Château de Chambord Tours
Loire Valley · Sologne · 1519

Château de Chambord Tours

Every way to see the Loire’s largest château, compared — and which fares put the ticket in your hand

Château de Chambord tours take you inside the largest château of the Loire, from the double helix staircase at its heart to a roof crowded with chimneys and turrets. Compare day trips from Paris, small groups from Tours and Amboise and private visits, and see which fares include your château ticket.

See Top Tours Compare every option

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on every tour listed here — the dated admission ticket is the one final sale, and its card says so.

1519Begun
5,440 haWalled park
From $24Per person

Hours, prices and access verified by the Château de Chambord Tours team — last checked 2026-09-10

Château de Chambord Tours › Tours & Tickets 2026 Updated: 2026-09-10
Most booked

Top Château de Chambord Tours for 2026

Three different days from three different starting points: a coach from Paris with both château tickets, a small group from the Loire with lunch at a family château, and ninety minutes with a guide inside Chambord itself.

Best sellerLoire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine

Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine

★★★★★ 4.7 (4,718 reviews · 13 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom ParisInside on your ownWine tasting

Board a coach at the Catacombs entrance in Denfert-Rochereau and spend the day on two of the Loire's great châteaux, with both admission tickets in the fare. Chambord comes first, with an hour and a quarter inside on your own, then free time for lunch in Blois and two hours at Chenonceau. A glass of local Loire wine is poured at Chenonceau, and the guide covers the history on the road rather than in the rooms. It is a thirteen-hour day with fifty seats, which is why the price sits where it does.

  1. Meet at the Catacombs entrance, Denfert-Rochereau
  2. About two hours by coach to the Loire
  3. Chambord for 1 hour 15, entry included
  4. Past the royal château at Blois
  5. Free time for lunch in Blois
  6. Chenonceau for two hours, with a wine tasting
  7. Coach back to Paris

From $129 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Top ratedLoire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

★★★★★ 4.9 (443 reviews · 9 hours 30 minutes)

Château ticket includedFrom Tours or AmboiseLive guideLunch at a family château

Meet your driver-guide at the Tours tourist office at nine, or Amboise at half past, and travel by minivan with no more than eight people. You get two hours at Chenonceau, lunch cooked at the family-owned Château de Villesavin, then two hours at the Château de Chambord in the afternoon. Admission to Chambord is in the fare, and the guiding runs through the major rooms before handing you free time. Get yourself to Tours or Amboise first, because the day starts there rather than in Paris.

  1. Pickup at the Tours or Amboise tourist office
  2. Château de Chenonceau, two hours
  3. Lunch at the family-owned Château de Villesavin
  4. Château de Chambord, two hours
  5. Minivan back to Tours or Amboise

From $283 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Likely to sell outGuided visit of the Château de Chambord

Guided visit of the Château de Chambord

★★★★★ 4.9 (88 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes)

Château ticket not includedAt ChambordLive guideMax 10

Ninety minutes inside the Château de Chambord with an independent live guide and no more than ten people, each with a headset so you hear every word. The guide follows François I's project from the first sketch to the double helix staircase, and the visit is interactive rather than a lecture. Your château ticket is bought separately on the official site, which lets under-18s and young EU visitors use their free entry. Meet at 3 Avenue du Roi, and stay on in the château afterwards.

  1. Buy your château ticket on the official site
  2. Meet your guide at 3 Avenue du Roi
  3. Collect a headset so you hear every word
  4. Ninety minutes guided, ten people at most
  5. The double helix staircase, explained

From $52 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Why book here

Trusted by Thousands of Visitors

★

Best Guides

Discover Chambord with guides who know the building room by room, from the double staircase to the carved vaults, and tell its story so the château makes sense.

✓

Book With Confidence

Every tour here can be cancelled in full up to 24 hours ahead, and your château ticket is already in most fares. You are not charged until the operator confirms your date.

☼

Experience of a Lifetime

Climb the staircase where two people pass unseen, walk the roof among the chimneys, and leave knowing you saw the Loire’s largest château properly.

Visit France Tripadvisor

FREE CANCELLATION up to 24 hours in advance on every tour listed here — check the line on each card.

Everything available

All Château de Chambord Tours & Tickets

Grouped by where your day starts, because that decides everything else. Every card says whether the château ticket is in the fare, where the day begins and who guides you. These Château de Chambord tours and tickets are sold by their operators, and Château de Chambord guided tours run from ninety minutes to a full day. Château de Chambord tickets for the door are sold by the estate, and its own Château de Chambord ticket prices are on the visiting page.

Small groups and private days from Paris

A van of eight or a car for your party, collected in Paris and back the same night. Each of these reaches Chambord every day it runs, with Chenonceau alongside and wine on most. Check the first chip for the château ticket: one of them leaves it for you to buy.

Loire Valley Wine and Castles Small-Group Day Trip from Paris

Loire Valley Wine and Castles Small-Group Day Trip from Paris

★★★★★ 4.8 (677 reviews · 12 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom ParisDriver-guideWine tasting

Three UNESCO-listed châteaux in a day from Paris: Chambord, Chenonceau and Amboise, with entrance tickets to all three in the fare. The small van leaves at seven from the Flamme on Avenue de Wagram and caps at eight, with fuel, tolls and parking covered. A tasting of three French wines closes the day before the drive home. Everyone must be at least seven and able to walk at a moderate pace, so it suits you if you want ground covered.

From $290 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Loire Valley Wine & Castle Tour from Paris With Tasting & Pickup

Loire Valley Wine & Castle Tour from Paris With Tasting & Pickup

★★★★★ 4.9 (68 reviews · 10–13 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom ParisAudio guide insideWine tasting

Hotel pickup in Paris, a minivan for a small group, and a day built around two châteaux and the wines grown between them. Inside Chambord and Chenonceau you explore with an audio guide, and the winery visits pour up to five glasses. A three-course lunch comes with one booking option and not the other, so check which one you pick. The drive is about two and a half hours out and three back, so plan on a full day away from Paris.

From $330 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Loire Castles Chenonceau, Chambord & 2 Wineries Private Trip

Loire Castles Chenonceau, Chambord & 2 Wineries Private Trip

★★★★★ 4.6 (7 reviews · 13 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom ParisGuided visitsTwo wineries

Your own driver collects you from your Paris hotel early, and the day is built around your party alone. Guided visits at Chambord and Chenonceau come with tickets included, and two family wineries pour at least five wines each between the châteaux. Lunch is in Amboise at your own expense, and the thirteen hours run door to door in a Mercedes. Book the option you actually want, since one version drops to a single winery.

From $658 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Day Trip to Loire Castles – Private & Customizable from Paris

Day Trip to Loire Castles – Private & Customizable from Paris

★★★★★ 4.8 (5 reviews · 6–11 hours)

Château ticket not includedFrom ParisPrivate driverYour group only

A private car and driver from Paris for a day you plan yourself, from one château up to three, with parking fees, water and wi-fi covered. The itinerary can run through Chambord, Cheverny, Blois, Chaumont and Amboise, and you decide the order and the pace on the road. Château admission is not in the price, so budget for it at each door you choose. This is transport rather than a guided tour, which suits you if you want freedom more than commentary.

From $415 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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See every Chambord day trip from Paris

Small groups from Tours and Amboise

Start in the Loire and the day goes on the châteaux rather than the motorway: minivans of eight from the tourist offices at 9:00 and 9:30, up to two hours at Chambord with a guide inside, and the château tickets in every fare. What changes is lunch, wine and a stop in Amboise.

Loire Valley Tour Chambord and Chenonceau from Tours or Amboise

Loire Valley Tour Chambord and Chenonceau from Tours or Amboise

★★★★★ 4.9 (113 reviews · 8 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom Tours or AmboiseLive guideMax 8

Door-to-door from the tourist office in Tours or Amboise, a minivan of no more than eight heads for Chenonceau and the Château de Chambord. Entrance fees to both are in the fare, with two hours at each and an English-speaking guide who drives and leads. In winter the itinerary folds in Chenonceau's Christmas decorations. Lunch is on you, so this is the one to choose if you would rather eat where you like.

From $236 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Day Tour to Chenonceau and Chambord Castles

Day Tour to Chenonceau and Chambord Castles

★★★★★ 4.9 (52 reviews · 8 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom ToursGuided visitsMax 8

Two châteaux and nothing else: a small-group day from the Tours tourist office that gives Chenonceau and Chambord two hours each rather than rushing a third. Tickets and a guided visit at both are in the fare, with a licensed English-speaking guide who drives the air-conditioned minivan and hands over free time after the guiding. Lunch is a stop in a Loire village, bought yourself. Groups cap at eight and children under four cannot join, so it suits you best as an adult day out.

From $249 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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From Amboise : Full-Day Chambord & Chenonceau Chateaux

From Amboise : Full-Day Chambord & Chenonceau Chateaux

★★★★★ 4.9 (20 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes)

Château ticket includedFrom AmboiseLive guide

Start at the Amboise tourist office and drive out to Chenonceau, then on to Chambord, with entrance fees to both châteaux in the fare. An English-speaking guide leads each visit for about an hour and a half before free time, and the minivan keeps the group small. Food, drinks and tips are your own, so bring cash for lunch on the way. Children under four cannot join, which makes it a day built for adults and older teenagers.

From $226 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau & Chambord from Tours/Amboise

Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau & Chambord from Tours/Amboise

★★★★★ 4.9 (32 reviews · 9 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom Tours or AmboiseGuided visitsMax 8

Collect your seat at the Tours tourist office at nine, or Amboise at half past, for guided visits at Chenonceau and Chambord with a professional driver-guide. The day breaks in the middle with about two and a half hours in Amboise, where you can eat, wander the old streets or visit the royal château above the Loire. Groups cap at eight and the minivan finishes back around six. Getting to Tours or Amboise is up to you, which makes it an easy add to a Loire stay.

From $236 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord & Caves Ambacia from Tours/Amboise

Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord & Caves Ambacia from Tours/Amboise

★★★★★ 4.6 (171 reviews · 9 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom Tours or AmboiseGuided visitsWine tasting

Swap one château for a wine cellar: this small-group day from Tours or Amboise visits Chenonceau and Chambord with guided visits at each and a tasting inside the Caves Ambacia. The driver-guide collects you at nine in Tours or half past in Amboise, and you are back around six. Lunch is extra, and the tour and tasting run in English only. With about nine hours on the road and on your feet, it suits adults better than young children.

From $283 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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See every tour from Tours and Amboise

At the château itself

Already on your way by car or train? A dated admission ticket on your phone, or two hours with a private guide who takes your party round, tickets included.

Best valueChambord: Entry Ticket to the Castle

Chambord: Entry Ticket to the Castle

★★★★★ 4.7 (2,206 reviews)

Château ticket includedAt ChambordSelf-guided

Admission to the Château de Chambord and its French formal gardens, bought ahead and shown on your phone at the door. The ticket covers the self-guided route through more than sixty rooms and any temporary exhibition, so this autumn it includes the Festins de Chambord from 26 September. Choose the EU/EEA option only if you can prove residence; everyone else books the standard ticket, and under-18s enter free. It is a final sale and valid on the day you pick.

From $24 per person

Final sale — this ticket is not refundable, so fix your date before you book.

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Chambord Castle: Private Guided Walking Tour

Chambord Castle: Private Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★ 4.6 (10 reviews · 2 hours)

Château ticket includedAt ChambordPrivate guideYour group only

Two hours at the Château de Chambord with a licensed guide for your party alone, admission tickets included. You start in front of the tourist information office on Place Saint-Louis and walk the interior and the formal gardens at your own pace. The commentary runs from the Renaissance and Leonardo's influence through to the Revolution, in French, English, German, Italian or Spanish. It is the one option listed here that states wheelchair access, which matters if anyone in your group needs it.

From $343 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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See the private tours

Three-château coaches from Paris — Amboise on Mondays and Saturdays

The lowest fares from Paris, with Chenonceau, Cheverny and Chambord tickets in the price. Both visit the royal château of Amboise instead of Chambord on Mondays and Saturdays, one of them in summer only, so they come last here and their chips say so. Pick any other day and they are excellent value.

From Paris: Full-Day Loire Valley Chateaux Tour

From Paris: Full-Day Loire Valley Chateaux Tour

★★★★☆ 4.4 (1,475 reviews · 13 hours)

Château ticket includedFrom ParisSummer Mon & Sat: Amboise insteadGuide by option

Three châteaux by coach from the Pullman hotel at Bercy: Chenonceau, Cheverny and Chambord, with entrance tickets for all three in the fare. A live guide or an audio guide comes with the option you book, and the day runs to thirteen hours. On Mondays and Saturdays in summer this route visits Amboise instead of Chambord, so pick your date with that in mind. Lunch is yours to buy, and headphones are worth bringing for the audio option.

From $104 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Guided Loire Valley Day Trip with Chambord, Chenonceau & Cheverny

Guided Loire Valley Day Trip with Chambord, Chenonceau & Cheverny

★★★★★ 4.7 (18 reviews · 13 hours 15 minutes)

Château ticket includedFrom ParisMon & Sat: Amboise insteadLive guide

Leave Paris by coach from the Pullman at Bercy for a guided day at Chambord, Chenonceau and Cheverny, with entry and a skip-the-line booking at all three. A licensed guide covers each château, in English or Spanish depending on the option, and the group caps at twenty-five. On Mondays and Saturdays the route takes Amboise in place of Chambord, so choose any other day if Chambord is the reason you are going. Bring food, since there is none on the coach.

From $136 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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What the fares really cost

The château

About the Château de Chambord

The Château de Chambord was begun in 1519 for François I as a showpiece rather than a home, and he spent only about fifty days in it. It is the largest château of the Loire: a keep planned as a Greek cross around its famous staircase, more than 60 rooms open to you, a roof of chimneys and turrets, and a 5,440-hectare park inside a 32-kilometre wall. State property since 1930 and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981, it hid the Mona Lisa during the Second World War.

History

Begun in 1519 and finished under Louis XIV, who roofed the last wings and saw Molière’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme first performed here on 14 October 1670. After him came an exiled king of Poland, Maurice de Saxe, the Count of Chambord and, in 1939, the Louvre’s evacuated paintings.

Planning your visit

Open 9:00 to 18:00 until 25 October and 9:00 to 17:00 after, with last entry half an hour before closing. Admission is €21 for EEA nationals and residents and €31 for everyone else, and under-18s go free. The car parks sit 600 metres from the door, and a shuttle runs from Blois station.

Architecture & layout

Nobody knows who designed it, though sketches in Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks match its staircase and its centre-plan keep. Four great rooms meet in a cross around the stair, carved vaults cover the second floor, and the lantern tower crowns the roof terrace you can walk out onto.

The carved coffered vault of a second-floor room, tall windows at the far endThe lawns and gravel scrolls of the French formal gardens stretching to the forest edgeA round corner tower of the keep with its conical roof and dormer windows
What you will see

Named Highlights of a Château de Chambord Visit

Six things worth the trip, from the stair at the centre of the keep to the stables across the forecourt.

The double helix staircase

At the centre of the keep, the double helix staircase winds two ramps round one hollow core, so two people climbing at once see each other and never meet.

The lantern tower and the roof terraces

Walk out among the chimneys and stair turrets, with the lantern tower rising over the staircase below you.

The carved vaults of the second floor

Hundreds of crowned letter F and salamanders, the emblems of François I, cover the long vaults of the cross-shaped rooms.

The French formal gardens

The French formal gardens were replanted in 2017 to a drawing of 1734, six and a half hectares of lawn and gravel in front of the main facade.

The horse show in the marshal’s stables

Ten horses and eight riders tell 500 years of Chambord in a 45-minute horse show, from April to early November.

Les Festins de Chambord

From 26 September 2026 the Festins de Chambord exhibition sets four historic feasts inside the château, included in your ticket.

Plan your visit

Everything You Need Before You Go

Admission to the château and gardens is €21 for nationals and residents of the European Economic Area and €31 for everyone else, on a trial rate that runs to the end of 2026. Under-18s go free, and so do EU citizens under 26. The HistoPad tablet is €6.50 more.

See every rate and rule

About two hours from Paris by car, 25 minutes from Blois. By train, go to Blois-Chambord in about 80 minutes, then take the Rémi line 2 shuttle for €3.30. The car parks are 600 to 850 metres from the door, at €8 a day.

Map and getting there

9:00 to 18:00 from 28 March to 25 October, 9:00 to 17:00 the rest of the year, last entry half an hour before closing. The horse show and the boats run from April to early November, the stags call from mid-September, and Christmas starts on 28 November.

Month by month

Bags larger than 55 by 35 by 20 centimetres go in the free lockers at the entrance, and power banks are not allowed inside at all. The François I wing is closed for restoration until 2030. More than 60 rooms stay open, and the film on the ground floor is the best twenty minutes to start with.

What to see, floor by floor

Straight answer

Do You Need a Guided Tour of the Château de Chambord at All?

No, and it is worth saying plainly. The estate sells its own admission, €21 or €31 depending on your passport and free under 18, and the château is laid out to be explored on your own. The HistoPad adds commentary for €6.50, and in July and August the estate runs its own English tour for €7. If you have a car and a free day, going alone is the better value.

What a tour buys is three other things: the two-hour drive from Paris or the hop from the Loire, Chenonceau on the same day, and on the small groups a guide who takes you through the rooms. Most tours also put your ticket in the fare, which narrows the gap more than the headline price suggests.

See Top Tours  Tickets or a guide?

Every tour here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead, so booking early costs you nothing if the day changes.

Which one is me

Choosing Between a Paris Day Trip, a Loire Tour and a Visit on Your Own

The comparison table below sorts the options. This one picks for you.

You are in Paris with one free day

The coach with both château tickets from Denfert-Rochereau. It reaches Chambord every day it runs and costs the least of the Paris days that always do.

You are touring the Loire by train

A minivan of eight from the Tours or Amboise tourist office. Two hours at Chambord, a guide in the rooms, and your tickets in the fare.

You have a car and the whole day

The ticket, or the ninety-minute guided visit with your own ticket. Then the horse show, the gardens and the park, none of which a day tour has time for.

You are travelling with children

On your own, because under-18s get in free. Plan around the children’s space on the second floor and the 11:45 horse show.

Someone in your party uses a wheelchair

The private walking tour, the only product that states wheelchair access. The ground floor, the courtyard and the gardens are step-free.

It is a special occasion

Lunch cooked at the family-owned Château de Villesavin between Chenonceau and Chambord, or a private day from Paris with two wineries.

Compare

Which Château de Chambord Tour Is Right for You?

Sorted by rating against review volume. Watch the ticket column as well as the price: a fare without the château ticket costs you €31 more at the door if you are from outside the EEA.

TourRatingFromChâteau ticketBest for
Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle4.9From $283 per personIncludedTravellers staying in the Loire who want lunch arranged and time insideBook
Loire Valley Tour Chambord and Chenonceau from Tours or Amboise4.9From $236 per personIncludedLoire-based travellers who would rather choose their own lunchBook
Guided visit of the Château de Chambord4.9From $52 per personNot includedAnyone already at Chambord who wants a guide for the château itselfBook
Loire Valley Wine & Castle Tour from Paris With Tasting & Pickup4.9From $330 per personIncludedParis visitors who want hotel pickup and a proper winery stopBook
Day Tour to Chenonceau and Chambord Castles4.9From $249 per personIncludedAdults staying in Tours who want two châteaux done properlyBook
Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau & Chambord from Tours/Amboise4.9From $236 per personIncludedLoire visitors who also want free time in Amboise at lunchBook
From Amboise : Full-Day Chambord & Chenonceau Chateaux4.9From $226 per personIncludedVisitors based in Amboise who want a guided day without drivingBook
Loire Valley Wine and Castles Small-Group Day Trip from Paris4.8From $290 per personIncludedActive visitors from Paris who want three châteaux and a tastingBook
Day Trip to Loire Castles – Private & Customizable from Paris4.8From $415 per personNot includedGroups up to seven who want a driver and their own itineraryBook
Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine4.7From $129 per personIncludedParis-based visitors who want both tickets bought and a set priceBook
Chambord: Entry Ticket to the Castle4.7From $24 per personIncludedIndependent visitors arriving by car or train who want the door sortedBook
Guided Loire Valley Day Trip with Chambord, Chenonceau & Cheverny4.7From $136 per personIncludedSpanish or English speakers who want three châteaux in one dayBook
Day Tour of Chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord & Caves Ambacia from Tours/Amboise4.6From $283 per personIncludedWine-curious adults staying in Tours or AmboiseBook
Chambord Castle: Private Guided Walking Tour4.6From $343 per personIncludedFamilies and anyone needing step-free access who want a private guideBook
Loire Castles Chenonceau, Chambord & 2 Wineries Private Trip4.6From $658 per personIncludedCouples and families from Paris who want wine and their own paceBook
From Paris: Full-Day Loire Valley Chateaux Tour4.4From $104 per personIncludedBudget travellers from Paris who can avoid Mondays and SaturdaysBook
Our guide set each château in context before we went in, and found us a lunch spot in Blois we would never have found alone.Don S. · Couple · August 2026
With only six others in the van we had time to get to know the group, and the lunch was first class.Carol C. · Two friends · May 2025
The best way to see the château: a guide who knew it inside out, then as long as we wanted on our own.Amy · United States · September 2025
What to expect

How a Day at the Château de Chambord Runs

Where you start changes, but the day underneath is the same on almost every option.

1

Meet your coach or your guide

Around 7:00 at a Paris meeting point, 9:00 or 9:30 at a Loire tourist office, or at the château itself if you are driving.

2

The drive into the Sologne

About two hours from Paris, much less from the Loire, with the history told on the way.

3

Through the door

Your ticket is checked, and anything over the bag limit goes into a free locker.

4

The staircase and the keep

Up the double helix to the apartments, the carved vaults and the roof terraces.

5

Chenonceau, or your own time

Most tours move on to Chenonceau; on your own, the show, the gardens and the park.

Traveller reviews

Château de Chambord Tours Reviews

Travellers’ own words after their own day at Chambord, with the stars each of them gave — the mixed ones included, because they tell you what to expect.

★★★★★

Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine

Our guide set the Château de Chambord and Chenonceau in the wider story of French history before we went in, and the two could not be more different. He also found us a lunch spot in Blois with a terrace we would never have found alone.

Don S. · Couple · August 2026

★★★☆☆

Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine

Know before you book that this is not a guided visit inside the Château de Chambord or Chenonceau: you get the history, then you go round on your own. Blois felt rushed on a very hot day, and we would have liked water points pointed out.

Beverly B. · Traveller · August 2026

★★★★★

Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

With only six others in the van we had time to get to know the group. The Château de Chambord and Chenonceau were magnificent and the lunch was first class. The only hard part was reaching Tours: take the train the night before rather than at six in the morning.

Carol C. · Two friends · May 2025

★★★★☆

Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

Great places and a friendly, knowledgeable guide. Worth knowing that about half the time at each château is free time, which suits some people more than others.

Kevin M. · Traveller · May 2026

★★★★★

Loire Valley Day Tour Chambord and Chenonceau plus Lunch at a Private Castle

My friends and I had a great day and a very good local lunch. The guide was the highlight: full of knowledge and easy company.

Lauren C. · Group of friends · April 2026

★★★★★

Guided visit of the Château de Chambord

The best way to see the château. Our guide was friendly and knew it inside out, and after the tour we had as long as we wanted to explore the rooms and the grounds ourselves.

Amy · United States · September 2025

★★★★★

Guided visit of the Château de Chambord

Full of anecdotes, and it is what finally made sense of how the château was built. We would not have understood half of it on our own.

Suzanne · France · April 2026

★★★★☆

Chambord: Entry Ticket to the Castle

We went into the Château de Chambord on 14 July with a ticket that had no time slot and waited just under half an hour outside first. Once in, a very good visit.

Gianna · Italy · July 2026

★★★★★

Day Tour to Chenonceau and Chambord Castles

A group of college friends and I did this on a grey, rainy day and still had a fabulous time; the Château de Chambord and Chenonceau were beautiful even in the rain. Our guide was informative and good company.

Rina Z. · Group of friends · April 2025

★★★★★

Loire Valley Wine and Castles Small-Group Day Trip from Paris

Three sisters aged 66 to 70, and we were looked after from start to finish. Beautiful places and a wonderful guide.

Sharon R. · Three sisters · June 2026

★★★★★

Loire Valley Tour Chambord and Chenonceau from Tours or Amboise

My family called it the best tour they have ever been on. Just the right mix of history and fun.

Paul E. · Family · July 2026

★★★★★

Loire Valley Wine & Castle Tour from Paris With Tasting & Pickup

Our guide shaped the day around my husband and me, even stopping by a sunflower field for photographs. Lunch was exceptional and the châteaux grand.

Peggy R. · Couple · August 2025

Read all reviews

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Château de Chambord tours cost?
A guided visit inside the château starts at about $52, and a dated admission ticket at about $24. Day tours from Tours or Amboise run from about $226 to $283, and coach days from Paris start at about $104. Private tours run from about $343 to $658 per person.
Do you need a guided tour to visit the Château de Chambord?
No. The château sells its own admission and is laid out to be explored on your own, with a HistoPad tablet for €6.50 if you want commentary. A tour earns its price on transport: Chambord is about two hours from Paris by car, and most tours pair it with Chenonceau the same day.
How much is a Château de Chambord ticket in 2026?
Admission to the château and the French formal gardens is €31, or €21 if you are a national or resident of a European Economic Area country. The two-tier rate is experimental, introduced on 14 January 2026 and valid until 31 December. Under-18s go free, and so do EU citizens under 26.
Which Chambord tours include the château ticket?
Almost all of them: admission is inside the fare on every tour from Tours and Amboise and on every group day trip from Paris. The two that leave it out are the 90-minute guided visit at the château and the customisable private car from Paris. Every card here says which it is.
What are the Château de Chambord opening hours?
From 28 March to 25 October 2026 the château opens 9am to 6pm, and from 26 October to 18 December 9am to 5pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing, and the gardens close 30 minutes before the château. It shuts on 1 January and 25 December, and the park is open every day.
How long do you need at Chambord?
Allow two hours for the château on your own and three with the gardens. Add the horse show and the park and it becomes a full day. Tours give you between one and two hours inside, depending on the operator.
Can you visit Chambord as a day trip from Paris?
Yes, and it is how most people see it. Coach and minivan days leave central Paris around 7am and return 12 to 13 hours later, with one to two hours at Chambord and usually Chenonceau as well. If you want longer at the château, stay a night in Tours or Amboise and join a Loire-based tour.
Can you see Chambord and Chenonceau in one day?
Yes, and nearly every tour listed here pairs them. From Tours or Amboise you get up to two hours at each; from Paris the time is shorter because of the drive. The two are very different châteaux, which is why the pairing works.
Is the Chambord HistoPad worth it?
For most visitors, yes. It costs €6.50 on top of admission, guides you through 16 stations from the ground floor to the second, and shows nine 3D reconstructions of the rooms as they were under François I. It runs in twelve languages and opens views of areas closed to the public.
What is special about the Chambord staircase?
It is a double helix: two ramps twist one above the other around a hollow core, so two people climbing at once can see each other through the openings and never meet. It rises from the first floor to the roof terraces. Its design matches sketches in Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, though the château's architect is unknown.
Is any part of Chambord closed in 2026?
Yes. The François I wing, which holds the king's private apartments, has been almost entirely closed since 2023 and is being restored until 2030, with a reopening planned by 2032. The lapidarium, the carriage room, the king's room and his study are also closed, and more than 60 rooms stay open.
When is the Chambord horse show?
It runs from 4 April to 27 September and from 17 October to 1 November 2026, for 45 minutes in the Maréchal de Saxe stables. Showtimes are 11:45 on weekdays and 11:45 and 4pm at weekends, with two shows daily in July and August and none on Mondays in the spring and summer season. Adults pay €18.
Is the Château de Chambord wheelchair accessible?
The ground floor and its rooms, the café, the shop and the French formal gardens are, with a ramp into the keep. The upper floors are not, and the HistoPad's reduced-mobility version shows them to you instead. A disabled visitor and one companion get in free.
Is Chambord good for children?
Very. Under-18s get in free, the second floor has a free children's space open every day, and the HistoPad carries a treasure hunt. The 45-minute horse show is the part most children remember.
Can you cancel a Château de Chambord tour?
Every tour listed here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead. The exception is the admission ticket sold as a booking of its own, which is non-refundable and says so on its card. Check the line on each card before you pay.

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Photographs

Château de Chambord Gallery

The Château de Chambord reflected full length in the still water of its canalThe lantern tower, chimneys and stair turrets crowning the keep of the Château de ChambordLooking up the stone spiral of the double helix staircase at the centre of the keepThe lawns and gravel scrolls of the French formal gardens stretching to the forest edgeChambord and its French formal gardens seen from above in low evening lightThe arches of Chenonceau's gallery reflected in the Cher in soft evening light

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What else the day holds

Beyond Chambord

Three things within reach, and the day tours already build two of them in.

Chenonceau, on the Cher

The château built across a river, and the one almost every tour pairs with Chambord. Its gallery stands on arches over the water.

Blois and its royal château

Twenty-five minutes by road, with an old town below its royal château. The Paris coach stops there for lunch.

The forest beyond the wall

The park never closes. The canal circuit, the Grande Promenade and the cycle paths take you into 5,440 hectares of Sologne forest.

Read before you go

Château de Chambord Guides and Advice

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Where it is

Finding the Château de Chambord

Château de Chambord
41250 Chambord, France

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Name

The Château de Chambord, run by the Domaine national de Chambord, in the Loir-et-Cher on the edge of the Sologne.

Address

41250 Chambord, France

Phone

Information: +33 (0)2 54 50 40 00 · Reservations: +33 (0)2 54 50 50 40

Hours

9:00 to 18:00 from 28 March to 25 October 2026, and 9:00 to 17:00 from 26 October to 18 December. Last entry half an hour before closing; closed 1 January and 25 December. The park is open every day.

Getting there

About two hours from Paris by car, or the train to Blois and the Rémi line 2 shuttle. The car parks and every tour meeting point are on the map page.

Book Your Château de Chambord Tour

Pick your day, check the chip that says whether your ticket is in the fare, and book. A Château de Chambord reservation made through these pages costs the same as booking direct, and every Château de Chambord booking here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead. Whether it is a Chambord castle tour from Paris or a guided visit at the door, the right one is the one that gives you the time inside you want.

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Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on every tour.