Matthias Holländer, CC0Royal Abbey of Fontevraud: tickets, opening hours and what to see
The abbey and the Museum of Modern Art each have their own ticket, or a combined one. Under-18s and students under 25 enter free.
In short
- Three official tickets: the abbey, the Museum of Modern Art, or both. A guided tour is a supplement to admission.
- Under-18s and students under 25 enter free, and everyone does on the last Sunday of the month in the mid-season.
- Inside, head for the royal necropolis: the official site says Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart are buried at Fontevraud.
- Plan three hours. Ticket sales and entry stop one hour before closing.
- In some periods of the year the abbey and museum close on Tuesdays. Check the hours below.
- Coming by bike, bus, train or carpool and buying on site gives the partner rate.
- 1101Robert of Arbrissel founds the abbey
- 800+works in the Museum of Modern Art
- 1804 to 1963the abbey serves as a prison
- 3 hrecommended visit time
Don't miss
The Plantagenet necropolis
Eleanor of Aquitaine made Fontevraud the burial place of the sovereigns of England. The official site says her effigy rests here today.
The Romanesque kitchen
Long taken for a baptistery or a lantern of the dead, it was confirmed as a kitchen by archaeological research in 2020.
The cloister
It links the church, the chapter house and the refectory and dormitories.
The Cligman collection
Paintings, drawings, sculpture and glass, which the official page says are displayed together. The collection includes 14 works by Germaine Richier.
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud tickets: how to get them
Sold by billet.fontevraud.fr, at the official price.
| Ticket | Adult | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Abbey of Fontevraud - self-guided visitStandard entry | €13 | Valid 5 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 |
| Museum of Modern ArtStandard entry | €8 | Valid 31 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 |
| Royal Abbey and Museum of Modern ArtCombined ticket | €17 | Valid 31 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 |
| Guided tour of the Royal Abbey of FontevraudGuided tour | Price on the official site | Timed slot |
Free entry (2026)
- Last Sunday of the month (February)
- Last Sunday of the month (March)
- Last Sunday of the month (November) (next: Sunday 29 November)
- Under 18s
- Visitors with disability and one companion
Which ticket is right for you?
You want the abbey church, the cloister and the kitchen
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud - self-guided visit
The abbey church, the cloister and the kitchen, dated for the day shown on the ticket.
You only want the modern art collection
Museum of Modern Art
The Cligman collection in the former Fannerie, sold separately from the abbey.
You want to see both
Royal Abbey and Museum of Modern Art
Abbey and museum on one ticket. The official page recommends three hours for the visit.
You want a guide in the abbey
Guided tour of the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
A tour with a guide, lasting 1 hour to 1 hour 15, sold as a supplement to an admission ticket. Fixed day and time.
Abbey, museum or both
Fontevraud sells the Royal Abbey and the Museum of Modern Art separately, and the official ticket office also offers the two together.
Avoid this mistake
Do not count on changing your date. The practical page calls tickets exchangeable but non-refundable, while the terms of sale say a ticket can be neither refunded, taken back nor exchanged unless the event is cancelled.
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A guided tour of the abbey is not a ticket on its own: it is charged as a supplement to the admission price. Guided tour times vary through the year, and the official page sends you to the ticket office for them.
The rates page lists both a full rate and a lower pre-sale rate for each ticket. Look at the price the official basket shows before you pay.
Who enters free
- Young people under 18 and students under 25.
- Disabled visitors showing a mobility and inclusion card. The accompanying person enters free if the card says so.
- Everyone, on the last Sunday of the month in the mid-season, for both the abbey and the museum.
Jobseekers pay a reduced rate.
Arriving without a car can lower the price. The partner rate covers visitors who come by bike (show your helmet), bus or train (a ticket of the day) or carpool (the trip in the carpooling app), as long as they buy their ticket on site. A full-price ticket from partner châteaux, among them Brézé, Montreuil-Bellay and Montsoreau, gives the same rate.
The abbey church and the Plantagenet effigies
The abbey church is the spiritual heart of the abbey. The official page describes it as richly decorated since the Middle Ages, far from the white of the tufa stone.
In the 17th century its decor included painted chapels, wooden stalls and a grille separating the nuns’ choir from that of the brothers.
Following the example of the French kings’ necropolis at Saint-Denis, Eleanor of Aquitaine chose Fontevraud as the royal necropolis of the sovereigns of England, at the center of the Plantagenet empire. Henry II, Richard the Lionheart and Eleanor are buried here, and the official site says Eleanor’s effigy rests today at the Royal Abbey.
Wikipedia shows four of these painted tomb effigies: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of King John.
Good to know
Wikipedia notes that no physical remains of Henry, Eleanor or Richard are left on the site. They were possibly destroyed during the French Revolution.
Cloister, chapter house and the Romanesque kitchen
The cloister is the hinge of the monastic layout. It links the places of spirituality (the church), of governance (the chapter house) and of communal life (the refectory and dormitories), and the official site presents it as a quiet place for wandering.
The kitchen is the building with the odd profile that has become a symbol of Fontevraud. In use only in the Middle Ages, its function was long debated: baptistery, lantern of the dead, even a hideout of the bandit Évraud. In 2020, archaeological research confirmed that it was a kitchen.
- Passages Temporels: seven installations spread through the abbey, free with the admission ticket.
- Lego room: open access in the Cour Saint-Benoît, where children build from the arches, vaults and windows they have just seen.
- La Terrasse Gourmande: fast food from local products in the former Orangerie, to take away or eat on the spot.
From double monastery to prison
Fontevraud was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preacher Robert of Arbrissel. It became the center of the Order of Fontevraud, made of double monasteries where men and women lived in separate quarters, all under the authority of the abbess.
- 1101 foundation of the abbey.
- End of the 12th century Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart are buried here.
- 1792 a Revolutionary decree orders the evacuation of all monasteries.
- 1804 to 1963 the monastic buildings serve as a prison, which eventually held some 2,000 prisoners.
- 1985 the complex opens to the public.
The abbey itself consisted of four separate communities, all managed by the same abbess.
Turning the abbey into a prison required new barracks and the conversion of monastic buildings into dormitories, workshops and common areas. Wikipedia reports that it was known as the “toughest in France after Clairvaux”. The restoration of the abbey church was completed in 2006.
Fontevraud sits in the Loire Valley. On 2 December 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the valley, between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, to its World Heritage list. The communes of the listed area include those of Chambord and Chenonceaux.
The Museum of Modern Art in the former Fannerie
The museum occupies the former Fannerie building and is reached from the abbey’s main courtyard. It opened on 19 May 2021, thanks to a donation from Martine and Léon Cligman, and holds a collection of over 800 works. The official page lists:
- Over a hundred paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, from Toulouse-Lautrec and Corot to Delaunay, Juan Gris, Soutine and Bernard Buffet.
- Nearly 300 drawings, including André Derain’s 36 original illustrations for the Satyricon.
- Sculptures by Degas and Derain, and a group of 14 works by Germaine Richier.
- 88 glassworks by Maurice Marinot, alongside ancient and non-Western objects.
The official page says paintings, drawings, sculptures, glass and objects are displayed together rather than by category. It describes the collection, not what is on view on a given day, so check the official page for the current displays before you go: the museum stages temporary exhibitions as well.
Three hours, and last entry an hour before closing
The official practical page recommends three hours for the visit. Ticket sales and entry stop one hour before the site closes, so a late start leaves little time for both the abbey and the museum.
Opening days change with the season: the official hours page lists periods when both the abbey and the museum close on Tuesdays, and it marks 25 December and 1 January as closed in its holiday grid. Check the opening hours below for the dates of each period.
The reception staff speak French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch and Chinese.
Parking, the train and the Loire by bike
The site lists three car parks for the abbey and the museum, all in the village of Fontevraud-l’Abbaye:
- Car Park No. 1, Place du 8 mai 1945, with charging points.
- Car Park No. 2, Rue du Logis Bourbon.
- Car Park No. 3, Place du Grand Clos.
By car, the official page gives about 15 minutes from Saumur, 55 minutes from Tours and an hour from Angers. Without a car, buses on the Ogalo network run from Saumur, and TGV services reach the area from Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, Angers and Tours.
Fontevraud is on one of three routes of La Loire à Vélo. Cyclists get bike parking, luggage lockers, a repair station and charging sockets next to the lockers (bring your own charger).
Wheelchairs and easy-to-read booklets
The Museum of Modern Art is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, while the abbey is only partially accessible. Wheelchairs can be borrowed by prior arrangement, and easy-to-read (FALC) visit booklets are available on request.
Opening hours
| Period | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 24 August to 1 November | Every day | 10 am to 7 pm |
| 2 November to 18 December | Monday and Wednesday to Sunday | 10 am to 6 pm |
| 19 December to 31 December | Every day | 10 am to 6 pm |
| ||
Before you go
- The terms of sale ask visitors who claim a youth rate or free entry to show ID and the matching proof.
- For a guided tour, the terms of sale ask you to be at the reception desk 10 minutes before the time on the ticket, and tours start on time.
- Bags, food and drink are not allowed in the Museum of Modern Art. Leave them in the lockers at the entrance to the abbey before you cross the courtyard.
- Arrive well before closing: ticket sales and entry stop one hour before the site closes.
- Pets are not allowed, except guide and assistance dogs, and smoking is banned in the buildings.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access
- Partly wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair loan
- Yes, on site
Map and nearby sights
Frequently asked questions
Is the Museum of Modern Art included in the Fontevraud Abbey ticket?
No. The abbey and the museum have separate tickets, and the official ticket office also sells a combined Abbey + Museum ticket.
Who gets into Fontevraud Abbey for free?
Young people under 18, students under 25, disabled visitors with a mobility and inclusion card, and the accompanying person if the card says so. Bring ID and proof: the terms of sale ask for them.
Is Richard the Lionheart buried at Fontevraud?
He was buried here, like Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Wikipedia notes that their remains are no longer on the site, while the official site says Eleanor’s effigy rests today at the Royal Abbey.
How long does a visit to Fontevraud Abbey take?
The official practical page recommends three hours. Ticket sales and entry stop one hour before the site closes.
Can I get a refund or change the date of my ticket?
Tickets are non-refundable. The practical page calls them exchangeable, but the terms of sale say they cannot be exchanged unless the event is cancelled.
Is Fontevraud Abbey wheelchair accessible?
The abbey is partially accessible and the Museum of Modern Art is accessible. Wheelchairs can be borrowed by prior arrangement.
Sources
- billet.fontevraud.fr official 2 pages
- fontevraud.fr official 5 pages
- Wikimedia Commons
- Wikipedia 2 pages
- wikidata.org
Facts last checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and opening hours change, often in January: confirm on the official website before you go.