France is home to more than 6000 castles and châteaus! That’s a lot of options to choose from, so I’ve narrowed it down for you. This list includes famous and lesser-known castles in different parts of the country that can be incorporated into almost any itinerary and budget.

Here are the most beautiful castles in France!

Château de Fontainebleau is a stunning palace just 45 minutes (by train and car) southeast of Paris. This château is a fantastic alternative to Versailles. You’ll find that this palace is just as grand as Versailles, and you’ll encounter far fewer tourists.

If you’ve already visited Versailles, or if you’d like a more budget-friendly day trip from Paris, then Fontainbleau would be a great choice.

I recommend buying your entry tickets to the château in advance to save the time you’d otherwise spend in line. You can tour the gardens and palace, which is home to Marie Antoinette’s Turkish boudoir and the Napoleon Museum.

The town of Fontainbleau is one of my Amazing Budget Destinations in France, and a trip here could easily be incorporated into a Paris Itinerary.

Fontainbleau is surrounded by a gorgeous forest (once a royal hunting ground) that you can hike and rock climb in. The town also has a stellar food and wine scene.

This is my favorite castle…ever! It’s stunning, grand, and formidable. Plus, it’s the setting for one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Merlin. When you look up at the castle, with nothing modern in sight, it’s easy to imagine knights, a wizard, and royalty making this place home.

You can stroll through the picturesque town below the castle, where cafe Glaces Italiennes has fantastic ice cream for an afternoon snack. You can also take a paddleboat out on the nearby lake.

Château de Pierrefonds is about an hour’s drive northeast of Paris, or an hour and a half by train and bus. To get here via public transportation, you’ll take a train from Gare du Nord Station in Paris to Compiegne, and then take bus #27 or a cab to the castle.

I’d plan on spending about an hour touring the castle (€8 entry fee; free for children, students, and seniors) and a couple of hours in the surrounding area. So this castle is a great half-day trip from Paris.

Chateau de Chambord

In addition to being one of the most beautiful castles in France, Château de Chambord is the most famous castle in France. The Château de Chambord is in the Loire Valley, one of the best wine regions in the country.

The château is a must-visit destination in the region, and my favorite way to see the castle is to pair a visit with a wine tasting!

Château de Chambord and its magnificent gardens are open year-round except for January 1, November 30, and December 25. Opening and closing hours are:
January 2 – March 27: 9 am – 5 pm
March 28 to October 25: 9 am – 6 pm
October 26 to December 31: 9 am – 5 pm

It costs €14,50 to enter the castle and gardens and €6 to park at the château.

There’s a park around the castle that’s open year-round with no entry fee. The park gives you the best views of the castle, and you can take a boat out on the lake, walk or bike some of the wooded trails, take a horse-drawn carriage ride, or watch a jousting reenactment.

The Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is a medieval castle in Orschwiller in the Alsace region of France. This castle overlooks the Upper Rhine Plain and the Black Forest near the German border. The views from here are incredible, so give yourself plenty of time to walk along the castle’s ramparts.

You can easily visit Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg as a day trip from Colmar, Strasbourg, or Nancy. You’ll need to join a tour group or have a car to get to the castle. A visit to this castle could also be combined with the famous Alsace Wine Route or a trip to the medieval villages of Riquewihr and Kaysersberg.

Opening days and times for Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg vary from month to month, so you can find the opening and closing hours here. The entry fee is €9 per person, and there are discounted rates for children, students, and seniors.

Tours de Merle

The Tours de Merle are the ruins of a castle in the Corrèze département of Central France. This castle rises above a pristine forest. And with the lack of anything modern in the area, you almost feel like you’ve gone back in time.

You can explore the ruins and climb what’s left of the towers, and you can hike in the surrounding woods along the River Maronne for stunning views of the ruins.

You’ll park in a lot off of RD 13, and then take a short trail to the Visitors Welcome Center. It costs €6,50 to enter the area (with reduced rates for children, students, and seniors), and this entry fee includes a guide book and a guided tour. Guided tours in french start every day at 3:00 pm, and tours in English and Spanish need to be booked in advance.

Pro Tip: there’s a lot of steps, steep ascents and descents, and the trails along the river are usually wet, so bring sturdy hiking shoes.

Tours de Merle is in an off-the-beaten-path part of the country, so if you weren’t planning to spend time in this region, you can still easily divert to this castle on your way from Paris to Bordeaux or the French Riviera.

Chateau de Chantilly

Château de Chantilly is a castle on a lake in the beautiful town of Chantilly. This castle is only about 50 kilometers north of Paris. So, you could visit here as a day trip, or as a stop on your road trip to a Northern region of the country.

Various exhibitions, tours, equestrian demonstrations, and workshops happen every day. So when you arrive, check the calendar of events. I recommend booking your tickets ahead of time to save money and time.

I’d plan to spend about half a day here. This would give you plenty of time to explore the château, gardens, watch one of the equestrian shows, and have a picnic with a view of the lake and castle.

The château is also home to the Musée Condé art gallery, where you’ll find one of the finest collections of paintings and illuminated illustrations in the country.

The Château de Chenonceau spans the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley. This castle is near the Château de Chambord, which I recommended visiting earlier in this article.

When you visit, plan to spend at least half a day here touring the castle and exploring the surrounding gardens. You should also take a cruise on the River Cher to see the castle from the water.

If you’re staying in the Loire Valley, you can easily visit Château de Chenonceau from Tours or Amboise. If you’re visiting the Loire Valley as a day trip from Paris, I recommend combining this castle with a tour of other châteaus in the area and a wine tasting.

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