Program of the excursion to Loire Castles
(Cheverny – Chenonceau – Blois – Amboise)

Week-end of the 18th and 19th of November 2017
(Français )

Discover the delights of the Loire Valley. Chenonceau, Amboise, Blois and Cheverny open their doors and welcome you back to the time of the Kings of France.
Well known for its beautiful landscapes, lovely weather and gentle way of life, the Loire region was greatly enjoyed by the Kings of France from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, who eagerly constructed their castles here.


Saturday’s program:

  • Meeting at 6.30am at place de l’Opéra on the stairs of the Opera Garnier ( Metro Opera, lines 3- 7- 8 RER A, station Auber)
  • Departure for Cheverny Castle
  • Guided tour of Cheverny Castle
  • Departure for Blois
  • Free time for lunch at Blois
  • Guided tour of Blois Castle
  • Free time to walk around and visit the city of Blois
  • Dinner and sociable evening at Blois
  • Night at the hotel in the city center of Blois

 



Source : CIJP

Chenonceau Castle

Chenonceau Castle, the most exquisite of the Loire castles, is the most popular historical monument in France after Versailles. Built on the river Cher, the waters reflect the unique beauty of the Renaissance architecture, Chenonceau Castle is the jewel in the Loire crown. This enchanting place, with its surrounding French gardens and park, has an aura of delicate elegance


Source : Pixabay


Source : Pixabay

After your unforgettable visit to the castle, you are free to explore the vast Chenonceau estate with its two famous and outstanding gardens, named after their patrons Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici.
Chenonceau is not only remarkable because of its architecture and history but also due to the wealth of its collections, the tour inside the castle will reveal Renaissance furniture, a series of tapestries from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and many revered paintings. Among the most famous being, Le Primatice, le Correge, Rubens, Le Tintoret, Rigaud, Nattier, Van Loo...


Source : Château d'Amboise /L. de Serres

Castle Amboise gardens

The royal gardens of Amboise are original because they are inside the fortress of the castle itself. Open and over-looking the town and the Loire Valley, they have for some time now been undergoing a thorough landscaping. Created at the end of the fifteenth century by a landscape architect, a monk from Naples, the style is more reminiscent of the warmer Italian peninsular with Cyprus trees, oaks and bay trees

Blois Castle

Blois Castle is built in four sections surrounding the court, four castles, four eras, four pillars of French architecture:

  • Eighteenth century Gothic style - the gothic dining room is the oldest of its kind in France;

  • Flamboyant gothic style – Louis XII introduced the Renaissance style when he made Blois the royal residence and added a wing at the end of the fifteenth century;

  • Sixteenth century Renaissance style - Francis I incorporated a decorative Italian architecture with the round staircase and the Loges façade;

  • Seventeenth century classical architecture - the best example is the Francois Mansart dome.


Source : Flickr/ Niko Kaptur


Source : Château d'Amboise /E Sander


Source : Pixabay

Amboise

Build in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, this classically royal castle, introduced an Italian taste to the Loire Valley. The historical setting creates the perfect atmosphere for the exceptional collection of gothic and Renaissance furniture. After a visit to the royal lodgings, a walk in the beautiful panoramic gardens with Mediterranean plants is in order. In the Saint Hubert chapel, the tomb of Leonardo de Vinci has recently been elegantly restored.

 

Blois castle was built in a dominant position over looking the Loire and the Arrou. This location has been fortified since ancient times. Thibault the Dishonest constructed the first medieval fortress on this site in the tenth century. The Chatillon family extended it in the thirteenth century but only the state rooms remain.

The castle we see today essentially dates back to the sixteenth century, it is the work of Louis XII (North East wing) and François I (North West wing – with the famous staircase). The castle is the result of all these various extensions throughout the centuries and gives a good insight into how life used to be at Blois

 

 

Cheverny Castle

Cheverny Castle, built in the seventeenth century, was inspired by the Palais du Luxembourg. A perfect example of classical French architecture, it is also the castle which inspired Hergé’s famous Marlinspike (Moulinsart) castle in the Tintin comics.

The splendid interior decoration is a work by a native of Blois � Jean Monier. 34 wooden panels placed on the walls of the dining room, retell the story of Don (a character of a novel by Cervantes). Upstairs, you can admire sumptuous decoration of the King�s Chamber, particularly its coffered ceiling.


Source : CIJP

Sunday’s program :

  • Breakfast and departure for Chenonceau castle
  • Self guided tour of Chenonceau Castle and its magnificent gardens
  • Departure for Amboise
  • Time for lunch at Amboise
  • Self-guided tour of the city of Amboise and its monuments : Amboise castle, Clos Luc� (Leonard de Vinci�s house)
  • Departure for Paris and arrival expected around 8.30pm

BOOK HERE* (For members, 120,00 € Week-end of 18th and 19th of November 2017, registration before the 17th of November)
*Definitive reservation only on full payment.

To become member Click here

Click here to see the terms of participation

For more information :

Contact CIJP
Club International des Jeunes à Paris
201-203, rue de Vaugirard
75015 Paris
Tél. : 01 43 06 23 16

Website : www.club-international.org

Price :120 € full payment before the 17th of November 2017 at 17h:00 *

which includes :
( Definitive reservation only on full payment)

- Coach travel and transport by coach
- Guided tours and entrance fees at Cheverny, Chenonceau and Blois castle.
- Accommodation in shared rooms (from 2 to 3 occupants)***
(Triple room"non mixtes" have a double bed and a single bed)
- Breakfast on Sunday morning



*An additional 7€ per person for double rooms tions after this


Translated by Anna WHICHER

See photos from previous trips

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