Loire Valley & Central France - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 392

Looming on a rocky escarpment on the northern bank of the Loire, Blois' historic
château (formerly the feudal seat of the powerful counts of Blois) provides a
whistle-stop tour through the key periods of French history and architecture.

Sights
Many of the châteaux in the Blésois are covered by the Pass' Châteaux, which of-
fers savings of between €1.20 and €5.30 depending on which châteaux you visit;
contact the tourist offices in Blois, Cheverny and Chambord.

CHÂTEAU ROYAL DE BLOIS
( 02 54 90 33 32; www.chateaudeblois.fr ; place du Château; adult/child €8/4;
9am-6.30pm) Blois' château and the former royal seat was intended more as an ar-
chitectural showpiece than a military stronghold, and successive French kings have
left their creative mark over the centuries. From the château's huge central court-
yard you can view four distinct periods of French architecture: the Gothic Salle des
États and original medieval castle; François I's Renaissance north wing (1515-24);
the classical west wing (1635-38) constructed under Gaston d'Orléans, brother to
Louis XIII; and Louis XII's red-brick Flamboyant Gothic east wing (1498-1503).
The impressive Salle des États Généraux (Estates General Hall, c1220) has a
soaring double barrel-vaulted roof decorated in royal blues and golden fleurs-de-lys.
Blois' medieval lords meted out justice here in the Middle Ages, and Luc Besson
used it for the dramatic trial scene in his 1999 biopic Jeanne d'Arc .
The most famous feature of the Renaissance wing , the royal apartments of
François I and Queen Claude, is the loggia staircase , decorated with salaman-
ders and curly Fs (heraldic symbols of François I).
The château hosts a 45-minute son et lumière ( 02 54 55 26 31; adult/child
€7/4; mid-Apr-late Sep) featuring huge projections on the walls (English version
Wednesdays).

Castle

MAISON DE LA MAGIE
(House of Magic; 02 54 90 33 33; www.maisondelamagie.fr , in French; 1 place du
Château; adult/child €9/5; 10am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm, closed mornings Mon-Fri
Sep) Opposite the château you can't miss the former home of watchmaker, inventor
and conjurer Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-71) when, on the hour, dragons
emerge roaring from the windows. It has entertaining live magic shows (three to
four daily), exhibits on the history of magic and loads of optical trickery including a

Magic Museum