Castles to visit near Saumur
While passing through Saumur, do you want to visit one or two castles, but don't know which one to choose? The Château la Comtesse de Loire team has selected 5 emblematic and atypical castles for you, less than 20 km from our Hotel Spa Château in Saumur!
Saumur Castle
Overlooking the royal river in all its majesty, the Château de Saumur is undoubtedly the figurehead of the city which gives it its name. The panorama it offers us from its gardens (free access), especially at the end of the day, is worth the detour alone.
With its appearance of a princess's castle, this castle-palace of the Dukes of Anjou has seen several great names in French history pass through, including the famous King René, before becoming a prison, then an arms and weapons depot. munitions and finally Museum of France and more particularly museum of decorative arts and horses.
The discovery of the Château can be completed in the summer with a guided tour of its belvedere using a double spiral staircase, a rare testimony to the architectural genius of the 14th century.
Montsoreau Castle
Located in one of the most beautiful Loire villages on the banks of the Loire, 12km from Saumur, the Château de Montsoreau-Musée d'Art Contemporain has the world's largest collection of works from the Art & Language movement, a collective of British conceptual artists founded in 1968 in Coventry, England.
Temporary exhibitions, events, meetings, concerts and performances: there are numerous opportunities to wander among its walls while absorbing the creative richness of the works presented there.
A visit to combine with a bucolic stroll through the pretty streets of Montsoreau and why not with a drink on the terrace with a view of the Loire...
The Château de Brézé
10 km south of Saumur, this is an unusual castle and a guided tour that you will remember for a long time! With its deepest dry moats in Europe and its incredible underground troglodyte network, this building grew over time between the 11th and 19th centuries.
Classified as a historic monument, the Château de Brézé is the property of Jean de Colbert, a direct descendant of the famous minister of Louis XIV, who occupies a wing of the buildings with his family.
The treasure of the visit is revealed in its depths where the most important underground seigniorial fortress in Europe is located, comprising both parts of daily life (bakery, stable, silkworm farm) and military parts (drawbridge, walkway).
Montreuil-Bellay Castle
17 km from the Château la Comtesse de Loire hotel-spa is one of the monuments combining Renaissance and medieval architecture to perfection. With its 15 defense towers and 600 meters of ramparts, the Château de Montreuil-Bellay looks like an impregnable fortress, perched above the banks of the Thouet and the fortified town.
Fully furnished, this castle offers a visit rich in surprises, as much as that of its gardens in which it is very pleasant to stroll whatever the season (free access).
At the end of the tour, it is possible to taste and buy wines from the Domaine (harvester owner) in the Saumur and Crémant de Loire appellations.
The Château de la Mothe Chandeniers
Absolutely unique and unusual! 20 km from Saumur, the Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers has been home to wild nature since the fire that ravaged it more than a century ago. Now, this exceptional monument belongs to 28,000 enthusiasts from 117 different countries! Thanks to the start-up Dartagnans and its thousands of co-castellains, this romantic castle which was falling into ruins was the subject of a remarkable rescue.
An incredible visit to this true masterpiece of nature which stands in the middle of an equally unique park in which an original program of events takes place throughout the year.