Château de Blois

The royal château of Blois holds four wings in four styles around one courtyard: medieval Gothic, the Louis XII brick-and-stone of 1500, the Renaissance wing of François I with its octagonal open staircase, and the classical wing Gaston d’Orléans added in the 1630s. Seven kings and ten queens of France stayed here, and French architecture’s whole arc stands in one square.

Murder in the King’s Chamber

On December 23, 1588, Henri III had the Duke of Guise, leader of the Catholic League and the most dangerous man in France, cut down by the royal guard in the king’s own apartments upstairs, with the king watching from behind a curtain. The rooms where it happened are on the visit, and the story is told on site without varnish.

Visiting

The château stands in the center of Blois, a ten-minute walk uphill from the station, with direct trains from Paris Austerlitz and from Tours. Current hours and prices are at chateaudeblois.fr; allow 90 minutes to two hours, and the evening sound-and-light show runs in season.

Blois makes the natural rail-only château day; the top ten castles page compares it with the vehicle-only sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Blois architecturally important?
Its four wings span four eras in one courtyard: Gothic, Louis XII, François I Renaissance, and seventeenth-century classical. No other building shows French architecture’s evolution as compactly.

What happened to the Duke of Guise at Blois?
Henri III had him assassinated in the royal apartments on December 23, 1588, breaking the Catholic League’s grip; the king was himself assassinated eight months later.

Is Blois easy to reach without a car?
Yes, the easiest major château by rail: direct trains from Paris Austerlitz and from Tours, then a ten-minute walk from the station to the courtyard.