Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord & Clos Lucé Castle Experience

Visit Clos Lucé Castle and one Loire Valley château in a single combo, with skip-the-line entry and self-paced exploration at each site.

Getting started

Scan your mobile ticket at the entrance of Clos Lucé Castle in Amboise and use your skip-the-line entry to move past the regular ticket queue. Once inside, you are free to explore the castle, Leonardo da Vinci Park, and exhibitions at your own pace. Your second château ticket is validated directly at that castle’s entrance on the day you choose to visit.

What to expect

Clos Lucé Castle

Clos Lucé Castle, formerly known as Manoir du Cloux, is the Renaissance residence where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last years of his life at the invitation of King Francis I.

Features

• Walk through Leonardo da Vinci’s bedroom and other richly decorated interiors that evoke his daily life and work during his final years in Amboise.

• Discover models and displays of Leonardo’s major inventions, including designs such as the articulated glider, the tank, the catapult, and the mechanical drum.

• Benefit from skip-the-line entry to Clos Lucé Castle, which gives you full access to its historic rooms, corridors, and architectural details.

Leonardo da Vinci Park and exhibitions

Step outside into Leonardo da Vinci Park, where landscaped grounds and exhibition spaces highlight the inventor’s ideas and machines.

Features

• Stroll through the surrounding park and gardens that frame Clos Lucé Castle and see large-scale models of Leonardo’s inventions set in the landscape.

• Explore on-site exhibitions presenting replicas of his machines, interpretive displays linked to his studies, and installations that connect his work to the castle and park.

• Enjoy access to all included exhibitions across the castle and Leonardo da Vinci Park, moving between indoor galleries and outdoor installations as you like.

Chenonceau Castle and gardens

Chenonceau Castle, known as the “Ladies’ Castle,” spans the Cher River and reflects the influence of figures such as Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers.

Features

• Use your visitor's brochure in 18 languages to guide yourself through Chenonceau Castle and gardens, following suggested routes and room descriptions.

• Visit the chapel, a vaulted Gothic space with stained-glass windows, then continue into royal bedrooms once occupied by queens and noblewomen.

• Walk the gallery bridge, a long ballroom-style corridor stretching over the Cher River and lined with arched windows.

• Head down to the kitchens in the castle’s foundations, where 16th-century culinary tools and layouts are displayed.

• Spend time in the formal gardens, including the areas associated with Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, and explore the Domes and Carriage Galleries with their vaulted wine cellar and collection of historical coaches.

• Your ticket to Chenonceau Castle and gardens includes entry to both the château interiors and the estate’s outdoor spaces for a self-paced visit.

Chambord Castle and gardens

Chambord Castle is the Loire Valley’s largest château, created as a symbol of royal power and strongly influenced by Leonardo da Vinci’s architectural ideas.

Features

• Enter Chambord Castle and gardens directly after security checks and begin exploring the grand Renaissance complex at your own rhythm.

• Climb or view the iconic double-helix staircase, a design that lets two people ascend and descend without crossing paths.

• Access the panoramic terraces to look out over Chambord’s towers, rooftops, and the surrounding estate.

• Use the multilingual visitor's guide and watch the included film to learn about the château’s symbolism, history, and major spaces as you tour the rooms.

• Visit temporary exhibitions at Chambord that present rotating cultural displays within the castle as part of your ticket.

• Enjoy access to the castle gardens, part of a vast parkland that frames the building and completes the estate visit.

Amboise Royal Castle and gardens

Amboise Royal Castle rises above the Loire River and once hosted the French court at the dawn of the Renaissance, with a close connection to Leonardo da Vinci.

Features

• Use your skip-the-line entry to Amboise Royal Castle to move past the ticket queue and head directly into the château.

• Explore castle interiors, towers, and gardens that combine late Gothic and early Renaissance architecture, moving through grand halls and residential spaces.

• Spend time in the Chapel of Saint Hubert, where you can visit Leonardo da Vinci's tomb and see detailed stonework.

• Navigate the site with your included HistoPad AR tablet, using 3D reconstructions to visualize royal apartments, audiences, banquets, construction scenes, and ramparts as they once appeared.

• Step out into the gardens with Loire River views and follow paths and terraces that highlight the castle’s position above the river and town of Amboise.

• Your entry to Amboise Royal Castle covers access to the interiors, towers, gardens, Chapel of Saint Hubert, and the HistoPad AR tablet experience for a self-paced visit.

Wrapping up

Each combo option pairs Clos Lucé Castle and Leonardo da Vinci Park with a different Loire Valley château, so you can choose between Chenonceau Castle and gardens, Chambord Castle and gardens, or Amboise Royal Castle and gardens as per the option selected and plan your visits on separate days within your itinerary.