Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wax Museum, Play Area, and Traditional Farm:
The wax museum (La Galerie
des Dames-Musée de Cires, located in the château stables), while tacky and designed for
children,putsawaxyfaceonthejuicyhistoryofthechâteau.ReadingtheEnglishdisplays
requires a series of deep knee-bends. You can taste the owner's wines in the atmospheric
Cave du Dôme
below. A kids' play area lies just past the wax museum, and a few steps
beyond that you can stroll around a traditional farm and imagine the production needed to
sustain the château (free, always open).
Eating:
A reasonable cafeteria is next door to the wax museum. Fancy meals are
served in the
orangerie
behind the stables. There's a cheap
crêperie
/sandwich shop at the
entrance gate. While picnics are not allowed on the grounds, there are picnic tables in a
park near the parking lot.
Boat Trips:
In summer, the château has rental
rowboats
—an idyllic way to savor
graceful château views, but not available when the river is low (€6/30 minutes, July-Aug
daily 10:00-19:00, 4 people/boat).
Background:
Find a riverside view of the château to get oriented. Although earlier
châteaux were built for defensive purposes, Chenonceau was the first great pleasure
palace. Nicknamed the “château of the ladies,” it housed many famous women over the
centuries. The original owner, Thomas Bohier, was away on the king's business so much
that his wife, Katherine Briçonnet, made most of the design decisions during construction
of the main château (1513-1521).
