Christmas in the land of castles – 6 castles in Christmas colours

From Saturday 29 November 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026

Six of the Loire Valley’s greatest châteaux are celebrating the spirit of the festive season with exceptional tours and events: it’s “Christmas in the land of châteaux”, in Touraine. You’ll be amazed at each of these six monuments, each of which feature themes emblematic of the Christmas season: toys, lights, delicacies, porcelain, tales, legends and winter nature. All have the same objective: to put stars in the eyes of children and adults alike!

Noël en Touraine, au pays des châteaux !

©Noël au pays des châteaux. Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, en Touraine.|ADT Touraine / Jean-Christophe Coutand

©Noel Chateau Noël au pays des châteaux. Château de Chenonceau, en Touraine.|ADT Touraine / Jean-Christophe Coutand

©Noel Chateau Villandry Credit Adt Touraine Jc Coutand 59|Jean-Christophe COUTAND-MEHEUT

Christmas tips PASS 3, 4, 5 and 6 châteaux!

Christmas in the Land of Castles is a great success during the school holidays. If you can, come and admire the tour routes from the first two weeks of December!

Discover several monuments thanks to Christmas in the Land of Castles passes, sold online and in Touraine’s Tourist Offices.

Turnkey packages are also available from the Tours Val de Loire Tourist Office:
– 2 days / 1 night, with a visit to 3 châteaux,
– 3 days / 2 nights, visiting 5 châteaux

Book a holiday for Christmas

©Remi Centre Val Loire V22 logo

When it comes to transport…

Opt for a journey that respects your wallet and the planet!

REMI (Réseau de Mobilité Interurbaine de la Région) offers 2 passes for unlimited travel, with reduced fares at certain sites on presentation of your ticket, as well as 1 offer for 15-25 year olds:

Pass Rémi Découverte (Centre Val de Loire Region): €45 for 2 days or €60 for 3 days, for groups of up to 5 people.
Pass Rémi Découverte Plus (Centre Val de Loire and Ile de France regions): €95 for 2 days or €120 for 3 days, for groups of up to 5 people.
Rémi Yep’s card for 15-25 year olds (Centre Val de Loire region), which entitles holders to a free ticket on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Discover REMI PASS

CHRISTMAS PASS TO CHÂTEAUX COUNTRY

Don’t miss out on any special offers – book your Châteaux Pass now!

During the event, these passes entitle you to special rates for visits to the châteaux, including night-time sessions. They also offer discounts with a number of partners (grocery shops, activities, etc.).

3châteaux pass : €43
4 châteaux pass : €54
5-châteaux pass : €66
6-châteaux pass : €75

The choice is yours!

I reserve my PASS

Christmas celebrated in Tours city centre

The Christmas market is a great place to buy presents for the festive season, while the winter village is a great place to enjoy the festive atmosphere.

XXL Christmas trees, Christmas delights, richly garnished tables...

Imagine a giant Christmas tree covered in thousands of decorations, sugar sculptures adorned with multicoloured sweets, dozens of candles playing a game of light and shadow, a huge Provençal cot filled with scenes and characters, refined tables worthy of a fairy tale, an enchanted forest… From late November to early January, immerse yourself in the marvellous universe developed by these Loire Valley châteaux.

After one, two or three visits, you’ll quickly feel like a collector, as one discovery irresistibly leads to another!

These Christmas in the Land of Castles tours are open every day, even outside school holiday periods. For even more magic, come and admire them at nightfall:
– Château de Villandry: Saturday 6 December ;
– Château d’Azay-le-Rideau: Saturday 13 December ;
– Château royal d’Amboise: Saturday 20 December;
– Château de Chenonceau: Tuesday 23 December;
– Royal fortress of Chinon: Sunday 28 December ;
– Royal City of Loches: Monday 29 December.

The châteaux of the Loire

Royal Château of Amboise Christmas, childhood dreams: O beautiful trees!

Like every year, the magic of Christmas has brought new life to the souls of the fir tree people. This December, some of them have left their forests to come to the Royal Château of Amboise, decked out in their finest festive garb. In the rooms of the royal dwelling, their imposing silhouettes reveal their unique personalities, creating magnificent tableaux for visitors. The Tree of Dreams, the Tree of the Fearless Knight, the Woodland Prince of the Dark Night and the Tree that Wanted to be King are just some of the fantastic trees inviting you to join them in celebrating Christmas 2025.

Don’t forget

Candlelight evenings on 13, 26 and 29 December 2025, booking essential. Prices: €15/adult, €13/student, €11/child and €7/subscriber (cardholders only).
Christmas Nocturne on Saturday 20 December, until 8pm. Normal ticket prices apply.

The Royal Château of Amboise

Azay-le-Rideau Castle Gourmet delights and enchanted tales

The Château d’Azay-le-Rideau is decked out in magic and wonder for an enchanted interlude of gourmet delights and imagination. Throughout the rooms, visitors are invited to discover sumptuous decorations and laid tables inspired by the most beautiful fairytales of our childhood. A crystal-clear table evokes the fairytale world of The Snow Queen, a fir tree, king of the forests, is adorned with precious apples recalling the tale ofSnow White and, by opening the doors of a cupboard, the frosty landscapes of Narnia are revealed, creating an icy and bewitching atmosphere, conducive to wonder. To sublimate these gourmet decorations, the château has teamed up with prestigious French tableware houses, such as the Manufacture de Gien and the Maison Roze, France’s oldest silk manufacturer, whose delicate creations bring refinement and elegance to these festive tables.

Don’t forget

Christmas evening on Saturday 13 December 2025, by prior arrangement. The château closes at 10.30pm (last admission at 9.45pm). Admission: €16, free for under-18s.
Gourmet tours, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 23 December 2025 to 2 January 2026, at 10.30 am and 2.30 pm. Duration: 1h30, from 7 years old, by reservation. Admission: €19 adults, €8 children.
Les contes inversés du château, a tour designed by Esmé Planchon, storyteller and author for young people. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 23 December 2025 to 2 January 2026 at 11.30 am. Admission: €16 adults, €8 children.

Azay-le-Rideau castle

©Christmas in the land of castles -Château de Chenonceau|ADT Touraine - JC COUTAND

Chenonceau Castle Far North

It’s winter, the cold, the snow… inviting themselves inside the monument! Sometimes raw winter nature, sometimes white becomes elegant transparencies. The iconic grand gallery is transformed into a forest of snowy birches. Tall white fir trees take pride of place here and there. In the kitchens, always dedicated to children, frosty delicacies take over the dining room and the pantry becomes an ice floe populated by penguins! As for the silent Chambre de Louise de Lorraine, it will always be full of surprises…

To remember :

Christmas brunch at L’Orangerie during the school holidays;
Christmas Nocturne on Tuesday 23 December, with the château open until 8pm and a demonstration by floral designer Jean-François Boucher;
By prior arrangement and for a fee: visit to the Christmas scenography with Jean-François Boucher (Fridays 5, 12 and 19 December at 10am / €55), festive Masterclass (Fridays 26 December and 2 January at 10am / €90), special Christmas tours (every Saturday from 29 November to 3 January, at 6pm and 7pm / €45), food and wine tasting at the Cave des Dômes (Fridays 19 and 26 December, and 2 January at 6pm / €65).

Chenonceau Castle

Royal fortress of Chinon Christmas treasures

For the festive season, the Royal Fortress of Chinon will be decked out in its finest finery for “Christmas in the land of castles”, under the theme of Trés(or). Gold, the symbol of light, magic and wonder, is the inspiration for a magical journey designed by floral designer Géraldine Leclerc.

To remember:

Une histoire cousue de fil d’or: a one-hour storytelling treasure hunt for young visitors during the school holidays, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11am, booking required. Price including admission to the Fortress: €15 adults €13 children (aged 7-18).
Guided Christmas tour every Saturday and Sunday in December, and on 3 and 4 January at 3pm, by prior arrangement. Duration: 50 minutes. Price including admission to the Fortress: €15 full €13 concessions.
Christmas Nocturne on Sunday 28 December: fire show by the Steampunk Goblins, performed by the Taprobane company (three 30-minute strolls).

The royal fortress of Chinon

Royal City of Loches Tales from the royal city

Every winter, the Royal City of Loches revisits a folk tale, to the delight of young and old alike. This year, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of Alice in Wonderland, a tale created by Lewis Carroll, and set off to meet the White Rabbit, the caterpillar and the Evil Queen of Hearts!

Don’t forget:

The hunt for Christmas colours, for ages 2 and up. Self-guided game with a booklet handed out at the entrance to the royal dwelling. Admission to the site every day.
Storytelling for families with children aged 3 to 12. At the logis royal, Sunday 7 December and every day from 20 December 2025 to 4 January 2026, at 11am and 2.15pm. Duration 40 min. Bookings required. Admission fee included €15, concessions €13, free for under-7s.
Themed tour “A castle in winter”, open to all (children aged 12 and over). In the keep, Wednesday 31st December and Friday 2nd January at 11am. Length: 1 hour. Booking essential. Admission fee included €15, concessions €13, free for under-7s.
Christmas Nocturne for the general public on Monday 29 December, from 5pm to 8pm. Discover the floral and plant decorations, and the “Alice” trail led by actors from the L’Intruse company. Admission to the site.

The royal city of Loches

Villandry Castle At Christmas, nature invites itself to the château.

The Château de Villandry invites young and old alike to spend Christmas in a family home with a warm and friendly atmosphere. While a festive atmosphere pervades every room, nature invites itself into the château. From the dining room to the bedrooms, via the living room and the kitchen where you prepare to celebrate Christmas, nature penetrates the castle walls, like an extension of the gardens that give Villandry such a special aura. Reindeer, fawns, owls and squirrels have taken up residence in the château, transformed for the occasion into a veritable enchanted forest, and are waiting to welcome you to Christmas. It even seems that deep in this forest lives an old man in a red suit…

From the windows of the château, you can gaze out over the gardens, which have also been decked out in their winter finery: mosaics of ornamental cabbages and leeks, lacy boxwoods and silhouettes of yews in topiary and long avenues of dormant lime trees, promising pleasant winter strolls.

On the agenda: Christmas workshop visit. A workshop on Christmas traditions in France, Spain and the United States, linked to the origins of the owners’ family. The visit concludes with a creative workshop to make Christmas decorations from natural elements. Dates: Wednesday 10, Saturday 13, Sunday 14, Wednesday 17, Saturday 20, Sunday 21, Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December. Friday 2 and Saturday 3 January. Additional charge of : 5 €, booking required (up to 20 participants).

The château and gardens will be closed to visitors on Wednesday 25 December 2025. The gardens will not be decorated or illuminated; the decorations will be concentrated on the château’s interiors.

Villandry Castle

in addition to Christmas in castle country

In addition to these 6 châteaux, there are many other events to celebrate Christmas in Touraine, starting with Santa’s village at the fortress of Montbazon.

Château du Clos Lucé - Parc Leonardo da Vinci

Domaine Royal de Château Gaillard

Château de Montpoupon

Aquarium de Touraine

And what about the presents?

White, rosé or red, the wines of Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Chinon, Montlouis-sur-Loire or Vouvray go magnificently well with festive menus: don’t forget to bring back a few bottles from the Loire Valley during the end-of-year open days at a number of tourist cellars.

For an aperitif, opt for Loire fish terrines on toasted bread, sold in several delicatessens. For dessert, try the Tourangelle log, skilfully crafted by a number of bakeries. A light almond and hazelnut biscuit, topped with vanilla cream, Tatin-style apples and salted butter caramel… yum!

Fancy some chocolate? Don’t miss the chocolates from Maison Bigot in Amboise. As for black Touraine truffles, you’ll find them at Les Halles in Tours, and also at the truffle market in Marigny-Marmande.

In the village of Villaines-les-Rochers, wickerworkers make original wicker decorations for your Christmas tree. Another good place to visit is Les Courants d’Art, a group of craftsmen and antique dealers in Beaulieu-Lès-Loches.