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 91 places, sorted by distance from the center

Museum

Musée Promenade Louis Derbré

Cellettes

Museum

Musée Diocésain d'Art Religieux

Blois

Museum

Maison de la magie Robert-Houdin

Blois

Museum

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

Blois

Museum

Fondation du doute

Blois

Museum

Musée des Montils

Les Montils

Museum

Musée de la Corbillière

Mer

Museum

Maison du Cerf

Villeny

Museum

Musée Espace automobiles Matra

Romorantin-Lanthenay

Museum

Musée de Sologne

Romorantin-Lanthenay

Museum

Centre d'exposition Fabrique Normant

Romorantin-Lanthenay

Museum

Musée Daniel Vannier

Beaugency

Museum

Forteresse et Musées de Montrichard

Montrichard Val de Cher

Museum

Galerie des attelages (dans la ferme du XVIe)

Chenonceaux

Museum

Musée hôpital militaire 14-18 du château de Chenonceau

Chenonceaux

Museum

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire d'Amboise

Amboise

Museum

Ecomusée du Ferblantier de Salbris et l’habitat traditionnel Solognot

Salbris

Museum

Musée de l'Ocre

Saint-Georges-sur-la-Prée

Museum

Musée du cuir et de la tannerie

Château-Renault

Museum

Musée des sapeurs-pompiers de Loir-et-Cher

Vendôme

Museum

Le Grand Coteau - Demeure Francis Poulenc

Noizay

Museum

Maison du Braconnage

Chaon

Museum

Frac Centre-Val de Loire

Orléans

Museum

Hôtel Cabu, musée d'histoire et d'archéologie

Orléans

Museum

Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans

Orléans

Museum

MOBE - Muséum d'Orléans pour la Biodiversité et l'Environnement

Orléans

Museum

Musée de Vierzon

Vierzon

Museum

Musée de Lavardin

Lavardin

Museum

Espace Maurice Rollinat

Vierzon

Museum

Musée des Fours Banaux

Vierzon

Museum

Musikenfete

Montoire-sur-le-Loir

Museum

Jaroszynski Art Museum

Loches

Museum

Musée Lansyer

Loches

Museum

Musée de l'Artisanat Rural Ancien

Tigy

Museum

Musée Gare de Trôo

Montoire-sur-le-Loir

Museum

Cave Yuccas

Troo

Museum

Collections du musée de la société archéologique de Touraine

Tours

Museum

Musée des beaux-arts et d'histoire naturelle de Châteaudun

Châteaudun

Museum

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours

Tours

Museum

Musée du Compagnonnage

Tours

Museum

Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Tours

Tours

Museum

Musée des outils et objets d'hier

Rouziers-de-Touraine

Museum

Musée de la marine de Loire

Châteauneuf-sur-Loire

Museum

Musée du château Charles VII

Mehun-sur-Yèvre

Museum

Musée du Théâtre Forain

Artenay

Museum

Maison de l'Homme et de la forêt d'Orléans

Loury

Museum

Musée de la guerre de 1870 - Loigny-la-Bataille

Loigny-la-Bataille

Museum

Musée de la Guerre 1870

Orgères-en-Beauce

Museum

Maison du Tourisme "Cœur de Beauce"

Orgères-en-Beauce

Museum

Musée de l'Hospice Saint Roch

Issoudun

Museum

Musée des sapeurs-pompiers d'Eure-et-Loir

Bonneval

Museum

Musée Balzac

Saché

Museum

Musée Bertrand

Châteauroux

Museum

Musée du Berry - Maison des Arts et Traditions Populaires

Châteauroux

Museum

Musée du Berry

Bourges

Museum

Musée Estève

Bourges

Museum

Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle

Bourges

Museum

Maison des Musées

Bourges

Museum

Musée Descartes

Descartes

Museum

Cité Rétro-Mécanique

Azay-le-Rideau

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.