The visit of the Château de Saumur is, for us, a must if you take the time to go up the Loire from Anjou.
Proudly dominating the old town, the impressive white tufa silhouette resonates in contrast with the Loire River that flows at its feet. Housing 2 museums in its heart, it does not lack of interest.
In this article, find all our practical tips and many photos to prepare, in your turn, the visit of the castle-museum of Saumur.
This review is completely independent, we visited anonymously and paid our admission.
Why visit the Saumur Castle?
Is the Château de Saumur worth it? Our opinion:
The castle of Saumur is, for us, a must of the Loire castles:
- For its harmonious integration in a landscape so representative of the Loire.
- For its tormented history between glory and decadence, Catholicism and Protestantism, palace and prison...
- For the incredible 360 degree view it offers if you are lucky enough, like us, to climb to its belvedere.
- For its double helix spiral staircase which proves that, despite the legend, this process is not completely an invention of Leonardo da Vinci for the castle of Chambord. We'll tell you more about it later in the article!
- For its horse and decorative arts museums, as unexpected as they are exciting when you know what to look for...
Why is Château de Saumur famous?
Proudly camped on a rocky spur (nicely nicknamed "Emerald Rock" by René I of Anjou), the castle of Saumur culminates 60 meters above the royal river and is magnificently integrated in the landscape.
Between its ramparts, its walls of tufa, the white stone of the Loire, its slate roof, it is visible 20 kilometers in the round and recognizable between all. It has gained even more majesty since it has found on its south tower one of the golden ears of corn that were enthroned at the top of each tower of the castle in the 15th century.
At its feet, the Loire flows peacefully, which divides to bypass the island of Offard, before welcoming a few hundred meters below, the Thouet, one of its many tributaries.
The castle likes to bereflected in the river and we really invite you to admire this incredible natural picture from the right bank, near the Cessart bridge. All the beauty of the eternal Loire...
DON'T MISS THE BEST CASTLES IN the Loire Valley
- the most beautiful castles of the Loire Valley - discover
- the most beautiful gardens (to come)
- the châteaux of the Loire Valley where to stay (5 unforgettable hotels) -discover
- the best Loire Valley castles to do with your family (coming soon)
- itineraries: 3 days
- or our list with more than 100 castles of the Loire Valley - discover
Virtual visit in video of the castle of Saumur
History in brief
Unfortunately, our knowledge of the history of the castle of Saumur, especially in its medieval period, is very fragmentary and uncertain. The whole is rather badly documented or the writings were destroyed during the tumultuous life of the castle. The oldest pictorial representation would be that which appears in the"Très riches heures du Duc de Berry" (prayer book, rich in illuminations).
- Middle Ages: First constructions would have been ordered in the IXth century by Thibaut de Blois, to protect the nearby abbey of Saint-Florent-du-Boile. Destroyed by the formidable Count of Anjou, Foulques Nerra, in the 11th century, he had a powerful residential tower built in its place. It was not until the beginning of the 13th century that a fortress was built which was transformed into a palace by the dukes of Anjou-Valois in the 14th century.
- Renaissance: the castle became part of the royal domain in 1480, after the death of the last Count of Anjou, the good King René. After being abandoned for a century, it became a utilitarian castle and the home of the city's governors for nearly four centuries. The most famous of these governors was Philippe Duplessis Mornay, who made Saumur a stronghold of Protestantism and contributed to the renewal of the castle.
- Revolution The castle declined over the centuries and was used alternately as a prison (with some "star prisoners", like the Marquis de Sade or the superintendent of Louis XIV, Fouquet...) and arms and ammunition depotIt was acquired by the city of Saumur in 1906, which rehabilitated it and opened it to the public.
Practical advice and map Château de Saumur, France
Where is Château de Saumur
- Driving time from Nantes: 1h35
- Driving time from Tours: 1h00
- Driving time from Angers: 45min
- Driving time from Blois: 1h30
- Driving time from Orléans: 2h00
Here is a map to help you find your way:
How to get there
To get to Saumur, you can opt for the train, with regular connections from the TGV stations of Angers (20') and Tours (40') which are less than 1h30 from Paris.
The Saumur train station is on the right bank of the river, and it will take you about half an hour to get to the entrance of the castle (with a sloping end of the journey, but with a nice view of the castle along the way).
If you come by plane, compare the flights that land at Nantes airport and those that arrive at Paris airports. While the train journey time to Saumur will be the same, the more human sizedNantes International Airport could save you time in the end.
You can of course come by car, the city is very well served with a highway that takes you to the gates of the city. If you are coming from Angers or Tours, don't hesitate to choose the route de la levée which will allow you to follow the Loire river and will take you only 15' more than the highway. In the fall and spring, the view of the mist rising from the river is just magical!
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.
Parking
The castle has its own dedicated parking lot which is free of charge. It will put you at 50 meters from the entrance of the Castle. It is relatively small in size, but can fill up quickly during the peak periods in summer and on weekends. Motorhomes are allowed and you will find 2 electrical terminals.
You can also choose topark in the center of Saumur and walk up the old streets to the castle. Parking is often charged, but you should be able to find a spot easily.
Located in the heart of the Loire Valley bicycle route, you will find all the space you need to park your bike safely.
Best time to visit Château de Saumur
No particular constraint on the period of visit, the majority of the visit being done inside. However, to enjoy the beautiful view from the belvedere and the reflections of the castle on the Loire, a sunny sky will only enhance the experience.
With more than 110,000 visitors in 2022, the castle of Saumur is attracting more and more visitors, taking advantage of the new tourist dynamic of the city. Like all castles, the school vacations and the summer months are the busiest. If you arrive early in the morning, or if you end your day's visit at the castle, you should be able to avoid the crowds.
The castle also attracts many weekend visitors from the region looking for a day trip.
How long to visit the castle and main difficulties
We advise you to plan at least 2 hours for your visit of the castle of Saumur.
To get to the castle from the parking lot, you should anticipate, for those prone to vertigo, that you will have to cross a footbridge over the moat. If this is a problem for you, you can go up to the castle through the center of town, thus bypassing the difficulty.
From the moment you enter the castle, you will not escape the steps and you will encounter others at each step of the visit, sometimes quite steep. It should also be noted that the floor is not always even in the courtyard and the basement.
If you plan to climb to the lookout, be sure to have good knees and proper footwear. The stairs are particularly steep and cramped, but the view at the top will be a just reward for your efforts!
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Advice on how to visit
You will have understood that the castle of Saumur is first of all admired in its environment.
We advise you to start from the right bank, near the Cessart bridge, and to walk up to the castle through the small streets of the historic city center. It takes about 30 minutes to walk. It is for us, the most beautiful way to discover what makes the charm of the castle.
Once you arrive at the reception, if you are fit enough, start by booking your visit to the belvedere at the entrance. The access is very small, it is accessible only with a guide, in groups of 8 people and count 30 minutes.
A few steps and you are in the courtyard of the castle. Take the time to look at theThe exterior architecture and to discern the traces of theold west wing or western wing (surely destroyed at the beginning of the XVIIe century and which sheltered the gallery of honor, with an impregnable view on the Loire)), of which one still distinguishes the gable, and the jambs of a chimney on the southern wing.
On the first floor, you can discover the magnificent well, with its wooden mechanism allowing it to bring up water from the water table which is 33 meters below! It supplied the castle with water until the end of the 19th century. In the south wing, a room recounts thehistory of the castle and the museums, which is essential as the life of the castle was so turbulent.
On the first floor, you will find the surprising Museum of Decorative Arts, a patchwork of collections from the former municipal museum and from donations. It offers a collection of 1500 ceramics and beautiful tapestries from the church Notre-Dame de Nantilly in Saumur.
On the 2nd floor, it is a museum around the horse which is proposed to you, logical in the city which is one of the high places of the equestrian world in France, with the prestigious Cadre Noir of Saumur, but also theNational School of Equitation. Drawing on a rich collection of 7200 objects, the museum offers a discovery of the world of the horse through the centuries.
Finally, if your knees hold out, you can go down to see the tunnel entrance in the basement of the south wing. A local legend has it that an underground passage from the castle would lead directly to the right bank of the Loire River, to the island of Offard. Can you solve the mystery?
Before leaving, take the time to admire the castle from the lower courtyard which will give you another view of the castle and which offers an interesting panorama (even if it is not worth the belvedere!). Walk around the walled enclosure to admire the different facades are a different angle.
And on your way back to the parking lot, take a break in the heart of the vineyards. You will be able to admire 1400 plants, with 3 grape varieties: chenin, cabernet franc and chardonnay. For many years, the wine of the castle was served at allofficial events in the city! From now on, the students of the Pisani high school in Montrueil-Bellay will exploit them.
Saumur castle with children
During each school vacation, the castle teams offer a little king and princess workshop, an escape game... to visit the castle in a playful way. The number of places being very limited, it is imperative to reserve as soon as possible(more information on the animations for children at the castle of Saumur).
But, you can also opt for the booklet "Investigation in the castle of Saumur!" which will make them go from room to room in search of clues to break the secret code of the castle...
Schedules and prices
Schedules:
- The castle is open all year round, except for the month of January
- Out of season, the castle is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5:30pm minimum.
- In season (July-August), the castle is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm.
Rates:
- Full adult rate: 8€ (+3€ for the viewpoint)
- Child rate: 6€ for 7 - 16 years old, free for children under 7 years old
- Family rate : 24€ - 2 adults + 2 children (1,50€ per additional child)
Check the latest prices/times on the official website of the Château de Saumur
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Guided tours
The castle has a large team of mediators (with whom we had a lot of discussions....) and offers:
- presentations of the history and architecture of the site (30')
- Guided tours of the Museum of Decorative Arts (1 hour)
- Guided tours of the northwest tower leading to the belvedere (30')
Catering
2 restaurants await you at the foot of the castle:
- L'orangeraie which offers a home-made bistro cuisine, but is also a very pleasant place to regain strength around a cold drink after your visit.
- Le Terrier du château, a tapas bar and restaurant, located near the parking lot for family meals with a view of the castle (and your car).
But you can also go down to the old town (10' walk), and enjoy all the gastronomic offer of Saumur which we talk about a little bit below.
If you wish to have a picnic, the gardens of the castle are at your disposal every lunchtime!
Was the double spiral staircase invented by Leonardo da Vinci?
If this is not your first castle in the Loire Valley, you have certainly already heard about theincredible double staircase of the Chambord castle. It would be the invention of the Italian genius, Leonardo da Vinci. But is this true?
The south wing of the castle of Saumur
This wing was the last to be built (around 1384-88) under the direction of Marie de Blois, the mother of the young Louis II of Anjou. It houses the Duke's personal guard (Lieutenant, Captain and guards). His private apartments, as evidenced by the uncovered paintings, are located in the famous southwest tower, which we will tell you about next, and are thus well guarded.
In the 16th century, the governor of Saumur, Duplessis-Mornay, had 26 rooms in the castle renovated to accommodate his three daughters, their husbands, grandchildren, but also his bodyguards and servants. The south wing was then divided into small rooms, and switched to a more residential vocation.
When the castle was transformed into a state prison at the beginning of the 19th century, this wing housed the prison cells and was partially disfigured.
The spiral staircase
At the end of this wing stands the southwest tower of the castle. At its heart, the famous small spiral staircase with double helixes or double revolution, which allows access to the floors without ever crossing each other. It served the duke's room, 8 meters high under the ceiling, and his wife's room, located just underneath in all discretion.
The staircase was surely built at the end of the 14th century, more than a century before the construction of the Chambord castle! The staircase of the castle of Saumur would have been inspired by the "grande viz" of the Louvre, a spiral staircase, designed by the architect Raymond du Temple. The latter designed the new Louvre in the 14th century and was already faced with a limited space (the price of a square meter in Paris in the Middle Ages). It is surely one of his disciples who intervened on the castle of Saumur.
These 2 cases are not isolated, you find, for example, the same type of staircase in the Saint Nicolas tower which guards the entrance of the port of La Rochelle, whose construction starts in 1345. 1 other in the cathedral of Prague, which we owe to the French architect Matthieu d'Arras and whose work began around 1342! Today, there are a total of 5 staircases of this type and period in Europe.
As is often the case with inventions, even if history retains a great name, we are on a gradual evolution to arrive at the beginning of the 16th century on the majestic double revolution staircase of the Chambord castle. But, we grant you, it is certainly the most beautiful of the double revolution spiral staircases and it is likely that Leonardo da Vinci had a look at its initial plans.
The lookout and finial
Once the staircase is climbed, you arrive at the belvedere of the castle, and enjoy, finally, a beautiful 360 degrees view on the city, the river and the countryside of Saumur. On a clear day you can see up to 30 km around, as the landscape is so clear at this place. Following the course of the Loire, you look towards Angers, going up towards Tours.
By turning away from the Loire, you will be able to decipher a complex assembly of slate roofs of the castle, the opportunity to better understand the volumes and organization of the castle.
The highlight of this discovery is a finial on top of the south tower. Present on the representation of the "Riches heures du Duc de Berry", its ornamental pieces enhanced the prestige of the castle. Disappeared over the centuries, it is only in 2015 that the castle finds one of these ears with unusual dimensions:
- 12,5m high.
- More than 20m2 of copper.
- Over a ton and a half of lead.
- 2000 hours of work under the guidance of Anraud de Saint Jouan, Chief Architect of the Monuments Historiques.
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN
Loire Valley
The castles of the Loire Valley
- Discover our selection of the most beautiful castles of the Loire Valley
- Where to go to visit the castles of the Loire Valley - article to come
Cities and villages
- Visit the beautiful cities along the Loire River
- Stroll under the charm of the villages of the Loire Valley
- Choose from the best things to do in Nantes
Practice
Should I visit the Museum of Decorative Arts?
A little history
The Museum of Decorative Arts is the result of a history that began in 1829. It was at this time that the municipal museum was founded with a focus on archaeology and zoology.
In 1906, the city acquired the castle and installed the new museum in 1912. The collection was enriched by beautiful donations (including the paintings of the Parisian artist Paul-Désiré Trouillebert and the herbarium of the Angevin entomologist Gustave Abot).
But the turning point for this museum was the bequest of Charles Lair in 1919.
The Charles Lair donation
Count Charles Lair was a passionate silver collector (1841-1919). After studying law, he travels around Europe and the Mediterranean to feed his two passions, archaeology and art.
He was both an inspector of the French Archaeological Society (for the Sarthe, Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire), and a member of the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Angers.
In his castle in Blou (near Saumur), also called "Les Perrières", he has an extraordinary cabinet of curiosities with a predilection for objects from the High Period (from the Middle Ages to the 17th century) and European earthenware.
At his death, he bequeathed his entire collection to the Château de Saumur, including 2,500 works and 7,000 ex-libris (personalized engravings pasted inside books). You can find ceramics, furniture, textiles and sculptures.
The tapestries of Saumur
As a result of its religious past, the city of Saumur has one of the most beautiful collections of tapestries, mainly from the 15th to the 18th century, 62 of which are protected as historical monuments.
They were ordered over the centuries by the churches of Saint Pierre and Notre-Dame de Nantilly in Saumur, as well as by the abbey of Saint-Florent in Saumur, from the greatest workshops of French liciers.
Many of these masterpieces are protected and exhibited at the Château de Saumur.
The organization of the museum
The museum occupies the entirefirst floor, straddling the east and north wings. The rooms are named according to their use at the time of the ducal palace. Each room offers furniture, earthenware, sculptures, tapestries and paintings.
- The passage, which ensures the communication between the south wing and the east wing. This is an addition to the original plan of the castle.
- The Queen's room, a semi-public room used to receive visitors.
- The Queen's salon
- The Chapel, whose choir is in the east tower.
- The facing room, semi-public reception room.
- The chamber of withdrawal, where the duke and his government retired to deal with the affairs of the duchy.
- The wardrobe.
- The gallery
DON'T MISS THE BEST CASTLES IN the Loire Valley
- the most beautiful castles of the Loire Valley - discover
- the most beautiful gardens (to come)
- the châteaux of the Loire Valley where to stay (5 unforgettable hotels) -discover
- the best Loire Valley castles to do with your family (coming soon)
- itineraries: 3 days
- or our list with more than 100 castles of the Loire Valley - discover
The Horse Museum
Saumur, capital of horse riding and equestrian arts
The Pays de la Loire region is one of the largest regions in France, both in terms of the number of racetracks (1st) and the number of horse births (2nd).
Because of its military past and its cavalry officers' school, the city of Saumur brings excellence, with :
- The Cadre Noir de Saumur, which trains and perfects the best horsemen in France and is known throughout the world.
- The French Institute of Horse and Riding, which trains the executives of French horse riding, organizes the most important competitions and is responsible for preserving the French tradition of horse riding based on the harmony between man and horse.
It is also a place of memory with 2 museums:
- The Saumur Cavalry Museum, which traces the history of the French cavalry from 1445 to the present day
- The horse museum of the castle of Saumur
The horse museum of the castle of Saumur
The horse museum, an associative structure at its creation, was inaugurated in 1912 at the same time as the municipal museum was installed in the castle of Saumur. The objective of this museum was to defend the use of the horse, in the face of the appearance of automobiles.
In 1957, the collections, the fruit of donations from private individuals and large institutions, were integrated into the collections of the municipal museum.
Located on thesecond floor of the castle's east wing, the museum is housed under a magnificent wooden frame in the shape of a ship's hull, and extends to the northeast tower.
The collection now contains more than 6,000 objects, ranging from the Neolithic period to the 20th century. You will find shoes and farrier's instruments as well as works of art on the equestrian theme.
In the tower, a very nice collection of saddles from different continents (special mention to the Japanese saddle).
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:
