"Balzac's "Diamond Cut in Facets"" Top 5 Page for this destination Azay-le-Rideau by hquittner

Azay-le-Rideau Travel Guide: 38 reviews and 150 photos

The Jewel of the Loire (Rear View) - Azay-le-Rideau

Chateau-Hopping

Wevisited Azay-le-Rideau as part of a 2-week vacation through the middle of the "Loire Valley". We were determined to get the feel of chateau lifeamong the rench Royalty (what little remains). Each of the many chateaux has its own "emphasis" to make it different. This leaves Azay a little short since it is small, but as Balzac said, it is a jewel. It is so neatly crafted and compact and is set in neat grounds with a most agreeable siting in the river. As a dividend as we left, the localchurch of St.-Symphorien allowed us to glimpse a few peices of really early stone carving (sculpture). Unfortunately we were not there at the time when Sound and Light Shows were given which wouldhave enhanced our larger objective. Azay is so situated that it can be combined with nearby chateaux in a single day. 31 km west of Tours, it is near Chinon, Usse, Villandry and Langeais (just across the Loire), take your pick. We stopped at Chion, before our visit, on our way from a base near Angers to one near Tours.

Pros and Cons

Pros:It is A Jewel
Cons:Interior could be more interesting.
In a nutshell:Michelin says 3* . Can you say more?

Last visit to Azay-le-Rideau: May 1988
Intro Updated Mar 4, 2009
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Reviews (4)

St. Symphorien Church (rt. half very old) - Azay-le-Rideau

Visit St. Symphorien Church Off The Beaten Path (1)

St. Symphorien Church is on the road to the right of the Chateau entrance. The West front has a portion of wall from the... more travel advice

Walk Through the Interior Things to Do (3)

The interiors have 16 & 17C furnishings, beds and tapestries. The main fireplaces bear gilded Salamanders (for Francois... more travel advice

Ascend the Central Staircase Things to Do (3)

As at Blois, the central staircase is th focal point of the chateau.The Italianate structure of the staicase is... more travel advice

Two Wings Looking South - Azay-le-Rideau

Walk Around the Chateau Things to Do (3)

The Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau is on the Indre River (a tributary of the the Loire). Its construction started in 1518... more travel advice

Comments (2)

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rakigal Oct 23, 2008 at 4:33 AM

I loved this church !! Heard the most wonderful song Ave Maria .. done with new lyrics just beautiful ... and can not find who the artist was ,, but it was on a continual playing tape in this church so I stayed quite awhile listening !!
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JLBG Jul 21, 2007 at 9:19 PM

Good page on the most beautiful castle of the "Châteaux de la Loire" (this is my opinion!). It is more "human size" than Chenonceaux or Villandry and the whole outside can be admired in one single eye glimpse!