Antoine Montulé, CC BY-SAChâteau de Chenonceau: tickets, opening hours and what to see
Each entrance ticket carries a château visit time: the gardens are open at any time that day, the interior only at your slot. Tickets are not refundable but can be changed before the visit.
In short
- Every entrance ticket carries a timed château slot. The gardens and other areas are open at any time on your date.
- The ticket covers the château, the historical gardens, the Queen’s Apothecary and the exhibition galleries.
- Tickets are not refundable, but you can modify or exchange them up to the date and time you booked.
- Buy only on www.chenonceau.com: the château warns about fraudulent sites selling at inflated prices.
- Children under 7 enter free with the leaflet. Reduced rates are checked against proof at the château entrance.
- The TER train from Tours to Chenonceaux takes 25 minutes, and the station is about 400 m from the ticket office.
- 5arches carry the gallery across the Cher
- 34 kmfrom Tours, on the Cher
- 12,000 m²the “floating” parterre of Diane de Poitiers
- 2,000yews planted in the Italian maze
Don't miss
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.
The Green Cabinet
The study from which Catherine de’ Medici ran the kingdom.
The bedrooms of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici
The rooms of Henry II’s favorite and of Catherine de’ Medici, who deposed her after his death.
The Garden of Diane de Poitiers
A “floating” parterre of 12,000 m² whose structure has not changed since Diane created it.
The maze
An Italian maze of 2,000 yews over more than a hectare, with a raised gazebo at its center.
Château de Chenonceau tickets: how to get them
Sold by chateaudechenonceau.tickeasy.com, at the official price.
| Ticket | Adult | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance ticketsStandard entry | €19Senior €16 · Student €16 · Child €15 | Timed slot |
| Exclusive Guided tourEvening entry | Price on the official site |
Free entry (2026)
- Everyone (up to age 6)
Which ticket is right for you?
You want the château, the gardens and a printed guide
Entrance tickets (guide leaflet)
The standard version, and the one under-7s and holders of a disability card get free.
You want commentary from room to room
Entrance tickets (audioguide)
The higher-priced version adds the audioguide, which is not available for children under 7.
You want the gardens by night
Exclusive Guided tour
On some evenings the château runs an exclusive guided tour, in French only, with a night walk in the illuminated historical gardens. Entry to the estate is included.
Your ticket comes with a château time slot
The entrance ticket covers the château, the historical gardens, the Queen’s Apothecary and the exhibition galleries.
Avoid this mistake
Miss that time and staff may refuse you entry to the château, particularly if it is at capacity.
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When you order on the official ticketing site, you pick a date and a château visit time. The other areas are open to you at any time on that date, the château interior only at the visit time you chose.
How the order works:
- The number of tickets for each open day is limited, and the ticketing site shows the remaining places in real time while you order.
- A single order holds up to ten tickets.
Changes, refunds and vouchers
Sales are firm: tickets are not refundable, even after loss or theft. You can still modify or exchange them up to the date and time of the visit you booked, and the ticketing site has a rescheduling option for tickets already bought. After that time, no change is possible.
If you hold a voucher rather than a ticket, you collect your ticket at the reception desk. Vouchers carry no time, so you can enter the park, but entry to the château depends on availability. The château encourages booking a slot beforehand.
Official site only, and what to bring for a reduced rate
The château warns that several fraudulent websites sell tickets at inflated prices and give false information on opening hours and days.
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It names www.chenonceau.com as the only official site, and its terms of sale add that tickets bought anywhere else may be copies. Each ticket has a unique barcode, and only the first person to present it gets in.
The ticket comes in two versions, one with a guide leaflet and a higher-priced one with an audioguide (see the ticket table above). Who pays less or nothing:
- Children under 7 enter free with the leaflet. The audioguide is not available for them.
- Lower rates apply to seniors over 65, to students with a matriculation card and to children from 7 to 18.
- People with a disability card enter free with the leaflet (the audioguide costs extra), and their companion pays the reduced rate.
Three parts and about twenty rooms
The château has three parts:
- The main building has two floors with corner turrets and stands on the foundations of a medieval mill.
- A long gallery rests against its south facade on five arches spanning the Cher.
- The Tour des Marques, the keep of a 12th and 13th-century château, is all that remains of the earlier building.
About twenty rooms are open to visitors. The route runs from the kitchens to the bedrooms and drawing rooms, by way of the two galleries. Among the rooms the château singles out:
- the guards’ room and the chapel
- the Green Cabinet, the study from which Catherine de’ Medici ran the kingdom
- the bedrooms of Diane de Poitiers and of Catherine de’ Medici
- the Gallery
- the François I and Louis XIV drawing rooms
The château describes a collection of furniture, tapestries and paintings, the paintings being by European painters of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The explanatory leaflet, downloadable from the rooms page, gives the plan and the full list of rooms.
The gallery over the Cher
The château credits Catherine de’ Medici with the two galleries over the Cher, built from the plans of a Venetian palace, which it says turned Chenonceau into a Ponte Vecchio in Touraine.
Wikipedia dates the bridge, designed by Philibert de l’Orme, to 1556 to 1559, and the gallery on top of it to 1570 to 1576, from designs by Jean Bullant.
The gallery had other lives. The château says Gaston Menier turned Chenonceau into a military hospital for the duration of the Great War, and Wikipedia specifies that the gallery served as a hospital ward. The château adds that during the Second World War the Grand Gallery became the sole point of access to the free zone.
A château shaped by its women
The château presents its history as an almost uninterrupted succession of women who built, embellished, protected, restored and saved it. The owners who made it what you visit:
- 1513 to 1517 The current building went up between 1513 and 1517, under Thomas Bohier and above all his wife, Catherine Briçonnet.
- 1535 In 1535 François I, who ordered Chambord, took Chenonceau into the Crown estate in settlement of a debt.
- 18th century In the 18th century Louise Dupin held a literary salon here, with Jean-Jacques Rousseau as her secretary.
- 1913 Henri Menier bought the château in 1913, the year the owners first opened it to visitors.
Between 1535 and the 18th century, Henry II then gave it to his favorite, Diane de Poitiers, and after his death Catherine de’ Medici deposed her and installed the authority of the young king, her son, at Chenonceau. Later, Louise de Lorraine, widow of Henry III, moved in during her mourning.
Diane’s garden, Catherine’s garden and the maze
The château lists several distinct spaces:
- Garden of Diane de Poitiers: a “floating” parterre of 12,000 m², whose structure has not changed since Diane created it. Its current layout is by Achille Duchêne.
- Garden of Catherine de’ Medici: smaller, at 5,500 m², facing the lake and the park.
- Green Garden: designed in 1825 for the Countess of Villeneuve, who wanted an English-style park.
- The maze: an Italian maze planted with 2,000 yews over more than a hectare, with a raised gazebo at its center.
- Flower Garden: twelve squares where the gardeners grow around one hundred varieties of cut flowers for the château’s floral arrangements.
Before or after your slot
Since your ticket opens the gardens at any time on its date, you can visit them before or after your château slot.
Ramp, wheelchairs and the train from Tours
For the evening tour in the ticket chooser above, the official ticketing site lists the evenings on offer.
A ramp gives access to the château, and a video guided tour helps you visualize each room inside. Wheelchairs can be booked free of charge against an ID left as a deposit. The shop, restaurants, toilets and gardens are accessible.
Chenonceau stands on the Cher, 34 km from Tours and 214 km from Paris. The TER train from Tours to Chenonceaux takes 25 minutes, and the station is about 400 m from the ticket office. The château and gardens are open every day of the year. Check the opening hours below for your date.
Opening hours
| Period | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 28 September to 1 November | Every day | 9 am to 5:30 pm |
| 2 November to 4 December | Every day | 9:30 am to 4:30 pm |
| 5 December to 6 December | Every day | 9 am to 5 pm |
| 7 December to 11 December | Every day | 9:30 am to 4:30 pm |
| 12 December to 13 December | Every day | 9:30 am to 5 pm |
| 14 December to 18 December | Every day | 9:30 am to 4:30 pm |
| 19 December to 25 December | Every day | 9:30 am to 6 pm |
| 26 December to 31 December | Every day | 9:30 am to 6:30 pm |
Before you go
- You receive one e-ticket per person, which you can print on white A4 paper or show on a smartphone, tablet or smartwatch.
- A reduced-price ticket has to be shown at the château entrance with proof of eligibility, or you pay the difference on the spot.
- Check the date and time before you confirm: after the visit time you booked, the ticket can no longer be changed.
- Dogs are welcome on the estate grounds but must stay on a lead in the gardens. Small dogs can visit the château if you carry them in your arms or a bag, and guide dogs are accepted inside without restriction.
- Lockers are available free of charge, and there are picnic areas by the Green Car Park and near the château entrance.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair loan
- Yes, on site
Map and nearby sights
Frequently asked questions
Do Chenonceau tickets have a time slot?
Yes. You choose a date and a château visit time when you order. The gardens and other areas are open at any time that day, the château interior only at your slot. If you miss it, staff may refuse you entry to the château, particularly when it is at capacity.
Can I get a refund on Chenonceau tickets?
No, sales are firm, even after loss or theft. You can modify or exchange the tickets up to the date and time of the visit you booked, using the rescheduling option of the ticketing site.
What is the official website for Chenonceau tickets?
The château names www.chenonceau.com as its only official site. It warns that fraudulent sites sell tickets at inflated prices, and each ticket’s barcode lets in only the first person who presents it.
Is Chenonceau free for children?
Children under 7 enter free with the leaflet, but the audioguide is not available for them. Children from 7 to 18 pay a lower rate, with proof shown at the château entrance.
Can I bring my dog to Chenonceau?
Dogs are welcome on the estate grounds on a lead in the gardens. Inside the château, small dogs are allowed if you carry them in your arms or a bag. Guide dogs are accepted without restriction.
How do I get to Chenonceau from Tours?
Take the TER train from Tours to Chenonceaux, a 25-minute ride. The station is about 400 m from the ticket office.
Nearby
Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA
Sources
- chateaudechenonceau.tickeasy.com official 3 pages
- chenonceau.com official 8 pages
- Wikimedia Commons
- Wikipedia
- wikidata.org 2 pages
Facts last checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and opening hours change, often in January: confirm on the official website before you go.