Gardens of the Chateau de Valencay; a Loire valley garden

Photo of Gardens of the Chateau de Valencay

Visit Gardens of the Chateau de Valencay

The Chateau de Valencay is situated in the Loire Valley in the town of Valencay in the Indre department in the Centre region of France.

Explore the gardens of the Chateau de Valencay

The Château de Valençay is a magnificent Chateau in the Centre region of France. Famously owned by Prince Talleyrand who was Foreign Minister to Napoleon.

The garden is surrounded by a recently restored classical French-style garden. Parterres in symetrical patterns and with statues, basins and immaculate displays of colourful bedding plants which are changed with the seasons - these are classical French style formal gardens.

There is also the Duchess' garden with terraced flowerbeds and views over one of the last-surviving hunting lodges in France.

A large park and woods can be explored, replete with deer and peacocks. All in all the park and gardens covers 53 hectares and in the forest are 25 different varieties of trees. There is also a labyrinth and mini farm. Part of the land has been used to create a series of large meadows.

Called the 'Damier Fleuri' these meadows are all immaculately kept to large squares, the edges of which are mowed making it easy to wander through the meadows. The squares are filled with a glorious variety of specially selected wild flowers.

There is a 4 kilometer woodland walk that you can do. It is possible to hire an electric golf cart to explore this walk.The park has a bat cave which has about one thousand bats of twelve different species!

The 4km path through the woods goes past the bat cave and various other sights including the glacier where ice used to be stored, a Spanish tavern where exiled princes used to meet for a drink, and tuffeau stone caves which were used as a quarry to extract the stone for the castle.

The Chateau de Valencay is a beautiful Renaissance chateau and well worth visiting in its own right. There is a restaurant and tea shop in the Orangerie serving meals and refreshments.

Chateau de Valencay garden guide

This garden is situated in the Indre department of the Centre region of France on the main Blois-Chateauroux road.

The gardens of the Chateau de Valencay are open:

April to September : 10.00 to 18.00; 1 October to 11 November: 10.30 to 17.00.

The entry price is 14.00 euros for adults (chateau included) and 10.50 euros for 7-17 year olds, 4.80 euros for 4-6 year olds and under 4s are free.

Access to the park only is 7 euros for adults and 4,50 for children.

Address: Park and Gardens of the Chateau de Valencay, 2 rue de Blois, 36600 Valencay

Gardens to visit nearby

The gardens of the Chateau de Chenonceau are very attractive French formal gardens and they also have a very impressive cut flower garden which produces flowers for the sumptuous displays in the chateau.

To the south are the gardens of the Chateau d'Azay whose topiary collection is considered to be one of the best in France.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Central France guide,