Location: Blois
Top Things to do in Blois
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Things to do in Blois, Centre-Val de Loire: The Best Sights & Landmarks
French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Restaurants in Blois
1. Chateau Royal de Blois
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,961 reviews
Aux portes du Val de Loire, le château royal de Blois présente un véritable panorama de l'art et de l'histoire des châteaux de la Loire, ce qui en fait la meilleure introduction à leur visite par sa richesse architecturale. Autour de la cour, dominée par le monumental escalier François Ier, se déploie un florilège de quatre styles de l'architecture française, le style gothique avec la salle des Etats généraux, les prémices de l'influence italienne avec l'aile Louis XII, Renaissance dans l'aile François Ier et enfin classique avec l'aile bâtie par Mansart pour le duc d'Orléans. Résidence de sept rois et de dix reines de France, le château royal est le lieu évocateur du pouvoir et de la vie quotidienne de la cour à la Renaissance, comme en témoignent les appartements royaux, meublés et ornés de magnifiques décors polychromes.
Reviewed By tallpinesCO - Steamboat Springs, United States
We chose this chateau for a rainy day because it’s a city chateau, with no gardens (though there is a park across the street). During a lull in the downpour, we admired the different styles of architecture from several centuries, beginning with a fortified tower left from the 1200s or so. The visitor goes through the rooms in more or less chronological order through the reigns of French kings over several centuries. We liked Blois much more than we did some years ago, because now every room and every object has a very fine explanation and description in English (as well as French, of course). An audio guide was 4 Euros, but we skipped it. The printed information was just enough for us. A series of rooms on the lower level display old pieces of stonework from various eras of the chateau. Where else can you get up close and personal with a whole collection of human and animal gargoyles? So many kings and queens have lived at Blois that it serves as an excellent introduction to the other great chateaux of the Loire Valley. There is an attached fine art gallery with interesting work by French artists and others, such as Rembrandt. Again, everything is very well explained in English/French placards.
2. Basilique Notre-dame De La Trinite
3. Pavillon Anne de Bretagne
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
4. Eglise Saint-Vincent-de-Paul
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By nancyen - Annapolis, United States
Passed by this picturesque spot while walking from the train into town. Convenient location across from the chateau, it is well worth a stop. The church is lovely, ornate but not overly so. The soft colors and relatively small size give it an intimate feel. Of special interest to me were the stained glass windows, the ceiling and the statuary, particularly the Pietà.
5. Escalier Denis Papin
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 238 reviews
Reviewed By jksKansas
This famous staircase had Lucky Luke painted on the steps when we were there. The design is well seen from a distance & it is changed at times to other paintings like the Mona Lisa, etc. It is a beautiful staircase & garden. There is a statue of Denis Papin at the top. Lots of restaurants in this area + the Loire river is close by. Denis Papin was a physicist/ scientist who invented the the steam equipment led to the invention pressure cooker & steam engine.
6. Pont Jacques-Gabriel
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By Nortie139 - Ottawa, Canada
The 11 arches split the city. It did not get taken out in WWII. It is stunning as it spans across the river. A beautiful piece of architecture.
7. Maison de l'Acrobate
8. Place du Chateau
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By KTGP - Adelaide, Australia
Head up Grands Degrés du Château, (lots of steps) to Place du Château, a lovely little pocket of Blois, filled with history. It is a large square with a wing of Château Blois. Saint-Sauveur Collegiate Church was on the square, until it was demolished during the French Revolution. The church in its day was used for a few notables, such as the burials of the Counts of Blois, the blessing in 1429 of Joan of Arc’s standard and the funerals of Catherine de Medici and Anne of Brittany. The portion of Blois Château facing the square is the Louis XII wing built 1498-1500. The beautiful Gothic façade, features a stunning equestrian statue of Louis XII, this is a copy created in 1858, the original was destroyed during the French Revolution. Above the statue is a delightful porcupine, the emblem of Louis XII. To the left is the rebuilt, Hôtels Amboise and Epernon. Both buildings were built at the turn of the 16th century, sadly they sustained heavy damage during WWII. They were reconstructed in the 1950’s, while the façade is close to the original the ornate embellishments were not replaced. Photos can be seen online of the buildings before and after they were destroyed. At the opposite end to the château is Maison de la Magie built 1856, it was the home of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, (1805–1871) an illusionist who was born in Blois. The building is now a Museum of Magic dedicated to Houdin and there is a statue of him, out the front of the museum. Every 30 minutes or every hour, (not sure) six golden mechanical dragons appear at the window, with red eyes, breathing smoke and they even push over a portion of the balcony, adults as well as children get a bit of a buzz out of this. The museum is not open all year round. Jardins St Sauveur are on one side of the square, named for the church which once stood there. At the end of the gardens near the Museum of Magic, are steps leading to a lookout where there is a view of Blois Cathedral. The Tourist Office is just across the road from the square and there are a couple of restaurants nearby. In the garden are some benches, and a low wall to sit on. It is a lovey area to sit while waiting for the dragons to appear at the windows and do their thing. It is fun watching peoples reaction to them, especially the little tackers, none of them seemed frightened, they were more squeals of delight.
