Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
4.5
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The Château of Azay-le-Rideau, masterpiece of the Renaissance. The Château of Azay-le-Rideau, built at the heart of Touraine under the patronage of François Ier, has all the charm of the Renaissance. Masterpiece of the 16th century architecture, it rises up on an island designed by the river Indre and is surrounded by a romantic 19th century park. The château has some prestigious historical decorations telling about its 4 centuries of history. It also has some sumptuous collections of items, tapestries and furniture. To be discovered : - On the ground floor : restoration of the 19th century decoration and atmosphere. - On the first floor : an immersion at the heart of the Renaissance, the great hall and its period furniture, as well as the restoration of a Renaissance chamber, whose walls are fully made of bullrushes braids. - The Pressoir (former press room), an interpretation center reachable by everyone in order to know more about the château. - The romantic park of 8ha with many points of view on the château and its water mirrors.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Château d'Azay-le-Rideau and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Danail D
    Sofia, Bulgaria276 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A castle with atmosphere
    This is one of the famous smaller castles in the Loire valley. It offers nearly a fairy-tale impression above the water and in the surrounding park. I recommend the evening visit inside the castle to feel a real atmosphere of the castle centuries ago by special lighting, scents, musical extracts.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 November 2023
  • Alfred H
    Bougival, France49 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you like Chenonceau, you will also like Azay le Rideau
    Beautifully located Renaissance castle with very well decorated rooms. Outside parc is not as large as expected, but invites you to stroll around, having great views on the castle. Contrary to most other Loire castles, parking is not for free but nothing prevents you from searching (and finding) a place at a short walking distance - which has the advantage of letting you discover the village itself.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 25 May 2024
  • Millie
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nearly flooded chateau
    I absolutely loved this chateau. It was my favourite of those I visited on this trip. They gave us a leaflet and afterwards I bought a book in English (£12). The interior was lovely and the textiles in beautiful condition. Had a lovely crepe in the tea shop. The river was on the verge of flooding with only inches under the bridge.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 July 2024
  • CRPlym
    Hythe, United Kingdom103 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice visit
    Lovely chateau to visit. I liked how it showed how things had changed over the years. The temporary exhibition of theatrical costumes was great. Not a lot to interest my 7 year old, but since children are free this is less annoying than usual! The shop was incredibly expensive!
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 28 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles3,220 reviews
Excellent
1,591
Very good
1,168
Average
320
Poor
99
Terrible
42

LeicestershireDex
Broughton Astley, UK203 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
This is your picture postcard French Chateau. We did visit the last time we were in the area but couldnt go inside as restoration work was being done - that's why we came back! You can see externally the brickwork has been tidied up and the roof. The entrance fee is comparable with others we have visited but you had to pay 3Euro extra for a information phone where others have included this in the entrance price. I wouldnt visit an attraction without being able to understand the history so would recommend this. Inside the rooms are nicely arranged. Most of the furniture are reproductions of what would be on show at the time. The gardens are tidy, not the most spetacular we have seen but nice for a wander round. At the end we stopped at the cafe on site and enjoyed a cocktail each. I would recommend this chateau if you are in the area.
Written 27 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ShaunH290
London, UK2,937 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
The Château of Azay-le-Rideau is built on an island in the river Indre, at the heart of an 8 hectare estate. The landscaped park was developed in the 19th century, along with "water mirrors" on the south and west. These reflect the building to show it in the best way possible.

Built in 1518, the loggia staircase started a revolution in design in France, where previously spiral (circular) staircases were effectively attached to the outside of a building in towers. The straight, parallel staircases in the middle of the north facade with landings and loggias (out of step with the lines of windows) revolutionised the use of space and the circulation of the inhabitants.

Definitely one of my favourite château!
Written 1 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia19,455 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
Azay le Rideau was the first out of 8 chateaus we visited during our 3 days in Loire valley. The Chateau dates back to 16 c and is recognized as a Renaissance masterpiece, which is clearly visible if you just look at the photos, let alone seeing it live.
It's set on a very romantic place - on a tiny island on Indre river, encircled by hectares of woods which had spectacular colors during our autumn visit. Around the water setting enabled another amazing feature - mirror look, even on our light rainy day.
The interiors are palace like, average imo. Seeing hundreds of palaces so far, I find them pretty much the same - when you see one, you saw them all so they don't thrill me like the exterior.
Azay le Rideau is one of very few chateaus that are state owned. As a kind staff member told me there're only around 15 state owned, while all others are private.
There's a free parking lot around 300 m from the Chateau and you will pass through a very picturesque same name village while going to it.
Written 27 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Danail D
Sofia, Bulgaria276 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
This is one of the famous smaller castles in the Loire valley. It offers nearly a fairy-tale impression above the water and in the surrounding park.
I recommend the evening visit inside the castle to feel a real atmosphere of the castle centuries ago by special lighting, scents, musical extracts.
Written 9 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SnowyShasta
Portland, OR2,314 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
We enjoyed our experience visiting the chateau. The indoors were interesting - we especially liked the 4-story entrance stairway (with windows at each landing) and the fact that we could go up to the attic to see the ancient beams there (and apparently there are bats, although they were sleeping/not visible). We especially loved the views outdoors - the chateau is very beautiful, and when you cross the river (it's on an island) you get neat views of it reflected in the river water. The grounds were pretty, and we enjoyed exploring a little outdoors as well. We spent around an hour wandering indoors and out and felt like we had a good chance to see and explore the chateau.
Written 7 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brenda G
Los Angeles, CA134 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Couples
This was actually a semi last minute add-on to our itinerary and I’m so glad we went. It’s absolutely charming. I fell in love with it.

We were there in late September and purchased our tickets online before going. Parking was free. We arrived at about 3 pm on a Friday. The weather was gorgeous and it was not busy. Masks are required indoors. We were there for a couple of hours but you can probably do it in less. I just took my sweet time on the grounds staring at it and taking pictures. There is a cafe there- we stopped to have some ice cream and just enjoy the view of the Chateau. The staff was super friendly (except for the gift shop employee who was a bit short though not rude outright). We had an absolutely lovely time and would definitely recommend visiting.
Written 27 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RachelGolfer
Camberley, UK4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
This is a really nice chateau to visit if you're driving through and have time for a short visit. We walked around the gardens and toured the chateau within 1-1.5 hrs. It has all the classical features, like 16th century Flemish tapestries and ornate furniture. We wanted our daughters to experience a chateau on our drive through France but knew they would get bored at one of the larger ones. Kids are free and adults are €11.50, so definitely good value!
Written 16 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Turner S
1,502 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
The garden is a 19th century design which gives it a more familiar feeling. It could be an American country club with its beautifully landscaped, deep green lawn. Lovely views of the chateau all around, even reflecting in the water if the sun hits just right. You can bring your dog in the garden. You can even take them inside if you carry them. Not something we tried with a 17kgs dog but doable for small breeds. Cute village as well.
Written 20 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

braithwaite12
Northampton, UK900 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
The most beautiful of all the french chateau. If the weather is good and the sun in the correct location the views with water reflections are amazing. Walked all round. Few visitors that afternoon so ideal. Did not go inside this visit. Always found it to be a little disappointing. If in the area make it a must visit destination.
Written 26 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jurgen B
Brussels, Belgium2,870 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
I have visited 6 or 7 Loire castles and this is one of my favourites. Because of the outside and of the inside of the castle. I was disgusted by a big group of Americans who almost ran through all the rooms and "did" the castle in less than 3 minutes, but of course, that way you can see half a dozen castles in a day....
Written 16 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 691
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

CHÂTEAU D'AZAY-LE-RIDEAU (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

All Azay-le-Rideau HotelsAzay-le-Rideau Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Azay-le-Rideau
All things to do in Azay-le-Rideau
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire