Chambord Castle: opening hours, price and location

Chambord Castle is one of the most beautiful and impressive castles in the Loire Valley, in France. Today we want to explain to you why this is so and, of course, offer you all the useful information you need to visit it. Do you stay with us?

Why visit Chambord Castle

Before knowing the information about the location, opening hours and prices of the castle, it is important to know why precisely this one, and not another of the ones on the Loire route, is special. Well, we will tell you a little about its history and its architecture.Chambord Castle.

This castle dates back to the 16th century and was built on the same land that was occupied by the castle of the counts of Blois. Although the works were paralyzed due to the defeats of Francisco I de Pavia against Carlos, king of Spain and Germany at that time, only a few years it was built again.

This castle began with its famous keep. It is a tower with a Latin cross floor plan with a curious double helix staircase. This was, in principle, the only building that was intended to be built. But later it was decided to make an entire castle and wings began to rise on its sides with their characteristic towers.

When Francisco I died the castle was abandoned in the hands of other French kings who did not give it much importance. However, in the 17th century, Louis XIII gave it to his brother Gaston, who decided to restore it. 

How is the castle

The style of Chambord Castle is a mix between medieval and Italian Renaissance architecture.  Obviously, the part that attracts the first glances are its ornate facades built with impressive geometric shapes. Once inside, part of the attention goes to the inner tower and its staircase.The homage tower has a cantilevered balcony and four corner towers, undoubtedly evoking the design of the medieval fortresses of the time. It is said that Leonardo da Vinci himself participated in the first design of this castle and that, in fact, he would be the creator of the tower’s double helix staircase.

But Chambord Castle is impressive from any point of view. It has 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces , four meter-long halls, 84 staircases, and 52.5 square kilometers of lush land with forests and trees. Beautiful inside and out…

Chambord Castle location, opening hours and prices

Surely after reading all this about the castle of Chambord in your head the idea of ​​knowing it is around. Well, here you have everything you need to know to visit it :

Location

Chambord Castle is located in the famous Loire Valley, where there are more than 100 castles, each more beautiful, that can be visited. Like them, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is located about two hours from Paris by car, between the Loiret and the valley forests, opening the ‘gate’ of the Loire Valley.

It is best to go by car, but you can also get there by bus from Paris.  There are companies that pick you up in the center of the French capital and take you on an excursion to this beautiful castle. You can also see some others, such as Chenonceau or Cherverny.

Schedules

Chambord Castle is open every day of the year, except on January 1, February 3 and December 25. Its schedule from January to March and from October to December is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. From April to September it is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pets can be brought, as long as they are on a leash and, if appropriate according to the breed, with a muzzle.

Prices

Chambord Castle prices are 11 euros for adults and 6 euros for children under 12 years of age. Children under 4 enter free. To this price you have to add the parking if you go by car, since this is private and has a price of approximately 6 euros per day.

We hope that all this information will help you to organize that visit to the beautiful and majestic castle of Chambord, a jewel of architecture. And, of course, we recommend that you follow the route along the Loire to discover other wonderful castles.