The Escalier Denis-Papin is the most photographed civic staircase in Blois — a flight of more than a hundred steps climbing from Rue Denis-Papin straight up the hillside to a small platform with a statue of the engineer who lent it his name. Denis Papin, born near Blois in 1647, designed an early steam-pressure cooker and is one of the credible candidates for inventor of the steam engine.
During the Christmas season and on summer evenings, the steps become a free open-air projection screen — the city projects illuminations onto the white stone face. The view from the top, looking back down the perfect line of the staircase to the river beyond, is worth the climb on its own.