The Château de Chambord

With so many castles, it's not easy to decide which one to visit. Our France experts recommend the Château de Chambord. Just the fact that you drive onto the castle grounds 5 km before reaching the visitor car park gives you an idea of its size. On the way there, we parked in a shady forest car park and cycled the rest of the way to the castle. What a sight when it appears in front of you!

Equipped with a Histopad (a tablet with visual and audio explanations), we first went into the castle. The staircase forms the center of the castle and was built so that people going up and down wouldn't meet. Wings lead off in all four cardinal directions. In short, it's a gigantic castle with huge rooms, 400 fireplaces back then (and yet it was hardly warm due to the high ceilings and draft), lavish wall decoration, and a lot of royal history.

From the terrace on the third floor, it became clear why bicycles, boats, and golf carts could be rented to explore the castle gardens. After 3.5 hours and countless impressions, we left the site excited.

We stayed right on the Loire in Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire, the former port of Chambord.

Oh, if you're still looking for a summer hit, we have a recommendation: "Tu Montais" by Keen'V.