Diego Delso, CC BY-SACastles to visit: tickets and what to see
The double helix staircase of Chambord, the gallery of Chenonceau over the Cher, the two walls of Carcassonne: the castles to visit in France, with the official ticket office of each one.
Places to visit
Diego Delso, CC BY-SACastle and ramparts of the Cité de Carcassonne
The Porte Narbonnaise. Two spur-shaped towers, each 30 meters high, joined by a large guard room on the second floor, with the Saint-Louis barbican facing them.Carcassonne, Francefrom €13
Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SATimed entryChâteau de Chambord
The double helix staircase. Two ramps twist around a hollow core: people on different flights see each other but never meet.Chambord, Francefrom €31
Antoine Montulé, CC BY-SATimed entryChâteau de Chenonceau
The gallery over the Cher. Credited to Catherine de’ Medici and built from the plans of a Venetian palace, it rests on five arches over the river and served as a hospital ward in the Great War.Chenonceaux, Francefrom €19Map
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Three castles to visit, three kinds of ticket
First of the castles to visit in France, the Château de Chambord was ordered by François I in 1519 and completed only under Louis XIV.
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Its keep holds the double helix staircase, two ramps twisting one above the other so that two people on different flights see each other and never meet, and the terraces above turn into a field of chimneys and stair turrets. The basic ticket covers the château and the French formal gardens, replanted to their 18th-century design in 2017, and over 60 rooms are open. Nationals and residents of a European Economic Area country pay a lower rate with proof. The Château de Chenonceau, built between 1513 and 1517, rests its gallery on five arches spanning the Cher. About twenty rooms are open, from the kitchens to the bedrooms of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici, and the ticket also opens the gardens, the Queen’s Apothecary and the exhibition galleries. Every ticket carries a château visit time: the gardens are open at any time that day, the interior only at your slot. The Cité de Carcassonne keeps two walls, the second one, 1,600 meters long, added in the 13th century. The ticket sold by the Centre des monuments nationaux opens the counts’ castle and the ramparts, with a self-guided route, a one-hour guided tour or the 90-minute Privilege Tour, from age 12, through towers usually closed.
What sets these castles apart
- Who enters free. Under-18s at Chambord and Carcassonne, with EU residents aged 18 to 25 and a disabled visitor with one companion. At Chenonceau, children under 7, with lower rates from 7 to 18, over 65 and for students.
- One official address. Chenonceau names www.chenonceau.com as its only official site and warns that several fraudulent websites sell tickets at inflated prices. Carcassonne and the other monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux refuse tickets bought from unauthorized resellers.
- Changing your mind. Chenonceau tickets are non-refundable and can be modified up to the booked time. Carcassonne strongly recommends booking, since places are limited.
- Free Sundays. Carcassonne is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month from November to March and during the European Heritage Days.
Before you set off
Chambord is 80 minutes from Paris by rail, with a Rémi shuttle from Blois station, and the car parks are 600 to 850 meters from the château.
Free lockers at the entrance take anything larger than 55 x 35 x 20 cm, and external batteries are banned. The TER train from Tours reaches Chenonceaux in 25 minutes, 400 meters from the ticket office, and the château is open every day of the year. At Carcassonne, the self-guided route has numerous steps and spiral staircases, suitcases are not permitted and no baggage deposit is offered. Chambord closes on 1 January and 25 December, and on some Mondays in low season.