Blois: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Blois was a royal city for a century: Louis XII was born here, and François I, Henri III and Catherine de' Medici all lived in the château. The old town climbs two hills, one crowned by the château and one by the cathedral. This walk links them by lanes and stairways. Wear good shoes: Blois is a town of steps.
A short history of Blois
Blois grew up around the castle of the counts of Blois, and in 1462 Louis XII was born here; he made it the royal residence of France. In 1171 the first blood libel in France took place here: after a rumour that a child had been murdered, about thirty Jews were burned, and Rabbeinu Tam set the 20th of Sivan as a fast day. On 23 December 1588 the Duke of Guise was murdered in the château on the orders of King Henry III. In the 1630s François Mansart built a new wing for Gaston d'Orléans, so the château displays four architectural styles around a single courtyard.
The ten best sights in Blois
1Château Royal de BloisFour wings from four centuries around one courtyard; the open spiral staircase is the famous one
2Maison de la MagieAcross the square from the château; at set times dragons push their heads out of the windows
3Cathédrale Saint-LouisMostly 17th-century, with modern clear-and-grey windows; the gardens behind it are the bonus
4Église Saint-NicolasThe old abbey church by the river, tall and luminous inside
5Hôtel d'AlluyeA Renaissance courtyard with Italian-style arcades; look in from the gate
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6Maison aux Acrobates
A timber house on the cathedral square with carved jugglers on its beams
7Basilique Notre-Dame de la TrinitéA 20th-century concrete basilica on the hill, with a great carillon
8Musée de la RésistanceThe war years in the Loir-et-Cher, by the river
9Château de Chaumont-sur-LoireCastle on a cliff 16 km downstream, with a garden festival every summer
10Château de ChevernyFurnished and lived in; the model for Captain Haddock's house
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What is an audio walk?
Tours in Blois →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 Blois:
Free walking tours in Blois
Royal Blois on foot
Blois was a royal city for a century: Louis XII was born here, and François I, Henri III and Catherine de' Medici all lived in the château. The old town climbs two hills, one crowned by the château and one by the cathedral. This walk links them by lanes and stairways. Wear good shoes: Blois is a town of steps.
- Château Royal de Blois · On 23 December 1588 Henri III had the Duke of Guise, leader of the Catholic League, stabbed to death in his rooms here. The king's mother, Catherine de' Medici, died in the château two weeks later.
- Maison de la Magie · The museum honours Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, born in Blois in 1805 and often called the father of modern magic. The young Erik Weisz admired him so much that he took the stage name Houdini.
- Hôtel d'Alluye · Florimond Robertet, treasurer to three kings of France, built this house around 1500. He had travelled to Italy with the royal armies and gave his courtyard the arcades and medallions he had seen there.
- Escalier Denis Papin · The statue at the top is Denis Papin, born near Blois in 1647, who built a 'steam digester', the ancestor of the pressure cooker. His work on steam power pointed the way to the steam engine.
- Maison aux Acrobates · The 15th-century house is named for the figures carved on its beams: acrobats, jugglers and characters from medieval farces. It survived the bombing of 1940 that destroyed much of the old town below.
- Cathédrale Saint-Louis · A storm in 1678 wrecked the nave, and it was rebuilt in Gothic style with the help of Louis XIV, which is why the cathedral is named after Saint Louis. Its modern windows by the Dutch artist Jan Dibbets were installed in 2000.
Châteaux of the Sologne edge
South and east of Blois the forest begins, and in it a cluster of châteaux, all within 20 km. They range from the biggest in the Loire to the smallest, from a late medieval fortress to a house still lived in by its family. Six in a day is too many to go inside: drive past some, and choose two or three to visit properly.
- Château de Beauregard · Its gallery holds 327 portraits of the great figures of Europe from the 14th to the 17th century. The floor beneath them is made of some 5,500 Delft tiles showing Louis XIII's army.
- Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre · Pierre de Refuge, a treasurer of Louis XI, built Fougères in the late 15th century. With its keep and walkways it still looks like a fortress, but the big windows show the change to a house meant for living.
- Château de Troussay · Troussay is often called the smallest of the Loire châteaux. In the 19th century the historian Louis de la Saussaye furnished it with Renaissance pieces saved from demolished buildings.
- Château de Cheverny · The Hurault family built Cheverny in the 17th century and still lives in it. Its symmetrical white front, without the side wings, became Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin books.
- Château de Villesavin · Jean Le Breton built Villesavin as his home while he oversaw the building of Chambord for François I. The château keeps a rare 16th-century dovecote with its original turning ladder.
- Château de Chambord · François I began Chambord in 1519 as a hunting lodge and spent only a few weeks there in his whole life. The double-helix staircase at its heart is often linked to Leonardo da Vinci, who had died that same year at Amboise.
Beyond the royal château
Blois is more than its château: there is the river, the gardens and the chocolate the town was once famous for. This route starts on the bridge and in the gardens of the old town, then follows the Loire to Chaumont and its garden festival. It ends far south at Beauval, one of the largest zoos in Europe. Do it as two half-days if you have children.
- Pont Jacques-Gabriel · The medieval bridge of Blois was carried away by ice in the winter of 1716. The new one, designed by Jacques Gabriel, has a small obelisk over its central arch with an inscription from its opening.
- Jardins de l'Évêché · The gardens lie on the terraces of the former bishop's palace, which is now the town hall. A rose garden fills the lower terrace, and the upper one looks straight down on the bridge and the river.
- Église Saint-Nicolas · Saint-Nicolas was the church of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Laumer, built from the 12th to the 13th century. After the Revolution the abbey buildings beside it became the town hospital.
- Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire · After Henri II died in 1559, his widow Catherine de' Medici forced his mistress Diane de Poitiers to give up Chenonceau and take Chaumont in exchange. Since 1992 the estate has held an international garden festival every year.
- Chocolaterie Max Vauché · Chocolate is part of Blois history: Victor-Auguste Poulain founded his chocolate factory in the town in 1848, and the Poulain brand became known across France. At this workshop you can watch chocolate made from the bean.
- ZooParc de Beauval · Beauval received two giant pandas from China in 2012. In 2017 their cub Yuan Meng became the first giant panda born in France.
Getting to Blois and getting around
- Gare de Blois-Chambord · Trains to Orléans, Tours and Paris; ten minutes uphill from the château
- Gare Routière · Next to the train station; in season a shuttle bus runs from here to Chambord and Cheverny
Cheap eats in Blois
Blois cooks with what the Sologne and the river give it: game in autumn, pike-perch and shad from the Loire, asparagus in spring. The famous upside-down apple tart, the tarte Tatin, comes from Lamotte-Beuvron in the Sologne, an hour's drive east. Local wine is Cheverny, light reds and crisp whites from just south of town. The cheap lunch streets are around Place Louis XII and the pedestrian lanes above it.
- Anaïs et Renan Picart · Bakery near the stairs; sandwich and pastry about €6-8
- Douce Heure · Tea room on Place Louis XII; cake and drink about €6-9
- La Pause Royale · Coffee and a snack by the château, about €4-8
- Au petit bis'croc · Croque-monsieur and quick plates, about €7-11
- Maison Pino Gelato · Ice cream on the way up to the château, about €3-5
- Pât'Bol · Pasta bowls to take away, about €8-11
- Boulangerie Marlau · Next to the station; a baguette about €1.20 before the train
Museums in Blois
- Château Royal de Blois · Don't miss Catherine de' Medici's study
- Maison de la Magie · Illusions, automatons and a live magic show
- Musée de la Résistance · An hour on the occupation and liberation of the region
- Château de Cheverny · Painted ceilings and rooms still in daily use
- Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire · Castle, stables and contemporary art in the park
Holy places in Blois
- Cathédrale Saint-Louis · Go down to the crypt of Saint Solenne
- Église Saint-Nicolas · The finest medieval church interior in Blois
- Basilique Notre-Dame de la Trinité · Concrete, mosaics and a carillon concert on some Sundays
- Maison aux Acrobates · Face the cathedral and look up at the beams
- Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre · Walk the wall-walk under the original roof timbers
Nature and day trips near Blois
- Jardins de l'Évêché · Roses in June and a view at any hour
- Lac de Loire · Walk or swim at the leisure lake
- Forêt de Russy · Shady forest trails just south of town
- Château de Chambord · Rent a bike to ride in the walled park
- Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire · The garden festival runs from spring to autumn
Where to eat in Blois
- Le Castelet · Regional cooking below the château
- Les Arcades · Brasserie terrace on Place Louis XII
- Poivre et Sel · Small French bistro in the old lanes
- Hostaria del Re · Italian, near the château
- Le Comptoir de Mamie Bigoude · Breton crêpes and cider
- Les Burgers d'Annie · Burgers for a casual night
Frequently asked questions about Blois
What is there to see in Blois?
The top sights in Blois are Château Royal de Blois, Maison de la Magie and Cathédrale Saint-Louis. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Blois?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Blois without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Blois?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Blois, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Royal Blois on foot.
How do you get to Blois and get around?
The main ways are Gare de Blois-Chambord and Gare Routière. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Blois, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Blois 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 Blois for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.