Adult
Ages 18–64
€29
- Château + gardens + gallery
- Skip-the-line priority queue
- Self-guided paper guide in 12 languages
Walk the château built by women, across the River Cher
Château de Chenonceau skip-the-line — the only Loire palace spanning a river, shaped by six Renaissance women including Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Peak-day queues run 45–60 minutes.
See ticket options- 16th c. Built 1513–1522, expanded across the Cher in 1570
- 6 women Shaped the château — 'Le Château des Dames'
- 60 m Gallery spanning the River Cher
- 850 K / yr Most-visited private château in France
Choose your ticket
Youth (7–17)
Ages 7–17
€22
- Château + gardens + gallery
- Skip-the-line priority queue
- Free under age 7 at the gate
Family
2 adults + up to 3 under-18s
€95 €85 Save €10
- Château + gardens for the whole family
- Under-7s free at the gate — we handle the paperwork
- Skip-the-line for all
Adult + audio guide
12-language HistoPad tablet tour
€39
- Everything in the adult ticket
- HistoPad 3D-reconstruction tablet (12 languages)
- Shows each room as it looked in the 16th century
- Kids-mode and expert-mode included
Zurich, Switzerland
“We tried to do three Loire châteaux in a day and nearly burned out. Chenonceau was the one worth actually staying at. Saw the gallery with the Cher flowing under us — one of those moments you remember the rest of the trip.”
Liège, Belgium
“The HistoPad is worth the extra €10. Each room shows what it looked like under Catherine de Medici — the rugs, the walls, the fire burning. My kids (10 and 12) stayed glued to it the whole visit.”
Tokyo, Japan
“Came because of the photography. Left because of the history. Six women shaped this place over 400 years — and you feel it in every room, not just the obvious ones.”
- Refund if we can't deliver Full money back if your slot can't be secured
- Real humans, not bots English-speaking concierge, not AI
- Pay in your local currency Same price at checkout · no FX surprise
- No hidden fees Total shown upfront · what you see is what you pay
About Château de Chenonceau
Chenonceau is the only château in France built across a river. The first section — a square manor with round corner towers — was built between 1513 and 1522 by Thomas Bohier's widow Katherine Briçonnet. Henry II gave it to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, who built the first bridge across the Cher. His widow Catherine de Medici then took it back, added the two-storey gallery on top of Diane's bridge, and held royal court here through the worst years of the French Wars of Religion.
It's called the Ladies' Château — 'Le Château des Dames' — because the six women who shaped it matter more than any of the men who owned it between. After the Medicis came Louise of Lorraine (who painted her bedroom black when her husband Henry III was assassinated), Madame Dupin (who ran a salon here through the Enlightenment and saved the château from the Revolution), and Marguerite Pelouze (who restored it in the 1860s).
Today the Menier family — yes, the chocolate people — have owned and operated Chenonceau since 1913. Because it's private, the tickets don't go through the Centre des monuments nationaux. The château is open every day of the year except Christmas.
Practical information
- Opening hours
- Open every day of the year except 25 December. Hours vary by season: Apr–Sep 09:00–19:00, Oct–Mar 09:30–17:00 (earlier close in deep winter). Last entry 30 min before close.
- Address
- Château de Chenonceau, 37150 Chenonceaux, France
- Getting there from Tours
- Train (TER line) from Tours to Chenonceaux (25 min, ~6 daily). Station is a 5-min walk from the château gates.
- Getting there from Paris
- TGV Paris Montparnasse to Tours (1h15m), then TER to Chenonceaux. Realistic day trip.
- Getting there by car
- From Amboise: 15 min. From Tours: 30 min. Large free car park at the château gate.
- Time needed
- Allow 2.5–3 hours for the château, gallery, kitchens, and both gardens (Diane's and Medici's). A full afternoon if you include the farm, maze, and the quieter end of the estate.
- Accessibility
- Ground-floor rooms and gardens are accessible. The famous gallery and upstairs rooms require stairs — no lift. Contact us before booking if mobility is a concern.
- Photography
- Permitted everywhere without flash or tripod. The most-photographed view is from the west bank of the Cher at golden hour.
- Food
- On-site brasserie L'Orangerie (seasonal French menu, booking recommended) plus a takeaway café. The village of Chenonceaux has several bistros within walking distance.
About our service
Chenonceau Tickets acts as a facilitator to assist international visitors in purchasing skip-the-line tickets directly from S.A.S. Château de Chenonceau, the operator (private, Menier family-owned since 1913). We do not resell tickets — we provide a personalised booking and English-language support service. Our concierge service fee is included in the displayed price. For those who prefer to purchase directly, the official ticket site is chenonceau.com.
Frequently asked
What's included in the skip-the-line ticket?
Priority entry to the château bypassing the ticket-office queue, plus access to the full estate: the château rooms, the gallery across the Cher, the kitchens, the chapel, Diane de Poitiers' garden, Catherine de Medici's garden, the vegetable garden, the maze, and the farm. The HistoPad tablet is an optional upgrade.
When's the queue worst?
July–August 11:00–15:00 is the peak. Weekend ticket-office queues can hit 45–60 minutes. Mornings (from 09:00) and late afternoons (after 16:00) are calmer. Skip-the-line gets you past any queue in under 5 minutes.
How long does a visit take?
Allow 2.5–3 hours for the château interior, the gallery, the kitchens, and both formal gardens. Add another hour for the farm, maze, and the quiet far end of the estate. A full afternoon (4 hours) is ideal.
What's the HistoPad?
A tablet-guided tour that, in each room, shows a 3D reconstruction of how the room looked under Catherine de Medici — the tapestries, the fires, the paintings that have since moved. 12 languages including EN/FR/DE/ES/IT/JP/ZH. Kids' mode and expert mode both included. Worth the €10 upgrade.
Can I visit by train from Paris?
Yes, as a day trip. TGV Paris Montparnasse to Tours (1h15m), then TER to Chenonceaux (25 min). The station is 5 minutes from the château gate. Realistic for a long day.
Can I combine with other Loire châteaux?
Yes — Chenonceau + Amboise (Leonardo's last home) is a classic half-day pairing, 15 min drive apart. Chambord is further (50 min) and worth its own day. We don't sell combo tickets but we can route you to our Loire château concierge service.
Can we change the date?
Two situations trigger a full refund: (a) we cannot secure your chosen date, or (b) the château closes. Outside those, tickets are non-transferable once issued. Chenonceau is open every day of the year except 25 December, so closures are rare. Reply to your confirmation email 48h+ ahead and we'll try.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes — the kitchens, the gardens, the farm animals, and the HistoPad tablets all land well with kids 6+. Under-7s are free at the gate; the family tier bundles the paperwork so you skip-the-line together. Strollers are fine on the avenue and in the gardens; stairs inside the château.