New opportunities abound across the Loire Valley's heritage sites

Indre-et-Loire

Château royal d’Amboise

Royal festivities will be organised to mark five hundred years since Leonardo da Vinci's arrival in Amboise. The 2018 season is abuzz with sumptuous Renaissance balls, concerts and shows. Find out more  

Suspense and intrigue are also on the cards at Château royal d’Amboise. A new Escape Game area called “À la conquête de l'Empire” (Conquering the Empire) is open deep within the castle's underground passageways. Find out more  

Clos Lucé

To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's stay at the Clos Lucé, the castle is organising a cultural season in 2018 on the theme of human flight. Visitors can look forward to exhibitions, late-night opening and activities for all the family. Find out more  

Château de Chenonceau

Don't miss the new “Hommage à Russell Page” (Tribute to Russell Page) garden, which was unveiled during the “Rendezvous in the gardens” event last June. An exquisitely designed haven of peace perfect for daydreaming. Find out more  

Château and gardens of Villandry

Château de Villandry has an array of new discoveries in store through its gardens. 3 exhibitions respectively celebrate the Renaissance, movement and the whole of Europe, a land of gardens. Find out more  

Château de Langeais

The castle has been under renovation for a few years now, and this work is continuing. Roofing, stonework and woodwork, now it is time to restore the drawbridge setting to its former glory. Find out more  

Also worth seeing: a new performance reviving the age-old art of falconry. Find out more  

Royal Fortress of Chinon

The Royal Fortress of Chinon is unveiling three new rooms. These new layouts immerse visitors in the site's remarkable history: come and experience what Charles VII's chamber once looked like, venture into a room showing everyday scenes from the Middle Ages and explore another room that goes back over the site's architectural history. Find out more  

Royal city of Loches

Discover the new displays at the Royal City! This brand-new interactive trail whisks visitors back through five centuries' worth of history. Two fictional characters accompany you on your discovery of the places and people that have gained a place in the history books, including Fulk III the Black, Joan of Arc and Queen Anne of Brittany. Find out more  

Loir-et-Cher

Château royal de Blois

Don't miss the exciting new sound & light extravaganza, "Ainsi Blois vous est conté"! Find out more  

Thanks to digital technology, visitors to Château de Blois can now enjoy a whole new experience: 

• the HistoPad harnesses the wonders of digital technology (3D, augmented reality, etc.) for the benefit of heritage and treats you to a completely immersive adventure into the past, the décor, customs, the life of the Kings & Queens and their courts. Find out more
• A virtual reality headset is also available to visitors for a glimpse into the Duke of Guise's final moments…  Find out more

Just landed at Château royal de Blois: a Giant Escape Game! In “Guet-apens royal”, travel back to the 16th century to infiltrate the supporters of Henry III of France and try to thwart the Duke of Guise's assassination. Find out more  

Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire

Chaumont's International Garden Festival opened on 24 April. The 2018 theme of this prestigious event in the garden art calendar is devoted to “Gardens of thought”. Runs until 4 November. Find out more  

Maine-et-Loire

Fontevraud Royal Abbey

A new exhibition area has been open to visitors at Fontevraud Royal Abbey since June. It is currently showing the exhibition "Gabrielle de Rochechouart and Madame de Montespan. From Versailles to Fontevraud, being a woman in the 17th century". Find out more . The murder party “Le mystère Montespan” (The Montespan mystery) ties in with this exhibition and plunges visitors right in the thick of a 17th century criminal investigation… can you solve it in 90 minutes?! Find out more  

Fontevraud Royal Abbey is also launching its first escape game this year. Enclosed in a room, you have to solve the riddles and outsmart the traps to find Richard the Lionheart's famous sceptre, which has been lost for 900 years... Find out more  

Cadre noir of Saumur

The Cadre noir of Saumur has orchestrated a completely redesigned show: Au Cœur du Grand Manège. In this show, the Loire acts as narrator to present its Cadre noir: a poetic interlude at the heart of the big riding ring, where the riders will evoke Saumur's riding ethos and the excellence of French equestrian tradition. 

Château d’Angers

As part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, Château d’Angers is hosting an exhibition on the emergence of the orders of knighthood at the end of the Middle Ages: “LOS EN CROISSANT. Ordres et chevaliers en Anjou”. Find out more  

Other châteaux

Château de Valençay

In April 2018 the château opened a new room. Christened the “Salle des Trésors”, it harbours a treasure trove of ceremonial swords, diplomatic awards, attire worn by high-ranking officials and prestigious, precious and even personal artefacts that have been restored and are on public display for the very first time. Find out more  

Château of the Dukes of Brittany

A northerly wind is blowing on Nantes this summer! A prominent exhibition takes a fresh look at the mythical Vikings – those explorers who navigated all the way to the Loire. Runs from 16 June to 18 November. Find out more  

Act(e)s, a contemporary art trail

Indre-et-Loire Département-level Council shines the spotlight on contemporary artistic creation in places steeped in history. Act(e)s invites visitors on an artistic trail accessible from 15 May to 15 November 2018 across 11 sites, all owned by the Département. Other landmark sites have also agreed to take part in this project. 

You can find Act(e)s artistic installations at the Royal Fortress of Chinon, Royal City of Loches, Saint-Cosme Priory, Musée Rabelais, Île de la Métairie on the Loire riverbanks, the Châteaux of Rivau, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry and Amboise, Château de Montsoreau - Musée d'art contemporain, Ecomusée du Véron, Château de Tours and the Musée des Beaux-Arts... Find out more