Centre Val de Loire

Chateau de Chenonceau, a masterpiece of French Renaissance architecture known as Wonder of the Loire Valley and Ladies’ Château as owned by women only

The Renaissance Chateau de Chambord built in the Loire Valley for François I boasts 440 rooms and a double helix staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci

Amboise Castle, the first Renaissance chateau built in the Loire Valley includes the Chapelle St-Hubert where Leonardo da Vinci is believed to be buried

Chateau de Chaumont sur Loire, also known as Chateau de Diane de Poitiers, the favourite of Henri II, is known for its lavish decoration and stables

Chateau de Langeais, a traditional medieval fortress built next to Fulk Nerra’s keep, the oldest stone dungeon remaining in France

Chateau de Plessis les Tours in the outskirts of Tours in the Loire Valley, the only remaining building of the castle where King Louis XI died in 1483

The Chateau de Sully sur Loire was bought by Maximilien de Béthune Lord of Rosny, a brilliant administrator and financier, and eminence grise of Henri IV

Chateau du Clos Luce in Amboise, the last residence of Leonardo da Vinci, runs a permanent exhibition of 40 of his most famous inventions recreated by IBM