Château d’Ussé

Ussé is the château people mean when they say fairy-tale: white tufa towers, slate cones, and terraced gardens against the dark edge of the Chinon forest. Tradition holds that Charles Perrault had Ussé in mind when he wrote Sleeping Beauty in the 1690s, and the château leans into it without apology.

The Castle of the Story

The visit runs from the Vauban-designed terraces through furnished period rooms to the attic circuit, where waxwork tableaux tell Sleeping Beauty scene by scene, and up the tower stairs the story climbs to its spindle. It sounds like kitsch and lands as charm, and children rate Ussé the best château in the valley by a wide margin.

Visiting

Ussé is privately owned, home to the Duke of Blacas’ family, and opens roughly mid-February to mid-November; hours and prices are at chateaudusse.fr. It sits in the Indre valley near Chinon and Azay-le-Rideau, 40 minutes from Tours by car, with no useful rail link, and combines naturally with either neighbor.

Ussé needs a car; the top ten castles page separates the rail-reachable châteaux from the drive-only ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ussé really the Sleeping Beauty castle?
By tradition, yes: Charles Perrault is said to have taken Ussé as the model when he wrote the tale in the 1690s. The claim is old and unprovable, and the château’s silhouette argues for it.

Is Ussé open year-round?
No. As a private family home it closes in winter, opening roughly mid-February to mid-November; check chateaudusse.fr for the current season.

Which châteaux pair with Ussé?
Azay-le-Rideau and Chinon, both within 20 minutes in the Indre valley. The three make a strong car-based day west of Tours.