Château de Chenonceau is open every day of the year; last entry varies from 4:30 pm in winter to 7 pm in July–August, and the adult ticket costs €19 with a brochure (€24 with an audioguide). Built from 1513 and extended by two galleries over the Cher commissioned by Catherine de Medici, it is visited together with its gardens, its maze and its flower kitchen garden. On spring holiday weekends, online booking is mandatory. At the other end of the Loire Valley, toward Saumur, the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud holds the tomb effigies of the Plantagenets.
Chenonceau is in Touraine. To fit it into a circuit, our guide to the Loire châteaux to visit offers 3-day and 5-day itineraries.
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Château de Chenonceau: key facts
- Open: every day, all year — checked on 23 October 2026 on chenonceau.com
- Hours: the hours shown are those of the ticket office (last entry); the monument closes 30 min later and the gardens 30 min after the monument
- Last entry: from 4:30 pm (winter) to 7 pm (July 4 to August 23)
- Full price: €19 with brochure, €24 with audioguide; €15 for ages 7–18; free under 7 — checked on 23 October 2026 on chenonceau.com
- Booking: advised on the online ticket office; mandatory on holiday weekends (Easter, May 1 and 8, Ascension, Pentecost)
- Only official site: chenonceau.com, which warns about fraudulent sites selling tickets at inflated prices
Opening hours of Chenonceau by season
Chenonceau publishes a calendar by period. This is the one shown on the Hours page on October 23, 2026 (year 2026). The time shown is the closing time of the ticket office: the château closes 30 minutes later, the gardens an hour later.
| Period (2026) | Opening | Last ticket-office entry |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 – 4 | 9:30 am | 6 pm |
| January 5 – April 3 | 9:30 am | 4:30 pm |
| April 4 – July 3 | 9 am | 6 pm |
| July 4 – August 23 | 9 am | 7 pm |
| August 24 – September 27 | 9 am | 6 pm |
| September 28 – November 1 | 9 am | 5:30 pm |
| November 2 – December 4 | 9:30 am | 4:30 pm |
| Weekends of December 5–6 and 12–13 | 9:30 am | 5 pm |
| December 7–11 and 14–18 | 9:30 am | 4:30 pm |
| December 19 – 25 | 9:30 am | 6 pm |
| December 26 – 31 | 9:30 am | 6:30 pm |
| Holiday weekends: Easter (April 4–6), May 1–3, May 8–10, Ascension (May 14–17), Pentecost (May 23–25) | 9 am | 7 pm — online booking mandatory |
Sunset over the Cher: what time to enter?
Seen from the bank, the gallery over the Cher changes color late in the day. But the gardens close an hour after last entry: in November and December the sun sets before closing; the rest of the year, after. The table matches the sunset time on the 15th of each month with the closing of the gardens. On the Loire, our guide to Château d’Amboise: hours and tickets helps you combine the two visits.
| Month (15th) | Sunset | Gardens close* | Sunset visible during the visit? | Average max at Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5:32 pm | 5:30 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 7.7 °C (46 °F) |
| February | 6:18 pm | 5:30 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 9.0 °C (48 °F) |
| March | 7:00 pm | 5:30 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 12.9 °C (55 °F) |
| April | 8:44 pm | 7 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 16.0 °C (61 °F) |
| May | 9:25 pm | 7 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 19.6 °C (67 °F) |
| June | 9:53 pm | 7 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 23.4 °C (74 °F) |
| July | 9:48 pm | 8 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 25.9 °C (79 °F) |
| August | 9:07 pm | 8 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 26.0 °C (79 °F) |
| September | 8:08 pm | 7 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 22.1 °C (72 °F) |
| October | 7:08 pm | 6:30 pm | No, sun sets after closing | 17.0 °C (63 °F) |
| November | 5:20 pm | 5:30 pm | Yes, from the gardens | 11.4 °C (53 °F) |
| December | 5:05 pm | 6 pm | Yes, from the gardens | 8.1 °C (47 °F) |
To remember: in mid-November and mid-December, entering at the last slot lets you watch the sun set from the gardens (in January it sets at about closing time); the rest of the year you have to make do with late-afternoon light. Morning at opening remains the slot recommended by the tourist office for a quieter summer visit (outdoor guided tour « to avoid the crowds »).
Chenonceau tickets: official 2026 prices
| Individual ticket | With brochure | With audioguide (on site) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | €19 | €24 |
| Senior (65 and over) | €16 | €21 |
| Student (with card) | €16 | €21 |
| Child aged 7 to 18 | €15 | €20 |
| Child under 7 | Free | Not available |
| Family offer (from 3 paying children aged 7–18) | €15 / person | €20 / person over 7 |
- Free entry: people with disabilities (disability card), with €5 for the audioguide; a companion at the reduced rate of €16 (€21 with audioguide). Free entry also for journalists and ICOM card holders.
- Full price with no discount for the Pass Éducation, the French education ministry’s professional card and the Culture card.
- Payment: check, holiday voucher, cash, bank card, culture voucher.
- Guided tour: the Autour de Chenonceaux tourist office offers, during vacations, a tour of about one hour, €5 from age 7 on top of the admission ticket; in summer it takes place outdoors (details).
- Resellers: the château displays a warning against fraudulent sites with inflated prices and false hours information; buy on chenonceau.com or on site.
What to see at Chenonceau: the château and gardens
Before you come, the official website offers a virtual tour of the château’s rooms (guard room, chapel, bedrooms, gallery, salons).
According to the château’s website, all that remains of the medieval château is the keep, the Marques tower. The present château was built from 1513 to 1517 by Thomas Bohier and Catherine Briçonnet; Catherine de Medici then had the two galleries built over the Cher, « a Ponte Vecchio in Touraine ». The route leads from the kitchens to the bedrooms and the galleries, with a collection of furniture, tapestries and paintings.
The gardens account for half of the visit:
- Diane de Poitiers’ garden: a parterre « on the water » of 12,000 m² (about 3 acres), current design by Achille Duchêne.
- Catherine de Medici’s garden: more intimate (5,500 m², or 1.4 acres), at the water’s edge.
- Italian maze: 2,000 yews over more than a hectare (2.5 acres), central gazebo, in the 70-hectare (173-acre) park.
- Flower kitchen garden and floral workshop: about a hundred varieties of cut flowers for the château’s bouquets.
- Green garden (1825) and the more recent Russell Page garden.
Combined visits: Chenonceau with Amboise, Clos Lucé, Chambord or Beauval
Chenonceau pairs easily with other visits in the Loire Valley.
- If you only have one day: Chenonceau at opening, then Amboise and the Clos Lucé in the afternoon.
- If you are traveling with children: Chenonceau in the morning, Beauval the next day (a whole day for the zoo).
- If you want Chambord: group it instead with Cheverny and Blois.
- If you are traveling by train: TER Tours–Chenonceaux to Chenonceaux station.
Getting there, services and accessibility
- Car: A10 motorway, Blois or Amboise exit; large parking lots, charging points.
- Train: high-speed TGV to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Tours), then TER to Chenonceaux.
- Pass Rémi Découverte (Centre-Val de Loire): unlimited train and coach travel for 2 or 3 days for a group of up to 5 people, with discounts at some sites.
- Reduced mobility: reserved spaces near the ticket office, wheelchairs lent, access ramp to the monument, accessible gardens.
- Families: strollers lent, but access to the château is sometimes limited for strollers when it is busy; bring a baby carrier.
- Animals: dogs on a leash in the gardens; small dogs carried in arms or in a basket in the château.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing closing time and last entry: the time shown is that of the ticket office.
- Arriving without a ticket on a spring holiday weekend: online booking is mandatory.
- Buying on an unofficial site: the château warns of fraudulent resellers.
- Counting on the audioguide for a child under 7: it is not available for that age.
What to see nearby
In Amboise, the Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s last home, combines naturally with Chenonceau. With children, ZooParc de Beauval works on another day. Farther east, Chambord and Cheverny form another group. Our guide to visiting the Loire châteaux gives the best period and the climate month by month. For entry requirements, see entry requirements for France.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter Château de Chenonceau?
€19 for an adult with brochure, €24 with audioguide; €15 for ages 7 to 18; free under 7 (2026 prices recorded on 23 October 2026 on chenonceau.com).
What are the opening hours of Chenonceau?
Open every day of the year. Last entry from 4:30 pm in winter to 7 pm from July 4 to August 23; the château closes 30 min later, the gardens an hour later.
Do you need to book to visit Chenonceau?
It is advised, and mandatory online on spring holiday weekends (Easter, May 1 and 8, Ascension, Pentecost).
How long does it take to visit Château de Chenonceau?
The château gives no visit length; check chenonceau.com.
Which château should you visit with Chenonceau?
Amboise and the Clos Lucé, or ZooParc de Beauval on another day.
Are dogs allowed at Chenonceau?
Yes, on a leash in the gardens; in the château, only small dogs carried in arms or in a basket, and guide dogs.
Our sources
- Château de Chenonceau: chenonceau.com, pages Hours, Virtual tour, 2026 Prices, Getting here, Services, Château, Gardens and Guided tour, consulted on 23 October 2026
- Météo-France: 1991–2020 normals, Tours station, as used on our Loire Valley page
- Calculations: NOAA solar algorithm (Europe/Paris time zone, 2027)
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026. Prices, hours and access rules may change: check the official website before you go.