A Magical French Chateau at Christmas With Fairytale Vibes

Last updated on January 16th, 2025 at 07:41 am

Show me a girl who wouldn’t want to spend some time at a French chateau at Christmas. It’s a magical time of year, and the decorations add another layer to that magic. Christmas trees fill the rooms in an array of stunning colors, and tables are piled high with festive treats. It’s the stuff fairytales are made of, and I was lucky enough to experience three gorgeous chateaux dressed in their Christmas finery this year. 

The Loire Valley is the home of the chateaux, and it didn’t disappoint. To say I was excited would be an understatement. But the highlight for me was Chateau de Chenonceau. It was one of those pinch-me moments as I walked up the long gravel pathway with the chateau rising majestically out of the water in the distance. 

Despite having seen many photos of it, nothing prepared me for actually being there and walking across the bridge into the pages of a history book. So, I hope you’re ready to take a step back in time as I push open the doors of the ladies’ chateau, Château de Chenonceau.

Chateau de Chenonceau at Christmas

We planned our trip so we’d be there at the start of the Christmas period when everything was still fresh and shiny. Seven chateaux formed part of Christmas in the Loire, opening from Saturday, 30 November 2024, to Sunday, 5 January 2025. Our ticket gave us access to three out of the seven, so we didn’t see Chinon, Langeais, Loches, and Villandry.

But the three we did see were fabulous and all very different. The only thing I would say is that we saw the best one first, and it was hard for the other two to live up to Chenonceau. So maybe leave that one till last if you’re planning a trip.

Having researched the history of this chateau and seen numerous photos, I was worried that it would be a letdown when I actually saw it. But nothing could be further from the truth. Chenonceau wove its spell over me from the minute I pulled up in the car and saw it looming ahead. 

Fittingly, it was moody and misty when we first arrived, but that just added to the excitement I could feel building inside. It’s a bit of a walk down a tree-lined driveway to get there, so I’m glad it wasn’t raining, but even the rain couldn’t have dampened my spirits that day. What was lovely were the Christmas carols playing through speakers hidden in the trees as we walked.

As we got closer, we could see the fir Christmas trees in their pristine white containers twinkling with lights. It was so pretty and really set the scene for what was ahead.

Walking through the enormous wooden doors, we were greeted with the most stunning decorations I’ve ever seen. You didn’t know where to look, but that was just the beginning. Everywhere that could be decorated had been. 

It must have taken a massive team of very talented people to put it all together. It reminded me of my event design days when creating stunning displays was my job, but nothing of this scale, grandeur, and size.

A Tour of Chateau de Chenonceau

We started in the Guard’s Room, where we collected our audio guide. This was really well done, and our narrator introduced herself as Marguerite Wilson Pelouze, one of the previous owners who told the story of the chateau from her perspective, bringing the whole thing to life.

From the guards’ room, we entered the Chapel, which was again beautifully decorated with long lights and decorations hanging from the high ceiling. The chapel was saved during the French Revolution thanks to Madame Dupin, the owner at the time, who decided to turn it into a wood store, camouflaging its religious character. 

Next was one of the rooms I’d been very excited to see: Diane de Poitiers’s bedroom, King Henri II’s mistress to whom he’d donated the chateau. However, when he died in 1559, his widow, Catherine de Medici, lost no time taking it back and sending Diane off to Chaumont-sur-Loire. 

A huge portrait of Catherine is above the fireplace, two 16th-century Flanders tapestries and a big four-poster bed. But try as she might, she could never completely escape her rival’s presence. Although the coffered ceiling has the initials H and C, they form the D of Diane de Poitiers when they’re intertwined.

Catherine de Medici’s Gallery

Next came what was, for me, the most stunning part of the entire chateau: The Gallery. 

If you close your eyes, you can imagine what it would have been like in Catherine de Medici’s day when it was a ballroom. She loved a good party and opened it with a big shebang in 1577 in honor of her firstborn son, Henri III. It bridges the River Cher and is 60 meters long by 6 meters wide. Daylight pours in through the 18 windows, and the black and white tiled floor is instantly recognizable. 

But when you add a long table that must have been at least 35 meters long, dressed for Christmas with the most exquisite table decor, it simply takes your breath away. 

At either end of the gallery are two Renaissance fireplaces. The one leading to the left bank is for decoration only and was where many members of the Resistance passed through to the free zone during the Second World War. 

Sitting on both sides of the River Cher, the chateau was uniquely positioned to have one foot in occupied France and the other in the free zone. The right bank was Nazi-occupied, and the left wasn’t. They were on the line of demarcation. How many lives they saved because of this, I don’t know, but it was a fair number.

The Second World War wasn’t the only war the chateau helped with. During WW1, the chateau turned the gallery into a hospital for wounded soldiers. Two thousand two hundred fifty-four severely injured soldiers were treated there until 31 December 1918.

To help with their boredom during recovery, the patients teased the fish in the River Cher, seeing how far they would leap out of the water. I can only imagine the eye-rolling of the nurses as their patients played like naughty schoolboys. A plaque on the wall commemorates all the nurses who worked there during that time.

The Kitchens of Chenonceau

The other big drawcard was the kitchen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kitchen like it. We had to go down a level and into the basement to access it because it was built into the bed of the River Cher.

All I could think of was how awful it would have been to be a scullery maid in the Middle Ages, as the place was massive. Although it has been beautifully restored, it doesn’t take much imagination to see what it would have been like to be a servant below stairs.

Copper pots and pans hung everywhere, their bottoms shining so brightly you could see your reflection in them. The pantry was quite a low room with a fireplace dating from the 16th century, the biggest in the Chateau, and next to it, the bread oven. The butchery still has the hooks for hanging game and the blocks for chopping it all up.

My favorite was the stands filled with strands and ropes of garlic and chili.

The employee’s dining room was beautifully decorated for Christmas in. Greenery-covered teddy bears, varying-size Christmas trees and strands of lit decorations hanging from the ceiling really set the scene. Once your work was done, I imagine it would have been quite a cozy place to sit and eat. 

The main kitchen area had a big table piled high with food, all decorated for Christmas. The food looked almost good enough to eat.

Luxury in the Chateau

Once I’d dragged myself away from the kitchen area, we went through a series of beautiful rooms, including Francois I’s drawing room and Louis XIV’s drawing room, which, as you’d expect, was luxury personified. It was to commemorate his visit to the Chateau on July 14th, 1650.

I’ve never seen a Christmas tree quite like the one in this room. It was red from head to toe with decorations to match and dominated the room.

Catherine de Medici’s bedroom on the first floor had a wooden square-coffer ceiling with numerous initials all over it. The predominant feature was the Medici family coat of arms at the center, with an H and C interwoven to represent Henri and Catherine.

The four-poster bed was a work of art; to think, they took their furniture with them when they traveled in those days. So, the design had to be relatively easy to dismantle. Can you imagine doing that now? Try getting on the metro with a four-poster! 

Although the sun shone brightly with a lovely blue sky when we came out, we unfortunately didn’t have time to explore the gardens. Otherwise, we would have missed seeing another chateau on our list.

Still, it gives me a good excuse to return in the warmer months to see both Diane’s and Catherine’s gardens, the Carriage Gallery, the Military Hospital replica, and the 16th-century farm that includes Catherine’s stables. 

It’s safe to say I left a little piece of my heart at Chenonceau, so I need to go back and collect it on my next visit.

Is Chateau de Chenonceau Worth Visiting

I think by now, that’s a question I’ve already answered. Without a doubt, Chateau de Chenonceau is worth visiting, no matter what season it is or the weather. It’s a place that will weave a spell over you, so much so you won’t want to leave.

It was as magical as I thought it would be, and the fact that it was Christmas simply made it even more special.