Visit the Château de Villandry

After showing you the castles of Chambord and Chenonceau, let's stay in the Loire Valley to discover another emblematic castle, the Château de Villandry. It is one of the most famous castles in the region, not for the castle itself, although it is worth a look, but it is above all for its sumptuous gardens that the trip is worth the blow.
The Château de Villandry certainly houses one of the most beautiful French gardens in the country. Covering more than six hectares, the gardens were reconstructed at the beginning of the XNUMXth century after years of research.

Summary:

• History of the Château de Villandry
• Visit the Château de Villandry
• Prices, timetables and practical information for visiting Villandry

Buy your entrance ticket for the Château de Villandry:
This link will allow you to book your entrance ticket to visit the Château de Villandry. Book your visit

History of the Château de Villandry

The Château de Villandry is the most recent of the great Loire châteaux built during the Renaissance.

Jean le Breton, loyal subject of François I, acquired the domain of Colombiers in 1532, on which there was already a medieval castle dating from the 1189th century. He immediately had the fortress destroyed to erect a more modern castle, following a style inspired by the Italian Renaissance, corresponding more to the criteria of comfort and aesthetics of the XNUMXth century. Of the building of the Middle Ages, only the keep will remain, in which Henry II Plantagenet of England recognized his defeat against Philippe-Auguste in XNUMX, as well as some elevations still visible today.

Jean le Breton built, adjoining the keep, three main buildings articulated according to a U-shaped plan and surrounding a main courtyard. To serve the three levels of the buildings, he built a turret housing a spiral staircase. He had landscaped gardens laid out at the foot of the castle. When he died, the work was almost finished. The domain is then bequeathed to his descendants who will continue to make the domain prosper. In 1619, Balthazar le Breton raised the seigneury of Colombiers to a marquisate. Twenty years later, the village and the castle change their name to become Villandry.

The castle will remain in the family of Jean le Breton until the purchase of the domain in 1754 by the Marquis Michel-Ange de Castellane, ambassador of King Louis XV.

Inspired by a neoclassical style much more sober than the Renaissance style, the Marquis de Castellane made significant changes to Jean le Breton's construction. Inside, he had woodwork installed to provide some sound and heat insulation to the rooms of the castle, giving the passage an additional charm to the decorations.

He also had the turret with the spiral staircase destroyed to build another more imposing Louis XV style vaulted staircase inside the main building. He modified the Renaissance windows to make them rounded, ordered the arcades on the ground floor to be walled up and had trompe l'oeil openings depicted to balance the visual appearance of the facades.

On the side of the gardens, the park was enlarged and then modified according to a French style; the Marquis de Castellane erected neoclassical outbuildings, an orangery and a water mirror on the estate, thus replacing the Renaissance facilities.

@GasparJanos

Between 1791 and 1906, the Château de Villandry passed through many hands, including those of Napoleon I's brother, Jérôme Bonaparte.

In 1906, Joachim Carvallo, a Spanish doctor, in turn acquired Villandry, when the castle was in such a state of degradation that it was threatened with destruction. He will then devote himself entirely to the restoration of the estate to restore it to the prestige it enjoyed during the Renaissance.

The facades have regained their XNUMXth century style. The landscaped garden did not correspond to the taste of Joachim Carvallo, the latter undertook significant scientific research to find as much information as possible and restore the authenticity of the exteriors to their original era. For its new owner, a Renaissance castle must be surrounded by a Renaissance park!

Nowadays, the castle still belongs to the Carvallo family, who work daily to bring Villandry and its remarkable gardens to life and evolve: creation of the Jardin des Simples in 1970, inauguration of the Jardin du Soleil in 2008, etc. The family's passion for its estate is felt throughout the visit to Villandry.

Visit the Château de Villandry

Let us now move on to the visit of the castle and then its gardens.

Discovery of the Château de Villandry

Today, the Château de Villandry still has a main building flanked by two wings surrounding a main courtyard. At the end of each wing are two pavilions, an architectural innovation for the time: indeed, XNUMXth century castles usually had round towers.

Despite all the transformations undergone over the centuries, several elements of the medieval castle have been preserved: the keep, the south and east walls, the base of the west facade and a round tower remain, integrated into the construction of the new building. Moats surround the castle to the west and north.

We owe the current appearance of Villandry to Doctor Carvallo, who took it to heart to restore the castle of 1540 as it had been imagined by Jean le Breton. Only the spiral staircase and the entrance wall which closed off the main courtyard could not be rebuilt.

On entering the ground floor of the castle, you will be surprised by the warm atmosphere that emanates from the interior decorations. The common rooms, on a human scale, are furnished with remarkable elements dating from the 1934th century; the dining room in particular, decorated in the traditional colors of Provence, has been listed as a historical monument since XNUMX.

Strolling through the two upper floors of the building, you will discover many rooms, all elegantly decorated to the delight of visitors: the room of Prince Jérôme, that of Joachim Carvallo, the moat room or even that of the vegetable garden. Also be sure to visit the oriental lounge, directly inspired by the Mudéjar style, or the gallery of paintings exhibiting a superb collection of Spanish works from the XNUMXth century.

Visit of the gardens of Villandry

Leaving the castle, you can access a belvedere to enjoy an overview of the gardens. Just below, the ornamental gardens composed of bushes and shrubs in topiary are a hymn to love and are broken down into four distinct spaces: tender love, passionate love, fickle love and tragic love.

The water garden, then, overlooks the ornamental gardens. Created by the Marquis de Castellane, this French-style garden is embellished with a sublime central pond. Linden hedges surround this space and give it additional charm.

Continue your visit towards the Jardin du Soleil, inaugurated in 2008. Joachim Carvallo had designed a plan for this space, but was never able to realize it. The current owner, Henri Carvallo, decided to implement these plans on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Renaissance gardens.

Further on, you can get lost in the famous labyrinth of Villandry and try to reach the center!

The decorative vegetable garden, largely inspired by a herb garden typical of the Middle Ages, will allow you to discover a multitude of species of medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as many varieties of ancient flowers.

@Richard Semik

Prices, timetables and practical information for visiting Villandry

Here are some practical tips and questions you might ask yourself while preparing for your visit to the Château de Villandry and its gardens.

• Where to buy tickets to visit Villandry?
• How much does entry to Château de Villandry cost?
• How long does the visit to the Château de Villandry take?
• Guided tour of the castle
• When to visit the Château de Villandry? Periods and opening times
• Where is the Château de Villandry located?
• Where to sleep near the Château de Villandry?

Where to buy tickets to visit Villandry?

Several solutions are available to you in terms of purchasing admission tickets. The easiest way is to buy them in advance, on the internet and thus go to the castle already in possession of a ticket. Many sites resell official entry tickets, like here for example.
It is, of course, possible to go on D-Day to the entrance of the castle is to buy an entrance ticket. Be careful during busy periods, you may have to queue at the ticket office!

How much does entry to Château de Villandry cost?

The prices of the Château de Villandry are divided into 3 prices: one for an entry including the castle and gardens, one only including the gardens and the last including the "Thousand Fires" show.

How long does the visit to the Château de Villandry take?

On average, it will take 2 hours to visit the castle and its gardens with the visit guide. For guided tours, these last 1h15.

Guided tour of the castle

It is possible to visit the Château de Villandry with a guide. These visits are only in French and take place from March to November.
The gardens can be visited freely, using an audio guide or the Villandry application. For more information on guided tours, visit the Château de Villandry website.

Application smartphone Villandry
Note that there is an official application that will allow you to visit the Château de Villandry and its gardens. A kind of audioguide with image and map that will allow you to learn more about the history of the castle and its gardens. It is free and exists in several languages. This may save you the cost of an audioguide.

When to visit the Château de Villandry? Periods and opening times

The opening hours are different for the castle and the gardens.

• Gardens are open all year round. Hours vary depending on the season: 9:30 a.m. – 17 p.m. in winter; 9 a.m. – 19 p.m. in summer.
• The Castle closes its doors from November 15 to December 19 and from January 4 to February 5 (may vary depending on the year). Outside these periods, the castle is open every day and its hours also vary depending on the time of year, from 9:30 a.m. to 17 p.m. in low season (10 a.m. to 18 p.m. in low season and during school holidays) to 9:30 a.m. – 18:30 p.m. in summer.

Where is the Château de Villandry located?

Located just 15 kilometers from Tours and 30 minutes from Chenonceau, Villandry is very easily accessible by motorway.
If you want to visit the region by train, Tours station is well served.
Once there, free parking will allow you to park near the castle.

Where to sleep near the Château de Villandry?

Several choices are available to you in terms of accommodation. You can choose to stay as close as possible to the castle, in the town of Villandry or nearby. The city of Tours can also be a good choice for accommodation not far from the castle.
Here are some good places to stay near the Château de Villandry.

• 

  Beauvois Castle

  Located about fifteen minutes from the Château de Villandry, on the other bank of the Loire, the Château de Beauvois is one of the most luxurious in the area. Sleep in a real XNUMXth century castle, completely renovated and equipped with a swimming pool. The decoration and furnishings will immerse you in castle life during the few days of your stay in the region. In terms of cuisine, the hotel restaurant, Le Louis XIII, welcomes you throughout the day. Standing, Decoration, Reception See prices
• 

  Hotel Grand Monarque

  Established in a former coaching inn from the 10th century, the Grand Monarque hotel is located in the town of Azay-Le-Rideau, not far from the castle of the same name and about XNUMXkm from the castle of Villandry. The rooms are spacious and decorated with antique furniture. An ideal place to stay to visit the castle of Villandry as well as that of Azay-Le-Rideau. Location, Decoration, Hospitality See rates
• 

  Hotel Le Haut des Lys

  Our last establishment takes us just 400m from the Château de Villandry. The hotel Le Haut des Lys is one of the best rated in the area. It offers spacious rooms in a modern setting, all with top-of-the-range services such as the possibility of enjoying the jacuzzi. Location, Decoration, Calm