Are you a fan of the Châteaux de la Loire and want to surprise yourself with an unusual visit? Château de Brézé has a unique surprise in store for you: a castle beneath the castle! No, you're not dreaming, there's a 1.5km underground fortress that makes this castle fascinating!
In this article, you'll find our photos and tips for making the most of your visit to the Château de Brézé near Saumur.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Why visit Château de Brézé?
Is Château de Brézé worth it? Our opinion:
Absolutely! This unique castle is well worth a visit for its exceptional underground heritage. We were impressed by its 28,000 m² network of cavities and tunnels carved into the tufa stone, and its vertiginous dry moat, one of the deepest in Europe at 18m. For us, it's one of the best châteaux to visit around Saumur!
Why is Château de Brézé famous?
Château de Brézé is undoubtedly one of the most astonishing Châteaux of the Loire! It is famous for its double architectural heritage! Above ground, the 15th-century château with its neo-Gothic apartments, and underground, the 3-hectare troglodytic fortress with its dry moat.
Our favorite moment
In addition to our underground exploration, we loved discovering the château's silkworm nursery and learning more about sericulture, the ancient art of raising silkworms. Active in the 17th century, the niches dug to raise the magnans can still be seen in the hall. Imagine these caterpillars, true prodigies of nature, devouring white mulberry leaves day after day, multiplying their initial weight by 10,000 in just 1 month. This precious silk would go on to adorn the finest tapestries, dress the nobility and embellish objects of worship, particularly after Louis XI established the first royal factory in Tours in the 15th century.
History in brief
Here are the milestones in the history of Château de Brézé:
- 1063: First mention of the château in a charter from Saint-Florent abbey
- 1448: Authorization from King René d'Anjou to fortify the château, creation of the first moats
- 1560-1580: Construction of the present Renaissance château by Arthus de Maillé-Brézé
- 1615: Urbain de Maillé-Brézé becomes the first Marquis and marries Richelieu's sister
- 1650: The château passed into the hands of the Prince de Condé through marriage
- 1830: Return of the Dreux-Brézé family and major neo-Gothic restorations
- 1998: Château de Surface opens to visitors
- 2000: Underground network opened to the public
- 2014: The Renaissance wing becomes accessible for guided tours
WHERE TO STAY IN Saumur
Downtown
Enjoy the city, its restaurants and beautiful architecture.
- Hotel Saint Pierre - a historic stay! - see prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Château La Marquise - prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Anne d'Anjou - prices, pictures and availability
In the countryside around
Looking for a bit of peace and quiet, without straying too far from the city of Angers? Here's our suggestion:
- Hotel Demeure de la Vignole - prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Joly Foudres - unusual in barrels - prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel de l'abbaye de Fontevraud - prices, pictures and availability
Access and map: Château de Brézé, Maine-et-Loire
Where is Château de Brézé?
- In the village of Brézé
- Driving time from Saumur: 15min
- Driving time from Angers: 1h
- Driving time from Tours: 1h
How to get there?
The most convenient way to reach Château de Brézé is by car. The site is easily accessible from the A85 freeway.
Parking
Ample free parking is available on site. (Closing at 6pm).
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.
Useful tips: duration, schedules, eating...
Best time to visit
As the Château is open all year round and relatively unspoilt by the tourist trade, you can enjoy it whenever you like! Note, however, that the quietest periods are outside school vacations, and the underground tunnels are appreciably cooler in summer.
Length of visit and main difficulties
We recommend you allow 2 hours to admire the architecture, tour the underground passageways and discover the furnished interiors.
Please note the following points:
- There are many steps and steep ascents in places, so be sure to wear appropriate footwear.
- Bring something to cover up, as the underground temperature is 12°C all year round.
- It's dark: remember to have enough battery power on your phone to illuminate the places you want to observe in detail.
- Some areas have low ceilings: claustrophobic visitors should check beforehand.
PMR accessibility
The underground areas are not accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. As this is a partial visit, admission is free for the PRM public.
Advice on how to visit
Start by exploring the submerged part of the castle (circuit A), where you can discover the defense system and unexpected rooms such as stables and kitchens. Continue on to tour B, which includes the dry moat and other surprising rooms (bakery, 17th-century silkworm nursery). Finally, take a tour of the château's apartments and why not sample the wines from the cellar! The château still produces its own wine.
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!
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Visiting with children
Your children are sure to love the maze of underground passageways! And the château has thought of them too, offering guided tours and a variety of fun workshops all year round. Find out more here.
Children will also be delighted to discover the château's farm and its animals. Find out more here.
Schedules and rates
The Château is mainly open every day from 09:30 to 18:30 without interruption (except during the winter months). Find out more about the schedule changes on the official website here.
Prices are as follows:
- Adult: €11.80
- Students: €9.80
- Children aged 7 to 14: €6.20
- Children under 7: Free
Guided tours
Choose between an audioguide (€3) or a guided tour (€7) to discover all the Château's secrets. We highly recommend a guided tour if you'd like to visit the dwellings! For safety reasons, the Renaissance wing of the château is only accessible by guided tour.
Please note that group tours are available for groups of 20 or more, and must be booked in advance by calling 02 41 51 60 15.
Catering
There's no on-site catering, but the store offers a few local products for sale, and there's an ice-cream stand in season.
A tasting cellar for Château wines is also available. Otherwise, Saumur and its many restaurants are just a 12-minute drive away.
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An unusual castle: an underground fortress
A castle beneath the castle
The basement of Château de Brézé conceals a veritable maze of galleries and rooms carved out of the tufa rock. This man-made hollow was probably created in the early 11th century to protect it from Viking attacks. From the 9th to the 11th century, Viking attacks multiplied, particularly along the Loire, where many towns were pillaged. At Brézé, there's no risk of being attacked, as the refuge is totally submerged! Numerous loopholes were also used to defend the site, making this "bunker" totally impenetrable.
As you explore the 1.5km of tunnels open to visitors, you'll discover that nothing has been left to chance when it comes to living underground! Despite the 9m depth below ground, a veritable village was built, with light shafts dug to let in the sun's rays and allow a certain amount of ventilation, silos to store provisions and spaces for domestic life.
We were amazed to discover a stable with holes in the rock to tie up the animals, and even an oven to bake bread! Daily life could thus be assured in the event of an attack or pandemic.
A multi-purpose underground labyrinth
Over the centuries, these underground galleries have been put to many uses. After having served as a fortified refuge, the rock was transformed into a quarry to build the so-called "aerial" castle, or at least the one visible on the surface. In fact, there is no trace of the château before the 15th century, when the stones of a keep were laid. It wasn't until the 16th century that the Renaissance Château as we know it today was actually built, and the underground passages were given a second lease of life, enabling a self-sufficient lifestyle.
We were surprised to discover so many different rooms, including the silkworm nursery, the bakery, the ice house (which can hold up to 50 tons of ice to preserve food) and the press room, one of the largest in France. Grapes were pressed here from the 15th century until 1976. Take a look at the gutters running alongside the presses, where the juice extracted from the grapes flowed down to the decanting vats known as enchaires.
A château between tradition and innovation: exterior architecture
The dry moat: an impressive rampart
Among the castle's special features are Europe's deepest dry moats, reaching 18m in places. You'll learn that these moats never contained water, for practical reasons: the porosity of the tufa would have required a colossal volume of water, making it impossible to live in the underground galleries. We discovered that digging took place in several stages:
- In 1448, Gilles de Maillé-Brézé, Grand Master of King René's Vénerie, obtained permission from the Duke of Anjou to fortify his château and establish a garrison. The ditches, 10 to 12 metres deep, were dug for the first time.
- In 1525, the deepening of the moat made it possible to extract more stone for the construction of the Renaissance château.
In addition to their depth, the moats' distinctive feature is their defensive system: firing galleries have been built into their walls, providing a multi-level defense and a sentry walk. This defense system has been described as paranoid, as there was no trace of confits, but it remains fascinating to discover. In the photo below, you can see a "échauguette", a gun turret accessible only from the underground!
Varied architecture through the ages
The exterior architecture of Château de Brézé bears witness to several centuries of history. Of the first above-ground castle, built in 1148, only two remains: the two towers at the intersection of each wing. In the 16th century, the medieval castle was deconstructed to create a U-shaped Renaissance château. You can admire the elegant façade of the south wing, inspired by antiquity, with its various columns.
In 1850, the Château continued its transformation with Pierre de Dreux-Brézé restoring the building in neo-Gothic style. He had a tower built on the north wing, similar to a dungeon. Look up and you'll even see gargoyles!
Last but not least, note that despite the successive modifications, the castle remains very harmonious!
A residence close to royal power: the apartments
Château de Brézé enjoyed a close relationship with the royal court:
- From October 4 to 5, 1565, Arthus de Maillé-Brézé and his family welcomed King Charles IX and his mother Catherine de Médicis.
- In 1615, Urbain de Maillé-Brézé, the family's first marquis, strengthened his influence by marrying Nicole du Plessis, sister of Cardinal de Richelieu, one of the most influential men in the reign of Louis XIII.
- Later, the château became the property of the Prince de Condé, cousin of Louis XIV.
- In 1701, Thomas II de Dreux-Brézé was appointed Grand Master of the King's Ceremonies by Louis XIV, a strategic role he passed on to his descendants.
In addition, the renown of its winegrowing estate, appreciated as early as the 15th century, contributed to its prestige among the elite.
If you can, take a guided tour of the richly decorated apartments! We were particularly impressed by the Richelieu room and its remarkable marble and stucco fireplace. You'll also be charmed by the chambre de Breux-Brézé, entirely dressed in oak panelling. Last but not least, the grand interior gallery, completed in 2006, bears witness to the château's ongoing embellishment, with its elegant neo-Gothic decoration designed by the workshops of Amaury de Cambolas.
Frequently asked questions
Can I taste wines at Château de Brézé?
Yes, the château offers tastings of wines harvested from its 10-hectare vineyard. A specially equipped cellar lets you discover the local grape varieties for which the Loire region is famous, and the château's winegrowing history. Indeed, Brézé white wine reached its apogee in the 15th century, as it was appreciated by King René, and the poet Joachim Du Bellay even cited it as an exceptional wine. This long winegrowing tradition continues today with visitors. Find out more here.
What events are organized at Château de Brézé?
The château hosts medieval jousts every spring, and numerous events punctuate the year. Fantastic characters return to haunt the underground at Halloween, while a farmers' market is held at Christmas. Find out more here.
The Château also lends itself to private event rentals, notably the former 16th-century stables. Ask for information!
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- or our list of over 100 Loire castles
SHE MADE THE TRIP Claire
