Céré-la-Ronde in the Indre-et-Loire département of France. It is located to the east of Tours, 10 km south of Montrichard in a forested valley.

Château d'Artigny

Photo: DDupard · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château d'Artigny

📍 Montbazon, Indre-et-Loire

Château d'Artigny or Château Le Puy d'Artigny is a French castle located in the commune of Montbazon, in the department of Indre-et-Loire in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The current structure was built between 1912 and 1928 to serve as residence to perfumer François Coty.

château de la Brûlerie

Photo: Anonyme, Unknown authorUnknown author (Éditions Vincent, Douchy). · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

château de la Brûlerie

📍 Douchy-Montcorbon, Loiret

Le château de la Brulerie a été acheté vers 1967. L'ancien château a été démoli, un immense étang a été creusé. Seuls les communs, les écuries furent conservés et transformés.

castle of Meung-sur-Loire

Photo: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

castle of Meung-sur-Loire

📍 Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret

The Château de Meung-sur-Loire is a former castle and episcopal palace in the commune of Meung-sur-Loire in the Loiret département of France. Built and remodelled between the 12th and 18th centuries, it served for most of its history as a residence of the bishops of Orléans.

Château de Villesavin

Photo: Alain Janssoone · CC BY-SA 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Villesavin

📍 Tour-en-Sologne, Loir-et-Cher

Château de Villesavin (French pronunciation: [ʃɑto də vilsavɛ̃]) is a 16th-century country house in the Tour-en-Sologne commune in Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The château is a designated historical monument of France. It is privately owned and contains several museums open to the public.

Château de Rochecotte

Photo: Beaujabot · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Rochecotte

📍 Coteaux-sur-Loire, Indre-et-Loire

The Château de Rochecotte is a late 18th-century château located in the French village of Saint-Patrice, near Langeais, in Indre-et-Loire. It is known for its various owners and their many successive rebuilds.

Château de Lavardin

Photo: GIRAUD Patrick · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Château de Lavardin

📍 Lavardin, Loir-et-Cher

The Château de Lavardin is a ruined castle in the village and commune of Lavardin in the Loir-et-Cher department of France. The property of the commune, it has been classified since 1945 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

How to find them

In the free PrimeMap app you will find all 1,358 places from this page on the map, with descriptions, photos and directions. Open the map wherever you are and see what is nearby.

App Store

Google Play

Descriptions: shortened excerpts from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, author and licence shown with each image. Locations: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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