From late November, the Loire Valley châteaux dress up for Christmas: trees in the state rooms, banquet tables laid as if dinner were about to be served, façades lit up from five o’clock. We live in Cour-Cheverny, a short walk from Château de Cheverny, and December is one of our favourite times here. The crowds are gone, visits are slower, and you come home in the dark to a warm house.
Here is what we recommend for Christmas 2026, with the dates known on 31 October. Some châteaux have not published everything yet. We say so where that’s the case, and we will update this page.
Key dates
| Château | Christmas 2026 | From the house |
|---|---|---|
| Chambord | 28 November 2026 – 17 January 2027 | 20 min drive |
| Cheverny | December 2026 – mid-January 2027 (exact dates tbc) | 10 min walk |
| Royal Château of Blois | announced 28 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 (tbc) | 20 min drive |
| Chaumont-sur-Loire | 2026 dates tbc | 30 min drive |
| Chenonceau | 28 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 | 45 min drive |
Open on Christmas Day? Read this first
- Cheverny is open 365 days a year, including 25 December and 1 January.
- Chambord is closed on 25 December and 1 January, and closes at 4 pm on the 24th and 31st.
- Chaumont-sur-Loire is closed on 25 December and 1 January.
If you arrive on the 24th, Cheverny is the easy choice for Christmas Day itself.
Cheverny: Christmas lights within walking distance
Every furnished room and the gardens are decorated, and at dusk the château lights up with a projection on its façade. In 2025 the illuminations ran from 5.30 to 6.45 pm; 2026 times are still to be confirmed. Go in around 3.30 pm, see the rooms in daylight, stay outside for the lights, then walk home.
2026 prices (check on the day): €15.50 for château and gardens (€11.50 reduced, including ages 7 to 14; free under 7), or €20.50 with the Tintin exhibition, The Secrets of Marlinspike Hall. Hergé drew Marlinspike from Cheverny, and our
Cheverny article explains how. Tickets are sold on site only, with no booking, and the château is heated.
Chambord: a Gargantuan Christmas
This year’s theme is Gargantua, Rabelais’s giant with a giant appetite. It ties in with Les Festins de Chambord, an exhibition on the second floor that recreates four historic meals. Between 19 December and 2 January there’s a show,
Le Réveillon de Gargantua, at 11 am and 3 pm (11 am and 2 pm on the 24th and 31st). There are also kitchen-themed guided tours and family activities every weekend in December.
A note for British and American visitors: Chambord charges visitors from outside the European Economic Area €31 (€28.50 reduced), instead of €21 for EU visitors. These are the 2026 rates, valid until 31 December. Booking online is recommended. Opening hours: 9 am to 5 pm until 18 December, then 9 am to 6 pm from 19 December to 2 January.
Get there at opening time, see the château and its rooftop terraces before the 11 am show, then walk out into the formal gardens, which hold monumental sculptures by Alexander Calder until June 2027.
Blois: a forest in the château, a Christmas market in town
The Royal Château of Blois has announced a Christmas installation called Forêts intérieures (inner forests): an imaginary forest growing among the tapestries, from 28 November to 3 January. The château had not published this on its own site by 31 October, so check chateaudeblois.fr before you go.
If you’re searching for Loire Valley Christmas markets, Blois is the closest. Last winter the town set up a Christmas village of about twenty chalets on Place du Château, an ice rink and a big wheel. The 2026 programme isn’t out yet (hiver.blois.fr). Our Blois article covers the château itself.
Further afield
Chenonceau (45 min) celebrates “Christmas traditions of the world”, British Christmas included, from 28 November to 3 January. Amboise is one of six Touraine châteaux in the Noël au Pays des Châteaux trail, which has a multi-château pass. Beauval Zoo (30 min) is open every day of the year from 9 am, a good day out with children between two châteaux.
Getting here, and Christmas dinner for ten
From Paris, the fastest trains from Paris Austerlitz reach Blois-Chambord in 1 hr 24 min (SNCF Connect), and the house is a 20-minute drive from the station. Once you’re here, the house does the rest. The dining table seats ten, the kitchen is fully equipped, and the village baker, butcher and grocer are all within walking distance. Shop opening hours around 24-25 December vary, so we’ll give you the details when you arrive.
See our rates for minimum stays over the holidays. For the two long weekends (25 December and 1 January), book early.
Information checked on 31 October 2026 with the châteaux and tourist offices. Dates, opening hours and prices can change: please check the official websites before you travel.
