CASTLE TOURS IN FRANCE

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 The royal Château de Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building was constructed by King Francis I of France. The Château de Chenonceau is a French château spanning the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire départment. It is one of the most well-known châteaux of the Loire valley. The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The royal Château at Amboise is a château located in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley. Confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century, it became a favored royal residence and was extensively rebuilt. King Charles VIII died at the château in 1498 after hitting his head on a door lintel. The château fell into decline from the second half of the 16th century and the majority of the interior buildings were later demolished, but some survived and have been restored, along with the outer defensive circuit of towers and walls. It has been recognized as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1840 

The Chateau de Versailles castle is one of the largest palaces in the world and is one of the most visited chateaux in France. Chateau de Versailles castle is a grand example of French architecture and the Versailles' history galleries which are around 18,000 m squared in size which makes this the largest history museum in the world, with the contents comprising many different and significant masterpieces. King Louis XIV abandoned the Louvre wishing to build a royal palace in place of this lodge and because he was so taken with the palace, in 1682 it become the official residence of the Sun King and his Court, replacing the Louvre and Saint-Germain Castles, which gave a grand statement of monarchical power. He also insisted that the Chateau de Versailles was for the people, and that his home should be open to one and all who wanted to visit. The Chateau de Versailles castle has over 2,000 windows, 700 rooms, over 1,200 fireplaces, 67 staircases and also includes the 75m Galerie des Glaces, otherwise known as the Hall of Mirror. The Versailles gardens include around 1,300 fountains, which use water pumped from the River Seine and you can view a fountain show at a weekend from April until September. This chateau, full of wealth and luxury is definitely well worth visiting whilst on holiday. Tickets are not included in the price of the tour! 

The Compiegne area was the preferred place for the French monarchs in the summer months because of the hunting opportunities available and the first royal residence to be built here was built for King Charles V in 1374. Numerous successors visited and extended the castle and modified it and King Louis XIV resided in Compiegne around 70 times, yet King Louis XV was even more impressed. The Chateau de Compiegne that we can see today is a French castle that was designed by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel as a royal residence for King Louis XV. It was the ancient town ramparts that dictated the triangular plan of the chateau, which resulted in a building that covers around 5 acres in a simplistic neo-classical style, but unfortunately during the French Revolution it was basically gutted. Napoleon visited Compiegne in 1799 and 1803, then in 1804 the chateau became an imperial domain and he commissioned the architect Berthault to make it habitable again. Chateau de Compiegne was one of three seats of royal government with the others being the Chateau de Versailles and Chateau de Fontainebleau. Today, you can enjoy not just one, but three distinct museums. The first of course, is the Chateau itself and the apartments of the First Empire, which became a museum in 1926 and this castle aims to show you what it was like for the monarchy and their guests from the reign of King Louis XVI until the Napoleon III. The tickets are not included in the price!

 The General Council of the former Seine department founded the museum in 1937 and called the Musée de l'ile de France it is situated within the Chateau de Sceaux and as the name suggests, it is a museum about the Ile de France region. This museum is devoted to the history of Ile de France and also the castle Sceaux, where it is situated and its purpose is to show the artistic and archaeological heritage along with the history of this region dating back as far as the 17th century up until the 20th century. However, the displays that you can visit for free show the rich history of the Ile de France region through its presentations of paintings, ceramics and furniture and the initial fund was established from regional collections of the Carnavalet Museum, which is now devoted purely to the history of Paris. This fascinating French museum is housed within the Chateau de Sceaux and is situated only about 10km to the south of Paris and within a large park of around 228 hectares that was designed by Andre Le Notre, who designed numerous gardens at castles such as the Chateau de Versailles. The museum is open every day of the week except for a Tuesday with free admission although photographs are prohibited, which is different to many museums in France where photos are allowed. However, please bear in mind that it is also closed on national holidays. Tickets are not included in the price