Castles of the Loire Valley. In the Loire Valley, there are a lot of castles, but a lot of them are little castles and there are only 15 very beautiful castles. The most beautiful is Chambord with its 365 chimneys.

The museum of Leonardo da Vinci : the « Clos-Lucé » A lot of the castles on the Loire Valley were built during the Renaissance period, and some received French kings or important men during this time. Now, the most beautiful castles became museums such as the Clos-Lucé, but the little ones were bought by rich men. The museum of Leonardo da Vinci : the « Clos-Lucé »

The castle of Montlouis : « La Bourdaisière » The Bourdaisière is the castle of Montlouis sur Loire, but it is very little. It is François1st who built it in the XVth century for his mistress.After, Gabrielle d'Estrées, the mistress of Henry 4th , lived in it. The park is 55 hectares, and there is a kitchen garden who is 1 hectare. Each year, there is a Tomato festival. Now, it is a hotel. The castle of Montlouis : «  La Bourdaisière »

The castles are today protected because they are classified in the UNESCO World Heritage like all the great buildings in the Loire Valley. The Chambord castle Aurélien and Marc