Clos Lucé Castle

Address: Clos Lucé, 2 Rue du Clos Lucé, 37400 Amboise, France

Website: https://www.vinci-closluce.com/en/

Hours: Typically daily 9:30am-6:30pm (seasonal changes possible; check official site)

Admission: Entry to Clos Lucé and Leonardo da Vinci exhibitions generally ticketed (around €10-€15 adult; discounts apply)

Clos Lucé is a historic manor house in Amboise in the Loire Valley of France and is best known as the residence where Leonardo da Vinci lived during the final years of his life. The site functions today as a museum dedicated to Leonardo and his inventions.

The site highlights include the preserved living quarters and studio of Leonardo, exhibition rooms with reproductions of his drawings and machines, and a landscaped park with interactive reconstructions of his devices and engineering concepts. The layout makes it possible to see the manor’s interior rooms and the outdoor exhibition in a single visit.

Clos Lucé was a noble residence associated with the royal town of Amboise; Leonardo moved in in 1516 under the invitation of Francis I and remained there until 1519. Over subsequent centuries the house changed ownership and was restored and converted into a museum focused on Leonardo’s life and work.

The manor stands adjacent to the Château d’Amboise in the centre of Amboise, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France, and sits within easy walking distance of the royal castle via a historic underground passage. The town of Amboise is around 20 minutes by car from Tours, the nearest larger city.

• Leonardo’s Residency: He spent the final three years of his life here, from 1516 until his death in 1519, while under the patronage of King Francis I of France.
• Best Time to Visit: Early mornings are quieter for viewing the preserved rooms and the garden models with fewer tour groups than later in the day.

What to See#

• Leonardo’s Living Quarters: Leonardo da Vinci’s private rooms preserved as a museum space with reconstructions of his studio and copies of surviving manuscripts and drawings dating to his stay from 1516 to 1519.
• Parc Leonardo da Vinci: A landscaped park that displays interactive and working-scale reconstructions of Leonardo’s machines alongside explanatory panels and demonstration areas.
• Underground Passage to Château d’Amboise: An underground passage that connects the manor to the neighboring royal Château d’Amboise, reflecting the site’s historic relationship with the town’s royal residence.

Clos Lucé is in Amboise, about 20-25 minutes by car from Tours. Regular shuttle services run from Amboise town center; Amboise is served by regional trains from Tours.

• Reserve timed tickets in high season for the house and the park where full‑scale Leonardo machine reconstructions are displayed.
• Allow time to wander the grounds - the tunnels, model machines and the 'Da Vinci Park' installations are unexpectedly engaging.
• Look for the small plaques that quote Leonardo's notebooks - they provide a direct line to his thinking and are delightfully specific.