Region

Museums, galleries and heritage in Centre-Val de Loire

249 places to discover across Centre-Val de Loire.

91 museums73 galleries58 castles24 religious sites3 heritage

Including Château de Chambord, Château de Chenonceau and Château royal d'Amboise.

60 of 125 places, sorted by distance from the center

Castle

Château de Villesavin

Tour-en-Sologne

Castle

Château de Cheverny

Cheverny

Castle

Château de Troussay

Cheverny

Castle

Château de Chambord

Chambord

Castle

Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre

Fougères-sur-Bièvre

Religious site

Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Blois

Blois

Religious site

Église Saint-Nicolas de Blois

Blois

Museum

Maison de la magie Robert-Houdin

Blois

Castle

Château de Blois

Blois

Museum

Centre de la Résistance, de la Déportation et de la Mémoire

Blois

Castle

Château du Moulin

Lassay-sur-Croisne

Religious site

Abbaye de Pontlevoy

Pontlevoy

Museum

Musée de Sologne

Romorantin-Lanthenay

Castle

Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire

Chaumont-sur-Loire

Castle

Château de Selles-sur-Cher

Selles-sur-Cher

Religious site

Église Saint-Eusice de Selles-sur-Cher

Selles-sur-Cher

Castle

Château de Talcy

Talcy

Castle

Château de Beaugency

Beaugency

Museum

Forteresse et Musées de Montrichard

Montrichard Val de Cher

Castle

Château de Meung-sur-Loire

Meung-sur-Loire

Religious site

Basilique Notre-Dame de Cléry-Saint-André

Cléry-Saint-André

Castle

Château de la Ferté-Saint-Aubin

La Ferté-Saint-Aubin

Castle

Château de Chenonceau

Chenonceaux

Museum

Galerie des attelages (dans la ferme du XVIe)

Chenonceaux

Museum

Musée hôpital militaire 14-18 du château de Chenonceau

Chenonceaux

Castle

Château de Valençay

Valençay

Castle

Château de Montpoupon

Céré-la-Ronde

Castle

Château du Clos Lucé

Amboise

Castle

Château royal d'Amboise

Amboise

Museum

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire d'Amboise

Amboise

Heritage

The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes

Amboise

Castle

Château de Montrésor

Montrésor

Museum

Musée des sapeurs-pompiers de Loir-et-Cher

Vendôme

Museum

Le Grand Coteau - Demeure Francis Poulenc

Noizay

Castle

Château de Nitray

Athée-sur-Cher

Museum

Hôtel Cabu, musée d'histoire et d'archéologie

Orléans

Religious site

Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans

Orléans

Castle

Château de Jallanges

Vernou-sur-Brenne

Museum

Musée de Lavardin

Lavardin

Castle

Château de La Bourdaisière

Montlouis-sur-Loire

Museum

Musée des Fours Banaux

Vierzon

Castle

Château de Bouges

Bouges-le-Château

Museum

Musikenfete

Montoire-sur-le-Loir

Castle

Cité royale de Loches

Loches

Religious site

Collégiale Saint-Ours de Loches

Loches

Museum

Musée Lansyer

Loches

Religious site

Collégiale Saint-Sylvain de Levroux

Levroux

Museum

Cave Yuccas

Troo

Religious site

Abbaye de Marmoutier

Tours

Museum

Collections du musée de la société archéologique de Touraine

Tours

Castle

Château de Châteaudun

Châteaudun

Religious site

Cathédrale Saint-Gatien de Tours

Tours

Religious site

Basilique Saint-Martin de Tours

Tours

Castle

Château d'Argy

Argy

Museum

Musée des outils et objets d'hier

Rouziers-de-Touraine

Museum

Musée de la marine de Loire

Châteauneuf-sur-Loire

Religious site

Église abbatiale de Saint-Genou

Saint-Genou

Religious site

Oratoire carolingien de Germigny-des-Prés

Germigny-des-Prés

Museum

Musée du château Charles VII

Mehun-sur-Yèvre

Religious site

Abbaye de Fleury

Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire

04About

A region built around the Loire

Centre-Val de Loire owes its identity to the river that gives it its name. The Val de Loire entre Sully-sur-Loire et Chalonnes, inscribed by UNESCO in 2000, stretches along a landscape of châteaux, vineyards and market towns that has shaped French architecture and garden design for centuries.

Two cathedrals anchor the region's religious heritage: the Cathédrale de Chartres, listed since 1979 for its intact Gothic stained glass and sculpted portals, and the Cathédrale de Bourges, built between the 12th and 13th centuries in the heart of the Cher department.

Beyond its monuments, the region holds an unexpectedly wide museum offer, from automotive history in Romorantin-Lanthenay to contemporary art in Orléans, making it far more than a châteaux-only destination.

05Neighborhoods

Natural sciences and archaeology across the region

Natural history museums are spread across the region's main cities: the MOBE - Muséum d'Orléans pour la Biodiversité et l'Environnement in Orléans, the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Tours in Tours, and the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle in Bourges.

Archaeology is well represented at the Musée archéologique d'Argentomagus in Saint-Marcel, a site museum covering more than a million years of human presence, and at the Forteresse et Musées de Montrichard, built around the town's medieval fortress.

05Artists

Art, from outsider creation to Fluxus

Chartres is home to one of France's most singular works of outsider art: the Maison Picassiette, a house entirely covered in mosaic by its creator, Raymond Isidore, known as Picassiette, blending architecture and folk art into a single obsessive project.

In Blois, the Fondation du doute holds the collections of Ben and Gino di Maggio, key figures of the Fluxus movement, offering a rare concentration of this experimental art current in a regional setting.

Contemporary architecture and design are the focus of the Frac Centre-Val de Loire in Orléans, while classical and modern painting collections can be seen at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours and the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans, the latter presenting around 1,500 works out of a collection of more than 90,000 pieces.

In Issoudun, the Musée de l'Hospice Saint Roch combines contemporary architecture with art collections in a former hospice setting.

09FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many days should I plan to visit the main sites of Centre-Val de Loire?

A minimum of four to five days allows time to see Chartres and Bourges cathedrals, the Loire Valley landscape, and a selection of museums in Tours, Orléans and Blois without rushing.

Is the Val de Loire UNESCO site a single visitable location?

No, it is a continuous stretch of landscape and heritage running along the river between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, best explored by visiting several towns and châteaux along its length rather than a single site.

Which museum is best for families with children?

The Maison de la magie Robert-Houdin in Blois and the natural history museums in Orléans, Tours and Bourges are generally well suited to younger visitors, combining hands-on demonstrations with accessible displays.

Can the Chartres and Bourges cathedrals be visited in one day?

They are roughly two hours apart by road, so visiting both in a single day is possible but tight; each cathedral deserves at least an hour and a half on its own.

What is unique about the Maison Picassiette in Chartres?

The entire house and garden were covered in mosaic by Raymond Isidore over several decades, making it a rare, self-taught work of outsider art rather than a conventional museum building.

Is there a strong contemporary art scene in the region?

Yes, notably through the Frac Centre-Val de Loire in Orléans, focused on architecture and design, and the Fondation du doute in Blois, dedicated to the Fluxus movement.