CHÂTEAU HDE CHENONCEAU - French Castle That Inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty (Day Trip from Paris)

Château de Chenonceau - the second most visited castle in France, second only to the world-renowned Château de Versailles.

This marvellous château, famed for both it’s impressive architecture and the natural beauty of the estate & river on which it is built, inspired the design of Sleeping Beauty’s castle in the classic Disney film. It was also inhabited by the likes of such renowned French women such as Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers.

The two famous ladies who lived in side the castle weren’t always on the friendliest of terms - supposedly Catherine was quite jealous that her husband, Henry, gave Diane the Crown Jewels and Chenonceau Castle out of his love for her. Indeed, the castle walls have bore witness to enough drama to make Game of Thrones seem tame in comparison. I highly encourage anyone interested to research it, but do be warned it’s history is anything but straightforward!

The castle features a premiere “castle” structure (built atop the foundations of an old mill in 1514-1522), and a bridge that was built years later across the River Cher (1570–1576). Its architecture was primarily a blend of late Gothic and early Renaissance style.

The Gardens

The castle’s estate features two magnificent gardens. One of the people working at the castle said one of the gardens belonged to Catherine de Medicis, and the other to Diane de Poitiers. However, Diane’s name was not used in the naming of the gardens - they are called Garden of Catherine de Medicis and Garden Green, respectively.

The Garden of Catherine de Medicis is a beautiful green space with lot’s of flowers, fashioned by the Italian gardening trends at the time, while The Garden Green is built as more of a maze.

The trail leading to the castle is almost as magical as the building itself. It’s easy to see how the animators and designers of Sleeping Beauty found inspiration from this French castle!

Interior

The exterior isn’t the only remarkable thing about Château de Chenonceau - the interior also boasts magnificent architecture and intriguing art.

The dreamy castle has been classified by the French Ministry of Culture as an official Monument historique.

Chenonceau Castle is well wroth visiting for fans of Disney, fans of French history, fans of architecture, or just the ever-curious tourist who enjoys seeing architectural marvels.