The Loire Valley, nicknamed the "Garden of France", is renowned for its verdant landscapes, majestic châteaux and sumptuous gardens.
Nestled along the banks of the Loire and its tributaries, these gardens offer an enchanting spectacle: French gardens with romantic landscapes, English gardens, or parks with century-old trees... there's something for everyone!
Here's our selection of the best gardens in the Loire Valley, with useful tips in pictures!
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
The best gardens in the Loire Valley: map + quick answer
Here's a map to locate our favorite gardens, which we've listed in this article:
And if you only need to make 4, to have a nice variety, we recommend you:
- Jardins de Villandry, classic gardens - Book your tickets
- Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, creative gardens - Book your ticket and get a guided tour!
- Terra Botanica, a unique and magical theme park - Book your tickets
- The charming garden-village of Chedigny
1. Gardens of Château de Villandry
Why visit it? Our review
A true jewel of the Loire Valley, this estate will surprise you with its intertwining gardens, breathtaking views and atypical château!
What makes it so special is that it was reinvented by Joachim Carvallo with its different influences: the gardens of medieval Christianity, the geometric parks of the Italian Renaissance and the symbolism of Hispano-Moorish parterres.
You won't be able to resist the shimmering colors and perfect geometry of this formal garden. In fact, we're willing to bet you'll come back with hundreds of photos after your visit!
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Near the city of: Tours
- From Tours = 25 min drive
- From Saumur = 40 min drive
- Open to visitors: February to mid-November and December
- Large, but not difficult to visit
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
WHERE TO STAY IN THE Loire Valley
Our independent picks for the accommodation of your dreams:
2. Chaumont-sur-Loire estate
Why visit it? Our review
If this medieval castle is today a must-see in the Loire Valley, it is for its gardens! The estate has become the French, if not international, reference for contemporary gardens. It offers 13 permanent gardens that preserve the horticultural heritage and 24 ephemeral gardens created around an annual theme. It is in this enchanting setting that the Chaumont-sur-Loire castle stands.
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Nearest city: Blois
- From Blois = 20 min drive
- From Amboise = 20 min drive
- Open to visitors all year round - garden festival from late April to early November
- Large, but not difficult to visit
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: yes
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
3. Terra Botanica
Why visit it? Our review
Terra Botanica in Angers is a fascinating destination for lovers of botany, nature and adventure.
The experience takes you to different worlds, with sensory trails combining plants from all over the world and unique, magical settings.
The park also offers surprising attractions such as virtual reality, a giants' course and a tree walk...
You won't be bored.
Useful tips
- Nearest city: Angers
- From Angers center = 20 min drive
- Open to visitors: April to August, all months + selected days in September and October.
- Large, but not difficult to visit
- Suitable for children: a park that will appeal to adults and children alike, it's a magical place.
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
- Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
4. Garden of Château du Rivau
Why visit it? Our review
The castle of Rivau is a magical castle that tells us about the life of these agricultural regions in the Middle Ages. We loved it! The owners take us back and forth between renaissance and contemporary art, but also between nature and architecture.
And what makes the place even more magical are its 15 remarkable gardens, with their resolutely dreamlike universes, while ensuring the preservation of the Loire Valley's horticultural heritage (conservatories for perfumed roses and gourds).
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Nearest major city: Tours
- Near Chinon
- From Tours = 50 min drive
- From Saumur = 45 min drive
- Open to visitors: April 1 to mid-November
- No difficulties to visit the garden
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: yes
- read our complete article (photos and advices) on thevisit of the castle of Rivau.
- read our complete article (photos and reviews) on the hotel du Château du Rivau
5. Chenonceau castle garden
Why visit it? Our review
For us, the most beautiful castle of the Loire Valley. The Château de Chenonceaux majestically spans the Cher, its magnificent Renaissance architecture reflected in the river.
The gardens and interior are also exceptional, and we came away intoxicated by so much beauty. You'll find several sections in different styles:
Catherine de Médicis's garden, with five lawn panels, bordered by boxwood cut into balls. They stretch around a circular basin.
The Green Garden, a 19th-century English-style park with exceptional trees (blue cedars, redwoods, firs, holm oaks, etc.).
The Russell Page Tribute Garden: Few visitors take the time to stroll through it, but we found it very pleasant and soothing.
The Potager des Fleurs and the Parc aux ânes, with over a hundred varieties of cut flowers and 400 rose bushes.
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Close to the town of Amboise
- From Amboise = 20 min drive
- From Tours = 40 min drive
- Open to visitors all year round
- The garden is easy to visit (but there are steps up to the castle)
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
A LITTLE MORE patience
All the photos, maps, information, good addresses to make your stay in the Loire Valley a success, will soon be gathered in a single ebook!
If you wish to be informed of the publication of our guide on the Loire, register:
6. Château de Cheverny garden
Why visit it? Our review
Château de Cheverny was built in the 17th century, but became part of the history of Loire castles when Hergé used it as the inspiration for the famous Château de Moulinsart in which Tintin was held prisoner, before becoming the property of the volcanic Captain Haddock.
In addition to a museum dedicated to these paper characters, Claire was delighted by the château's vast park, which can be visited by electric buggy and boat, and its remarkable trees.
We were really enchanted by this park: formal gardens in front of the château, with beautiful symmetry, and large lawn parterres.
We advise you to pay the supplement to tour the park with a guide and access areas closed to solo visitors.
This takes you along an avenue of impressive trees and onto a small boat with sumptuous Beaucarnea (Elephant Foot) trees.
Useful tips
- Nearest major city: Blois
- From Blois = 20 min drive
- From Amboise = 45min drive
- From Tours = 1h drive
- Open to visitors all year round
- No visiting difficulties
- Suitable for children: particularly suitable for children
- Possibility of accommodation: yes
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
7. Chedigny, the garden village
Why visit it? Our review
It is the only village in France to have been awarded the "remarkable garden" label, not for a park but for the entire village.
Even when the roses are not in bloom, it is very attractive with all the greenery around the houses.
But, if you can, visit when the 1000 rosebushes of the village are blooming to savor the visit with all our senses.
Don't miss the priest's garden with its vegetable garden, orchard and medicinal plants.
And Chedigny also develop its banks of the Indrois for even more moments to admire the beauty of nature.
It's one of the best villages in the Loire Valley(see our list).
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Nearest major city: Tours
- From Amboise = 30 min drive
- From Tours = 40 min drive
- Open all year round, but particularly interesting in spring.
- No visiting difficulties
- Ample and easy parking
- Prices: free access to village streets
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
8. Plessis-Sasnières garden
Why visit it? Our review
An English-style garden designed by Rosamé Henrion.
We were charmed by this bucolic stroll around a pond and buildings of sober architecture: 11 hectares with magnolias, perennials, rosebushes, apple trees...
And we were seized by the tranquility of the place. It's a true haven of peace!
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Nearest major city: Tours
- From Tours = 45 min drive
- From Amboise = 40 min drive
- Easy tour on grass
- Open to visitors: April to October, Thursday to Monday
- Timetable on the official website here.
- See our article on the visit (coming soon)
9. Valmer Castle garden
Why visit it? Our review
The beautiful castle of Valmer was ravaged during the night of October 20-21, 1948 by a fire caused by an iron. A surprising yew castle now symbolizes the site of the former residence, and opens onto magnificent terraced gardens typical of the Renaissance, which extend over an area of 5 hectares, in the middle of a park of 60 hectares.
Useful tips
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Nearest city: Tours
- From Tours = 30min drive
- From Amboise = 20 min drive
- Opening period: late April to late September
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- Read our full article on the visit (coming soon)
Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Get away from it all with Region Lovers' beautiful destinations!
- Once a month
- Advertising-free
10. Garden at Château d'Ussé
Why visit it? Our review
The castle of Ussé is one of the most enchanting in the Loire Valley and is suitable for children. We liked its architecture that fits so well with the landscape facing the Indre River, and its tiered gardens designed by Le Nôtre. The visit of the interiors, ends with a collection of wax dolls, which plunges us into the famous tales of Charles Perraut who was inspired by Ussé to write "Sleeping Beauty".
But Ussé is also a magnificent park with century-old trees, and beautiful terraced gardens that offer magnificent views of the château behind.
The gardens are small, but we were completely charmed by them.
Useful tips
- Near the city of: Tours
- From Tours = 45 min drive
- From Saumur = 40 min drive
- Slopes and steps, but no major difficulties
- Open to visitors all year round
- Child-friendly: particularly suitable for children
- Accommodation available: No
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
Other gardens in the Loire Valley
But the valley also boasts a wealth of gardens, some surrounding castles, others not.
Here are a few other suggestions that deserve an honorable mention.
Castle garden Langeais
Facing outwards, Château de Langeais is a typical medieval defensive château. On the other side (facing the gardens), it's a typical Renaissance royal dwelling.
At the foot of the chateau you'll find a small, perfectly manicured formal garden, and in the park magnificent giant trees.
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
Amboise castle garden
The Château Royal d'Amboise plunges you into the daily life of the kings of France in the second half of the 15th century, and it's truly fascinating!
Around the châteua, enjoy pretty gardens overlooking the Loire. A very pleasant walk!
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
Valençay Castle Park
The castle could have been "just" a renaissance castle as the Loire Valley has so many. But, in 1803, Tayllerand, Napoleon Bonaparte's Minister of Foreign Affairs, acquired it and made it part of French History, that of the 19th century! The interior is richly furnished and immerses you in the Frenchart of living and entertaining.
Here's a large park that you can explore with a golf cart to discover the different sections: the round gardens (with geometric shapes), the Duchess's garden, the pleasure garden and the forest... Fun!
- South of Blois
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
Azay-le-Rideau castle park
The castle of Azay-le-Rideau is for us one of the most poetic of the Loire Valley. Its typically renaissance architecture is magnified by its romantic park and the quietness that emanates from the place.
- Near Tours
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
Lude Castle Park
The castle of Le Lude is distinguished by its geographical position on the border of Anjou and Maine, which exposed it to the ravages of the Hundred Years War. Rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the 15th and 16th centuries, and extensively remodeled in the 19th, it offers a rather massive architecture that contrasts with theelegance of the gardens. The park is bordered by the river Loir which gives it a very special atmosphere.
- Remarkable Garden" label
- Between Tours and Angers, to the north
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
Tours Botanical Garden
Set between the Loire and Cher rivers, this garden is a must-see for walkers.
Here you'll find an arboretum (containing hundreds of species), a medicinal plant garden, an evolution garden (retracing the history of plants) and a themed garden featuring different natural environments.
And in the greenhouses you'll find utilitarian plants from South Africa and tropical undergrowth.
- In the city of Tours
- Free access
Jardin extraordinaire de Nantes
In the heart of an old granite quarry, withcliffs 25 meters high, the garden offers beautiful views of the Loire.
In a few minutes, you will wonder if you are still in Nantes, with its oceanic climate, and not on a tropical island. A change of scenery guaranteed!
- In the city of Nantes
- The garden is open daily, from 9am to 5:15pm minimum (7:30pm in summer).
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN
Loire Valley
The castles of the Loire Valley
Other places to explore
Practice
