Visit a Christmas château in Touraine in France this year and what might you see? A magnificent stately palace lit up; trees decorated inside and out; costumed creatures taking you on a historic journey – let the imagination take over!

I become a child again at Christmas, believing everything I am told (well for a little while), hoping everything will be wonderful. It doesn’t last the January chill but hey ho, I enjoy it while I can.

So Christmas at the château. Which château? Seven have dusted themselves down, brought out the decorations and occasionally gone right over the top. The châteaux taking part are Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau, Chinon, Langeais, Loches and Villandry. It’s called Noël au Pays des Châteaux (Christmas in the land of castles).

Their Christmas special displays and events run from Saturday 29 November 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026.

See below for details on special deals, prices etc. for the Touraine châteaux.

Christmas Châteaux in Touraine in the Loire Valley

No surprises that the Christmas extravaganzas take place in the Loire Valley and particularly in Touraine. This lovely stretch of river is the place where the Kings and Queens of France and their illustrious courtiers, mistresses and favourites, built their grand castles, strung along the river like a necklace of pearls.

You might wonder what a Renaissance Christmas was like for children. You’ll discover that here in the Loire Valley.

Amboise Château

In 2025 the forest comes into the castle. Glorious trees decked with fantastical decorations fill the rooms. Even the names conjure up fairy tales: The Tree of Dreams and Fantasies, the Tree of the Fearless Knight, the Forest Prince of the Dark Night, the Tree that Wanted to be King and more.

Events are planned, such as on Dec 26 and 29, a special walk through the castle, entirely illuminated by thousands of candles. Magic!

Azay-le-Rideau Château

Gourmandises au royaume des contes (Delicacies in the fairy tale kingdom) celebrates just that – food and fairy tales. Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and more are dreamt up in glorious exhibits that fill the tables in the rooms of entrancing Azay-le-Rideau.

Château de Chenonceau

Chenonceau sits astride the river; its long gallery windows reflected in the waters below. It was a recreation by Catherine de’ Medici of her beloved Florence where the Ponte Vecchio connected the Medici galleries with the Palazzo Vecchio and never fails to charm.
She let her famous beloved birds from her aviary fly free inside the long gallery with its black-and-white-draughtboard floor. was where she let her birds from her aviary fly free.
Christmas sees the château transformed with festive art. Check the website for special events.

Chinon Château. La Fortresse Royale

Treasures of Christmas takes you back to childhood and the toys, games and pastimes you enjoyed. Once you’re past the guardian dragon, find the treasures, all surrounded by golden light. La Tour de l’Horloge has a photographic exhibition, Gold in your hands, illustrating the Touraine artisans who work at gilding and use gold leaf. On Dec 28, discover the Chinon at night.

Château de Langeais

The medieval Château de Langeais was lit by candlelight and lanterns. A light display features candles and lanterns as well as fairy lights, creating spectacular lighting effects. The rooms are specially lit, showing up the superb furniture, tapestries and more and illustrating the time when only the rich could afford to light their castles; the poor lived in semi darkness.

The Château of Loches: Royal City of Loches

The Château of Loches (known as the Royal City of Loches) is a huge defensive building on a rocky spur overlooking the Indre river. At one end stands a mighty keep, at the other, the château which this Christmas reinvents myths and legends. Like all the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, it mixes magic and fear, though it’s probably the parents who will feel the fear as you walk through the treasures.

Villandry Château

Villandry’s theme fits perfectly: At Christmas, nature comes into the château. Villandry is known for its gardens, so their Christmas show brings all the glories of nature inside. Walk past crackling fires, Christmas trees are bedecked with all kinds of baubles; reindeer, fawns, owls, squirrels and foxes fill the main rooms; there are plant decoration and an enchanted forest.
Special papier mâché works, inspired by the gardens and created by artist Véronique Chauvet will fill the dining room and library.
Look out of the windows onto the winter gardens with mosaics of ornamental cabbages and leeks, box tree lacework, yew tree topiary, and long avenues of sleepy lime trees.

The Touraine Tourist Offices have special rates to visit the thre chateaux of Azay le Rideau, Chinon and Villandry
3-château pass: Adult from €33
The pass also gives you discounts at shops, and tour companies.

You can buy the pass at the Touraine tourist offices or on line here.

Information on France

Departments of France
Regions of France

Christmas in France

December Events in France
Best Christmas Markets in France
Best Christmas Markets in North France (plus where to stay in each town)
How the French celebrate Christmas
Festive Christmas Food in France

More about the Loire Valley

Drive the whole way along the Loire Valley from Le Puy-en-Velay in the Auvergne to St. Nazaire where the mighty river empties into the sea
The Great Rivers of France

The post Christmas Châteaux in Touraine in the Loire Valley appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Have you heard of Château Hardelot? If not, you’re in for a treat.

It’s one of the prettiest, and least known, attractions on the fabulous stretch of north French coast between Le Touquet Paris-Plage and Boulogne.

Built of white stone, its square and round towers and vaulted windows look out over the gardens while a flag made of the British and French insignia flies cheerfully in the breeze from the sea.

Today the château is the centre of the Entente Cordiale, an agreement signed on April 8^th, 1904 to help diplomatic relations between the two countries.

It was a close, but not always amicable, relationship. 

History of Château Hardelot

The château first appears in records in 1194 but it wasn’t until the late 1220s that the small wooden fort was turned into a fully fortified castle. The Counts of Boulogne modeled it on the local fortifications at Boulogne-sur-Mer and Montreuil. It was, of course, designed to keep the traditional English enemy at bay.

The castle may have been defensive, but it was also the last word in medieval luxury with steam rooms and baths to keep the French Lords fragrant.

Louis XI grabbed it as a royal castle, and in October 1532 Henry VIII besieged it as part of his campaign against Boulogne. Later he and François I met here to form one of those all-too-brief alliances between the two warring nations in the interminable 100 years war.

It did okay until the 17^th century when the all-powerful Cardinal Richelieu destroyed the château. He wasn’t too happy with the power of the Counts of Boulogne so pleased the French King with a handy policy of destruction.

A new lease of life for the Château

Nothing much happened over the next two centuries until 1848 when an entrepreneur from the port of Bristol bought the ruins. Sir John Hare began to repair, restore and renovate the buildings.

It became something of a destination for his English friends. Charles Dickens popped in to visit while staying with his mistress (in secret) in nearby Hardelot. 

In 1865 Captain Henry Guy bought the château and rebuilt the castle in its present Tudor style. In 1872 he and his family moved here. 

But it was the entrepreneur John Whitley who had the greatest impact on the château and its surroundings. In 1898 he bought the castle and the 400 acres that went with it to create the seaside resort of Hardelot. He later used the experience to develop chic and rather English Le Touquet Paris-Plage.

The second English invasion of this part of north France was complete.

The two resorts followed a similar pattern of villas set in their own grounds in the pine forests that led down to the sea. They were aimed at a clientele of wealthy English. The Prince of Wales, Edward VII and his sister Louise, Duchess of Argyll sailed over here to join the chic Parisians who came to play golf, ride and walk, misbehave…and party.

The story didn’t stop here though the glamour went out of the window for a while. The castle was sold by John Whitley to one Benjamin Evans in 1921, then in 1932 it became the property of the extraordinary Abbot Bouly, a water diviner and a healer.

In place of the riotous parties came the Sisters of St. Agnes and a retreat. 

Today the château is owned by the local authority who run it as a cultural attractions.

Visiting the Castle

The château is delightful; a thoroughly elegant, and unusually comfortable, place with a plush Victorian interior.

Most of the objects are loaned from public institutions and museums. Items come from the Louvre to the museums in Boulogne, from the ceramic museum in Desvres and the l’hôtel Sandelin de Saint-Omer. They look thoroughly at home here.

In the entrance hall, tiles from the Houses of Parliament set the tone. Look out for deep red lincrusta wallpaper on the stairs from John Whiteley’s factories; William Morris wallpaper in the Smoking room; pictures of Churchill, the Black Prince, Charles I and his French wife Henrietta Maria; chairs in the dining room bought by Napoleon III when he was living in England.

Don’t miss the extraordinary Cabinet of Curiosities. It’s full of the kind of intriguing items gentlemen collected on their travels so they could proudly show them off to their guests. Often some of these items were a bit dodgy in taste, but I couldn’t see anything remotely tasteless when I visited much to my disappointment.

Each year there’s a temporary exhibition. They’ve covered Dickens and Bleriot, and this year feature knights and noble ladies, and photographs of the Beatles. It’s an eclectic programme!

The Elizabethan Theatre

This is a small masterpiece; a gem of a wooden round theatre encased in a wooden delicate lattice-like bamboo surround. It pipped a building by Sir Norman Foster to win a World Architecture award in 2018. Designed by Andrew Todd, an English architect working in Paris, it seats 400 in tiered seats.

If that’s not enough to tempt you, the lively annual program of events, baroque music, jazz, Shakespeare, comedy and performances by the likes of Jane Birkin should.  

Check out my article on the best seaside resorts on the north French coast, which includes Hardelot. Other resorts run from Wimereux on the beautiful, lonely stretch of the Cote d’Opale down to Mers-les-Bains.

I’ve also recommended places to stay.

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