Beaugency: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Beaugency is small: a few thousand people, a keep, two churches and a bridge, all within ten minutes' walk. That is its charm. The lanes drop from the high street down to the Loire, past little streams that once turned mills. Start at the clock tower and end on the bridge at sunset.
A short history of Beaugency
Beaugency is a small town on the Loire, with an old bridge and an 11th-century keep. In 1152 a council of churchmen met here and annulled the marriage of King Louis VII to Eleanor of Aquitaine; two months later Eleanor married Henry, who became King of England. In June 1429, a few weeks after the liberation of Orléans, Joan of Arc took the town from the English.
The ten best sights in Beaugency
1Tour de CésarThe great 11th-century keep that rises over the town; seen from everywhere, entered rarely
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2Château Dunois
The 15th-century castle of Joan of Arc's companion, now a digital art centre
3Église Notre-DameA Romanesque abbey church where a French king's marriage was undone
4Église Saint-ÉtienneA plain 11th-century church, among the oldest in the region; usually only seen from outside
5Château de TalcyA quiet château 13 km west, with a big dovecote and an old wine press
6Château de ChambordThe giant of the Loire is only 20 minutes away by car
7Château de ChevernyStill lived in and fully furnished; the hunting hounds are fed in the afternoon
8Château de Meung-sur-LoireThe bishops' castle 8 km upstream, with tunnels and a dungeon
9Basilique Notre-Dame de CléryA king's tomb in a village church, 14 km upstream
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10Pont de Beaugency
The long medieval bridge; walk to the far bank for the view of the keep
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Beaugency →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Beaugency:
Free walking tours in Beaugency
The old town on foot
Beaugency is small: a few thousand people, a keep, two churches and a bridge, all within ten minutes' walk. That is its charm. The lanes drop from the high street down to the Loire, past little streams that once turned mills. Start at the clock tower and end on the bridge at sunset.
- Tour de l'Horloge · The clock tower was once one of the gates in the town wall. The high street still passes under its arch, as the road to Vendôme did in the Middle Ages.
- Église Saint-Étienne · Saint-Étienne dates from the 11th century, which makes it one of the oldest church buildings in the Loire valley. It is no longer used for worship and opens only for exhibitions.
- Église Notre-Dame · In March 1152 a church council met here and annulled the marriage of King Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Two months later Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet, the future king of England, and took her lands with her.
- Tour de César · The keep was built in the 11th century by the lords of Beaugency and stands about 36 metres high. It is one of the oldest great stone keeps in France, and it has lost its floors and roof.
- Château Dunois · Jean de Dunois, the 'Bastard of Orléans', rebuilt the castle in the 15th century. He was the illegitimate son of the Duke of Orléans and fought beside Joan of Arc during the siege of 1429.
- Pont de Beaugency · For centuries this was the only bridge over the Loire between Orléans and Blois, which made the town worth fighting over. Parts of the bridge go back to the Middle Ages, and each arch is a little different.
Châteaux south of the river
Across the bridge begins the Sologne, a flat land of forests and ponds that the kings loved for hunting. Their hunting lodges grew into some of the most famous châteaux in France. This loop links six of them, from a poet's love story to the house that inspired Tintin. They are all within 35 km of Beaugency.
- Château de Talcy · The Florentine banker Bernard Salviati bought Talcy in 1517. His daughter Cassandre was the muse of the poet Pierre de Ronsard, who wrote 'Les Amours de Cassandre' for her.
- Château de Ménars · Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV, bought Ménars in 1760 and had it enlarged. It is private, but the terraced gardens are seen well from the far bank of the Loire.
- Château de Chambord · Molière's play 'Le Bourgeois gentilhomme' was first performed here for Louis XIV in 1670. The roof is a forest of chimneys, turrets and lanterns, laid out like a small town.
- Château de Villesavin · Jean Le Breton, who ran the building works at Chambord for François I, built this smaller château for himself in the 1520s and 1530s. It is said he used the same craftsmen.
- Château de Cheverny · Hergé drew Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock's home in the Tintin books, from Cheverny with its two outer wings removed. The same family has owned it for more than six centuries.
- Château de Beauregard · The gallery of Beauregard holds 327 portraits of kings, queens and statesmen, hung in rows from floor to ceiling. Below them the floor is laid with thousands of blue Delft tiles showing an army on the march.
Joan's Loire campaign
After lifting the siege of Orléans in May 1429, Joan of Arc and the Duke of Alençon cleared the English from the Loire in one week of June. They took Jargeau, then the bridge at Meung, then Beaugency, and caught the retreating English army at Patay. This route follows that week in the order it happened. It also passes a royal tomb and the bishops' castle of Meung.
- Maison de Loire · Jargeau fell on 12 June 1429 after an assault in which Joan was knocked down by a stone that struck her helmet. The Earl of Suffolk, commander of the English, was taken prisoner.
- Pont George V · Every year since 1430 Orléans has celebrated its liberation on 8 May, the day the English left. The Fêtes johanniques are among the oldest civic festivals in France.
- Basilique Notre-Dame de Cléry · Louis XI, son of the king Joan had crowned at Reims, chose this church for his tomb. He died in 1483 and lies here instead of at Saint-Denis.
- Château de Meung-sur-Loire · Joan's army seized the bridge of Meung on 15 June 1429 without taking the town. Thirty years later the castle's dungeon held the poet François Villon.
- Pont de Beaugency · The English garrison of Beaugency surrendered on 17 June 1429 and was allowed to leave. Their army, coming too late to help, turned back north.
- Patay · On 18 June 1429 the French cavalry caught the English on the open plain near Patay before their longbowmen could set up. The English lost heavily and their commander John Talbot was captured, a reversal of Agincourt.
Getting to Beaugency and getting around
- Gare de Beaugency · Regional trains on the Orléans–Blois–Tours line stop here; ten minutes' walk to the old town
- Gare des Aubrais · The nearest main-line station, 25 km away, for trains to Paris
Cheap eats in Beaugency
Beaugency sits between the Orléans wine country and the Sologne, a land of game, river fish and ponds. In autumn menus fill with venison, wild boar and mushrooms, and in spring with asparagus from the sandy Sologne soil. The town is small, so lunch means a bakery, a crêperie or one of the bars on the high street. Most places close on Sunday evening and Monday.
- Epiane · Bakery on the high street; a croissant about €1.30
- La Panetière · Sandwiches and tarts next door, about €4-7
- Café Jo · Coffee at the counter about €1.80
- Le Balto · A village bar-tabac; a drink and a croque about €6-9
- La Crep'Zéria · Crêpes and galettes near the keep, about €8-13
- Food Story · Quick burgers and wraps, about €9-12
Museums in Beaugency
- Château Dunois · Digital art shows inside medieval walls
- Château de Talcy · Few visitors, original furniture, a lovely orchard
- Château de Chambord · Arrive at opening to have the staircase to yourself
- Château de Cheverny · A Tintin exhibition and the hound kennel
- Château de Villesavin · A small family château with a collection on old weddings
Holy places in Beaugency
- Église Notre-Dame · Romanesque columns and calm, steps from the keep
- Église Saint-Étienne · Check for an exhibition to see inside
- Basilique Notre-Dame de Cléry · Flamboyant Gothic and a king's kneeling statue
- Château de Meung-sur-Loire · Home of the bishops of Orléans for centuries
- Basilique Saint-Benoît de Fleury · A great Romanesque abbey, 55 km upstream
Nature and day trips near Beaugency
- Pont de Beaugency · Walk across at sunset; the sandbanks below fill with birds
- Réserve naturelle de Saint-Mesmin · Riverside paths with herons and, at dusk, beavers
- Domaine du Ciran · Sologne ponds and woods on marked trails
- Château de Chambord · Deer watching towers in the walled park at dawn and dusk
- Tour du Diable · An old tower by the water at the foot of the town
Where to eat in Beaugency
- Le Petit Bateau · French cooking in an old house; a menu of the day at lunch
- Les Pieds sous la Table d'Adeline · Small, home-style and close to the keep; book ahead
- L'Idée · Modern bistro plates in the centre
- Le Patio · Terrace dining in the old town
- La Paillotte · Across the bridge by the river; summer evenings
Frequently asked questions about Beaugency
What is there to see in Beaugency?
The top sights in Beaugency are Tour de César, Château Dunois and Église Notre-Dame. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Beaugency?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Beaugency without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Beaugency?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Beaugency, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The old town on foot.
How do you get to Beaugency and get around?
The main ways are Gare de Beaugency and Gare des Aubrais. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Beaugency, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Beaugency that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Beaugency for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.