Christmas Wonderland at the Loire Castles

Château Royal de Blois, the favourite residence of the Kings of France, will be dressed up to the nines this Christmas and ready to offer a sparkling and spectacular programme of original, festive activities with a dose of mystery. (on the 14,15, 23 and 24^th December between 3-5PM you can meet the Santa Claus for making selfies)

• Costume exhibition: “Historical Queens and Fairy-tale Princesses” Step into the enchanting world of fairy-tale heroines and admire the costumes worn by favourites including Cinderella, Snow White, Bella and the Snow Queen. Set among Christmas trees and sparkling lights, the rhinestones, sequins, pearls, silk and lace on the dresses come to life. The scene and atmosphere change as you step into the royal apartments to view another collection of dresses echoing the château’s history and rooms, inspired by portraits, paintings and engravings of famous sovereigns.

The magic of Christmas comes to Blois with the Lyres d’Hiver winter festival! Blois is filled with the Christmas spirit in December, with a skating rink, sledge run, Christmas market, cinema, magic and music, not to mention events, decorations and Christmas lights. The town is host to around a hundred events.

Great gift ideas 100% “Made in Loiret-Cher” Why not choose some original, locally produced presents for friends and family this year? The Maison des Parapluies in Blois is packed with hand-made umbrellas in a range of bright and colourful styles. Just the thing to liven up a rainy day

As it celebrates its 500th anniversary, ChateauChambord will be sumptuously decked out for Christmas for the seventh year running, with majestic Christmas trees and a whole host of other decorations.

As visitors make their way around, the château will sparkle with Yuletide magic, from the ground floor right up to the second floor, including the entrance porch, the famous double helix staircase and the chapel. The outdoor paths will also be set with some one hundred magnificent Christmas trees, twinkling with lights as dusk falls.

Events in the château: From 1 December: beautiful decorations inside the château, together with traditional wooden games (including a Louis XIV pool table and trou-madame, a type of bagatelle) and board games.

“Sapins de génie”, a Christmas tree exhibition and competition to find the most dazzling Christmas tree between local businesses, selected both for their popularity and their expertise. Visitors are invited to vote for the most beautiful Christmas tree and enter a prize draw!

On the 14 and 15 December and from 21 December to 5 January, there will be characters in period costume, Renaissance music and dancing, introductions to dancing and poetry, storytellers, nature-themed events, creative workshops, a chance to meet Santa Claus, horn concerts and numerous other surprises.

Christmas without chocolate is like Chambord without François I - unthinkable! Head forward to a chocolate workshop , just a few minutes from the Chateau of Chambord. You can tour the workshop or simply draw up a chair in the Choco’Bar and sample the delicious products. You’re sure to find plenty of treats to pop under the Christmas tree for chocoholics of all ages!

Christmas at Chateau Chenonceau… Fantastic Animals

The flower arranging workshop at the Château de Chenonceau is one of a kind in Europe. The team, including a Meilleur Ouvrier de France award-winning scenographer, is busy all year round decorating each of the château’s rooms, bedrooms and salons with flowers. During the Christmas holidays, extra special flower arrangements and sumptuously decorated fir trees bloom from the large «chequered» gallery to Louise de Lorraine’s black room, including in the kitchens.

Make your festive meals sparkle with Loire Valley wines A visit to the wine cellars near Chenonceaux is an excellent way to get to know the wines of the terroir. Loiret-Cher in the Loire Valley is home to no less than nine wine AOCs, and you will find some of the finest ones in these cellars.

Cheverny 

Adults and children alike will be enchanted by the Christmas decorations at the Château de Cheverny. The château takes on a delectable festive atmosphere with so much to see and discover. And especially don’t miss the mouth-watering table laden with seasonal specialities in the main dining room.

As soon as you arrive at the Château, the giant advent calendar, enormous Christmas tree and colossal advent wreath will transport you to a winter wonderland. Take photos in Santa’s sleigh.

After the non-guided visit of the château in all its Christmas finery, continue the visit with a walk around the two Christmas gardens. A spellbinding stroll among the snow-covered Christmas trees.

Learn to create your own stunning festive table centrepieces. Take part in a floristry workshop to learn how to make stunning bouquets, or to hone your existing skills. It’s a fun and different way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire: 

The château is festive and welcoming at Christmas. Many of the rooms, including the grand staircase, the Grand Salon, library and dining room sparkle with lights and seasonal decorations. Delicious and festive atmosphere. Enjoy it fully!

Here’s a great gift idea: cookery workshops based around Loire Valley produce. Discover the real flavours of local ingredients and learn recipes to bring out the best in them. This workshop will guide you step-by-step as you learn recipes to wow family and friends this festive season.

Royal Chateau of Amboise - Christmas through the centuries. 

The royal château of Amboise launches a new cycle of Christmas events. And this opens with a smile-inducing route along which visitors can see dozens of cuddly teddy bears of all sizes around the monument. The childhood château of the French kings-to-be, this year Amboise will be an enchanting theatre for all ages, brought together around the universal and timeless joy that is a teddy bear.“Christmas, childhood dreams – the teddy bear King!” A cuddly festive season at the Royal Château of Amboise - From the 1st December 2019 to the 5th january 2020

For this 2019 edition, it is, therefore, a soft, cuddly sovereign upon the château’s throne – the teddy bear king! Sparkling white bears and mischievous brown bears by the dozen will take up their winter residence in the château. Many, many teddy bears will move into the monument, from the guard's room to the throne room, where a giant crowned bear will cast a friendly, watchful eye over the kingdom’s destiny.

Above and beyond delicious nostalgia, which is sure to capture everyone’s imagination, this visitor route is also a chance to understand the bear's saga better; from its status as 'fearful fallen king of the beasts' to the 'teddy bear' of our childhood.

The staging has been created in partnership with the “Les Petites Maries©” company, one of the last teddy bear manufacturers in France. Many of its creations will find a place in different rooms. The Waenbrechies Museum of Antique Toys will also supply a stunning collection of old teddy bears. The huge Neapolitan crèche – an essential part of Christmas at Amboise – and numerous fir trees will also add to the atmosphere.

Château d’Azay-le-Rideau: a sweet Christmas. Of all the pleasures associated with the Christmas period, treating oneself to sweets is high on the list… And that’s perfect because, all kinds of sweets and candies will be found all over the chateau of Azay-le-Rideau for “Christmas in the land of chateaux”. As you tour the rooms of this precious Renaissance chateau: the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the attics….you will discover the astonishing Christmas decorations beautifully arranged and you will be immersed in a sweet, delicious and festive atmosphere. Enjoy it fully!

Visit the most modern winery of the Loire Valley and learn everything about wine growing. Tasting will delightly conclude your visit

Beauval Zoo will sparkle with magical Christmas lights. Follow the numerous light trails along the paths, under strings and curtains of lights, to discover the 600 fabulous different species that have made their homes at Beauval.

Especially known for its giant Pandas. Since their arrival in 2012, they are the stars of the ZooParc de Beauval! Huan Huan, the female, and Yuan Zi, the male, are at the centre of all attentions.

Native to China, giant pandas are considered a true national treasure. Only 23 zoological parks in the world house these bears outside China.

In France, they are the only representatives of their species. Their breeding and the birth of a panda cub are therefore a true challenge and a great hope for endangered species throughout the world

Château de Langeais: a thousand festive lights. Lights are part of the festive season. During the Middle Ages, the light from wax candles was much preferred to smoky torches, oil lamps or tallow candles. As wax candles were expensive, they were considered as a luxury product. During the festive season and for “Christmas in the land of chateaux”, visitors will discover inside the chateau, the magic of Christmas through the tradition of light: flowers and lights will be arranged together and be used to highlight the rich collection of furniture and tapestries.It gives visitors the opportunity to discover the pomp and circumstance of the era of the seigneurs, including a table covered with extraordinary dishes and luxurious ornaments in the bedrooms.

Continue to the first truffle farm in France, which operates on nearly 60 hectares of truffle fields located in Touraine, using only organic farming practices. During the production period from mid-November to the end of February, truffles are harvested up (dug up) daily. They are sold after being washed, brushed and canifered according to the standard in force then promptly delivered directly to the client.

2 hours of discovery through the truffle beds, followed by a truffle butter tasting with Chinon wine.

Royal Fortress of Chinon: At the foot of the Christmas tree. This year, at the Royal fortress of Chinon, the Christmas decoration will take you back to the 20th century! From the end of the 19th century with the renowned shop windows of the Parisian department stores to the 1990’s, you will follow this visit with a little bit of nostalgia. See also an exhibition of vintage Christmas posters.

You will also have the privilege and the surprise to discover an original work of art created by the glass designer Verart, a local glass factory. And, inside the towers of the fortress, you will be invited to discover original artistic versions of the Christmas tree.

Transfer to airport for onward departure.