Enchanted by a fairytale Loire landmark

In the courtyard of the Chateau de Chambord, the grandest of the UNESCO-lauded castles in the Loire Valley, Olivier, our French guide, is transporting us back 500 years.

It was then, he says, during the Renaissance era, that work was under way here on a hunting lodge for King Francois I.

We’re told to imagine the thick surrounding forests with their veritable bounty of wild boar and deer that the king and his entourage would sniff out and shoot their arrows at.

Yet Chambord was to be no bog-standard hunters’ retreat. Some of the most skilled artisans of France and Italy were employed to fashion the kingdom’s finest country getaway, 15km from Blois, a city straddling the River Loire and boasting its own (older) regal chateau.

It’s claimed Francois only spent 50 days at Chambord during his entire 32-year reign, but future monarchs, including Louis XIV, continued to embellish the lodge-cum-chateau.

And despite France becoming a very proud republic, royal landmarks like this are still highly revered.

Many historians, in fact, consider Chambord a jewel in the crown, in the same league as the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau just outside Paris. Crunching along Chambord’s gravel courtyard, Olivier leads us into this chateau, a two-hour drive south of the capital, with more than 400 rooms, 280-odd fireplaces, and 80 or so staircases. Immediately seizing our attention, in the entrance, is the double-helix spiral staircase, which soars up through the chateau’s central keep (called the “donjon” in French).

“It’s rumoured that this was designed by Leonardo da Vinci,” says Olivier. “Francois I was one of his patrons, and after da Vinci’s death, notebooks found in his studio contained drawings that looked a lot like this.”

Our guide attempts to illustrate the genius of this staircase by dividing our 18-strong Albatross tour group in two. My half follows Olivier up one side of the staircase and the other half takes the opposite side.

Serving the main quarters of the chateau, this staircase was designed to allow two people (or two groups of people; say royals and servants) to ascend and descend without having to cross paths.

Our two halves are reunited on the next floor (at roughly the same time) and we continue to hang on Olivier’s every word as he introduces us to a series of bedchambers and apartments, lavishly adorned with paintings, tapestries, cabinets and objets d’art.

The double staircase continues up to the rooftop, where we amble by the turrets and look out over the chateau’s water-filled moat and splendid French formal gardens. Laid out during the reign of Louis XIV, they were rejuvenated a decade ago and have more than 16,000 plants, shrubs and trees, many artfully woven into parterres and topiaries.

We also strain our eyes over the wider Chambord domain, which sprawls 5540ha and is surrounded by a 32km wall, making it Europe’s largest enclosed park. In the northern spring and summer, the chateau is a backdrop for equestrian shows and live concerts (Sting, David Guetta and Black Eyed Peas have all performed in recent years).

Where Francois I and company used to hunt, visitors now enjoy walks and bike rides on the forest trails and lay out blankets for picnics on the grassy lawns. Ingredients — including baguettes, deer terrine and palets solognots (buttery local cookies flavoured with rum and raisins) — can be sourced in the stores and eateries of the tiny Chambord village which neighbours the chateau and has other photogenic buildings, including a quaint church and cottages that are available for tourists to rent.

We’ll have more time to wander around the gardens and village after our chateau tour, but Olivier has a few last things to show us.

Leading us away from the other tour groups, he withdraws a key from his leather satchel. It unlocks doors to tucked-away places: to spiral stone staircases and spartan attics supported by an intricate network of oak beams from the 16th century.

Carved on one of the ancient wooden doors is an image of a salamander. It is, says Olivier, the heraldic symbol of Francois I. And it’s one we’ll see over and again this week, etched into the walls and ceilings of the Loire Valley’s magnificent royal spectacles.

+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Albatross Tours. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication. fact file + Chambord is among the chateaux included on Albatross’ 19-day 2026 La Grande France Tour, which begins in Paris and ends in Nice. Three nights are spent in the Loire Valley. There are departures in May, June, August and September. The price is $15,887 per person (twin) and $20,887 (solo). See albatrosstours.com.au

+ If visiting the Chambord independently, it’s open all year round apart from January 1, March 20, and December 25. Admission to the chateau and gardens is priced €19 ($33.65) per person for a self-guided visit. Guided tours in English run from early July to the end of August at 11.15am daily, and cost an extra €7 ($12.40) for adults and €4 ($7) for children aged three to 17. You can book at chambord.org + For more information on touring in the Loire Valley, see tourainevaldeloire.com + To help plan your travels to France, see france.fr