Château de Chaumont Castle

Address: Chaumont-sur-Loire, 41150 Chaumont-sur-Loire, France

Website: https://www.chateau-chaumont.fr/

Hours: Daily 10am-6pm (seasonal - check site)

Admission: Around €13-€15 for adults (seasonal rates, garden festival pricing may vary)

Château de Chaumont is a Loire Valley château in Chaumont-sur-Loire on the banks of the River Loire, with origins on a 10th century fortress site and significant rebuilding from the 15th and 16th centuries. It is notable today for both its historic château and its managed gardens.

Visitors encounter restored interior rooms, period furnishings and exhibitions within the château, plus formal and experimental gardens on the estate. The château grounds are particularly known for the Festival International des Jardins, an annual programme of temporary contemporary garden projects that attracts designers and visitors.

The château evolved from medieval fortification through Renaissance residence and has been renovated and repurposed over centuries to its present museum and cultural role, hosting exhibitions, public programmes and events focused on horticulture and heritage.

Chaumont sits in the Loire Valley between Blois and Amboise, with the château directly overlooking the Loire and accessible from the regional road network serving this central Loire region.

• Garden festival: The site hosts an annual international garden festival that presents temporary contemporary garden installations from designers worldwide.

What to See#

• The Château: A fortified Renaissance château with interiors restored and displayed for visitors, including period rooms and historical collections. The château structure visible today dates mainly from later medieval rebuilding and Renaissance modifications.
• Gardens and Garden Festival: Extensive river-facing grounds that host the annual Festival International des Jardins, featuring contemporary garden installations created by designers and artists each year.

Château de Chaumont (Chaumont‑sur‑Loire) lies on the Loire river in the Loire Valley and is most conveniently reached by car from nearby regional towns. Drive from Blois or Tours along the departmental roads serving the Loire villages and follow local signs to Chaumont‑sur‑Loire; there is visitor parking at the château. Alternatively take a regional train to a nearby town (Blois or Amboise) and complete the trip by taxi or local bus services.

• If possible, visit outside the peak hours of the International Garden Festival (the festival season runs spring-autumn) - the grounds are much quieter early morning or late afternoon.
• Allow time to walk the estate's riverside paths and the parkland below the château; many visitors focus only on the interiors and miss the Loire views and the varied garden installations.
• Buy tickets at the château entrance and head first to the garden displays before the coach groups arrive; the festival exhibits are arranged across the grounds, which takes longer to see than most visitors expect.