The Château de Chenonceau is the Renaissance château that spans the River Cher on a two-storey gallery of arches, south of Amboise in the Loire Valley. It is called the “ladies’ château” because a line of remarkable women built, saved and shaped it. It is open every day of the year; from 28 September to 1 November 2026 it opens 9:00–17:30, and from 2 November 9:30–16:30. As of October 2026 an adult ticket costs €19 with a printed guide or €24 with an audioguide, and under-7s go free. Its own train station is 400 m from the ticket office. Allow two to three hours for the château and gardens.
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Tickets and tours for Château de Chenonceau
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Why Chenonceau matters
According to the château’s own visit guide, it was Katherine Briçonnet, wife of the royal finance officer Thomas Bohier, who really ran the building of the first Renaissance château, the Logis Bohier, on the piers of an old fortified mill in the early 16th century; their arms and initials still decorate it. François I took it for the Crown in 1535 to settle a debt. In 1547 Henri II gave Chenonceau to his favourite, Diane de Poitiers, who laid out gardens and built the bridge across the Cher. When the king died, his widow Catherine de’ Medici took it from her on 10 July 1559, and in 1576, using drawings by Philibert de l’Orme, she had Jean Bullant build the gallery on Diane’s bridge: 60 metres long, 6 metres wide and lit by 18 windows, opened with a lavish party in 1577.
Later came Louise de Lorraine, Henri III’s widow, who lived here in mourning; Louise Dupin, whose 18th-century literary salon drew France’s great thinkers; and Madame Pelouze in the 19th century. The Menier chocolate family bought the château in 1913. In the First World War Gaston Menier paid for a military hospital in its rooms, and more than 2,000 wounded soldiers were cared for here until 1918. In the Second World War the Cher marked the demarcation line: the entrance was in the occupied zone, and the gallery’s south door opened onto the free zone, so the Resistance led many people across.
What you’ll see
- The gallery over the Cher: the long ballroom on the bridge, with its black-and-white floor and windows onto the river on both sides.
- The furnished rooms: the bedrooms of Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de’ Medici and the Five Queens, Louise de Lorraine’s mourning room, the Renaissance kitchens on the lower level, Flemish tapestries, paintings and fresh flower arrangements in every room.
- The gardens: Diane de Poitiers’ and Catherine de’ Medici’s formal gardens either side of the entrance terrace, the Green Garden, a maze, and a vegetable and flower garden of more than a hectare in twelve squares edged with apple trees and roses.
- Extras: the floral workshop, the Carriage Gallery in the old farm, and the Orangerie restaurant.
Tickets and how to visit
Prices and hours from the official Chenonceau website, as of October 2026:
- Adults: €19 with a guide leaflet, €24 with an audioguide.
- Seniors (65+) and students: €16 with the leaflet, €21 with the audioguide.
- Children aged 7–18: €15 or €20. Under 7: free with the leaflet (no audioguide).
- Free: visitors with a disability card (audioguide €5). Groups of 20 or more get group rates.
- Hours: open every day of the year. 9:00–17:30 from 28 September to 1 November 2026; 9:30–16:30 from 2 November to 4 December; 9:30–18:00 from 19 to 25 December and 9:30–18:30 from 26 to 31 December. Summer days run to 19:00.
- Booking: buy e-tickets through the official site’s online ticketing; in July and August they save a long queue at the ticket office. Cash and cards are accepted on site.
How long to allow and when to go
Two to three hours lets you see the rooms, the gallery and the gardens at an easy pace, with lunch at the Orangerie making it half a day. The tree-lined avenue from the ticket office to the château takes a few minutes on foot. Come at opening time or late in the afternoon in summer, when the tour groups have gone. Autumn mornings, with mist on the Cher, are lovely and much quieter.
Accessibility
According to the French government’s Acceslibre register, there are reserved parking spaces in the grounds, a level path (not paved for wheelchairs) at least 90 cm wide, and a ramp into the château. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free at the entrance against an ID document, and the shop, restaurants, toilets and gardens are adapted. Rooms you can’t reach can be seen on a video tour. The upper floors are reached by stairs, so ask at the entrance about the gallery and the ground-floor route. Disability-card holders enter free.
Getting there
Chenonceau is 214 km from Paris and 34 km from Tours. By train, take a TGV from Paris-Montparnasse or Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (about an hour), then a regional TER train to Chenonceaux (about 25 minutes from Tours); the station is 400 m from the ticket office. By car it is about two hours from Paris on the A10 (Blois or Amboise exits), and 20 minutes from Amboise. The château sits about 12 km south of the Loire, so cyclists leave the Loire à Vélo at Amboise.
Combine it with
Spend the afternoon in Amboise, with its royal château and Leonardo da Vinci’s Clos Lucé, and save another day for the Château de Chambord. Cycle between châteaux with our cycling guide, taste Touraine and Vouvray wines with our wine tasting guide, or see the river from the water with our boat trips guide. For bases, trains and itineraries, see our Loire Valley travel guide.
Château de Chenonceau FAQ
How much is a ticket to Chenonceau?
As of October 2026, €19 for adults with a printed guide or €24 with an audioguide; €16 or €21 for over-65s and students; €15 or €20 for ages 7–18. Under-7s go free.
Is Chenonceau open all year?
Yes, every day. Hours change with the season: 9:00–17:30 until 1 November 2026, then 9:30–16:30 from 2 November.
Why is Chenonceau called the ladies’ château?
Because women shaped it: Katherine Briçonnet built it, Diane de Poitiers added the bridge, Catherine de’ Medici the gallery, and later Louise Dupin and Madame Pelouze saved and restored it.
Can you get to Chenonceau by train?
Yes. Regional trains run from Tours to Chenonceaux in about 25 minutes, and the station is 400 m from the ticket office.
How long does a visit to Chenonceau take?
Two to three hours for the château, gallery and gardens; half a day with lunch on site.
Is Chenonceau wheelchair accessible?
Partly. A ramp leads into the château, wheelchairs are lent free, the gardens and facilities are adapted, and a video tour shows the rooms you can’t reach.