Château de Chambord (香波爾城堡) is one of the most visited chateaus in the Loire Valley area. It is located about 180 km (112 mi) south of Paris via highway A10. The chateaus in the Loire Valley are part of the architectural heritage of the historic towns of Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours along the Loire River in France. They demonstrate the Renaissance style of design in France. Château de Chambord has 440 rooms, 335 fireplaces, 12 staircases and 70 main stairs in an area over 18,580 m2 (200,000 ft2). King Francis I of France started to build the Chateau de Chambord in 1518, and it is famous for its splendid northwest facade. The layout of Chateau de Chambord is a typical castle with a keep, corner towers, and a moat defending it. The chateau de Chambord is the largest in the Loire valley and is second only to the palace of Versailles.
We drove from Paris and visited Cattedrale di Chartres in Chartres before reaching our last destination that day at Chateau de Chambord around 2:45 pm. There was a large parking lot which was not so far away from the ticket office. The walk from the parking lots to the Chateau de Chambord is about 700 m (2,300 ft). We went directly to the chateau once we entered the surrounding wall because it started raining. Inside the chateau, we saw many grouping rooms in the self-contained suites. Those displays in the rooms were showing its age. The major highlight inside the chateau is the fabulous double spiral staircase at the center of the château. The original designer of the chateau is unknown, but most people believe Leonardo da Vinci is credited for the design of the magnificent spiral staircase. The two spirals supported by eight square pillars ascend three floors, allowing people to climb without being seen by those who go down. The spiral staircase is illuminated from above by a kind of lighthouse at the highest point of the château. We finally went to the roof of the chateau. It was magnificent with many different shapes of towers and chimneys. It looks like those spires we see in the city. It is a unique feature among those chateaus we visited. Nearby, we also passed by the Saint-Louis de Chambord, a small Catholic church. The roof towers of chateau were under restoration during our visit. It was not good for photographing.
We learned that the flooding in June 2016 damaged the grounds but not the chateau. We spent over 2 hours in this beautiful chateau, but we did not go to the moat due to the weather and needed to find our way to the hotel. I would like to suggest going to the beautiful northwest façade, which is opposite of the entry to the chateau. It must be a perfect location to take photos.
We drove from Paris and visited Cattedrale di Chartres in Chartres before reaching our last destination that day at Chateau de Chambord around 2:45 pm. There was a large parking lot which was not so far away from the ticket office. The walk from the parking lots to the Chateau de Chambord is about 700 m (2,300 ft). We went directly to the chateau once we entered the surrounding wall because it started raining. Inside the chateau, we saw many grouping rooms in the self-contained suites. Those displays in the rooms were showing its age. The major highlight inside the chateau is the fabulous double spiral staircase at the center of the château. The original designer of the chateau is unknown, but most people believe Leonardo da Vinci is credited for the design of the magnificent spiral staircase. The two spirals supported by eight square pillars ascend three floors, allowing people to climb without being seen by those who go down. The spiral staircase is illuminated from above by a kind of lighthouse at the highest point of the château. We finally went to the roof of the chateau. It was magnificent with many different shapes of towers and chimneys. It looks like those spires we see in the city. It is a unique feature among those chateaus we visited. Nearby, we also passed by the Saint-Louis de Chambord, a small Catholic church. The roof towers of chateau were under restoration during our visit. It was not good for photographing.
We learned that the flooding in June 2016 damaged the grounds but not the chateau. We spent over 2 hours in this beautiful chateau, but we did not go to the moat due to the weather and needed to find our way to the hotel. I would like to suggest going to the beautiful northwest façade, which is opposite of the entry to the chateau. It must be a perfect location to take photos.
More photos please click the photo below or here
James Huang - All rights reserved.
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