One of the finest and best-preserved chateaux in the Loire Valley, Cheverny stands out for its classical symmetry and the fact that it is still inhabited by the family that built it. The state rooms are open to visitors and retain their original 17th-century furnishings, including painted ceilings by Jean Mosnier and a remarkable collection of tapestries. Outside, the kennels house more than a hundred English foxhounds maintained for the estate's working hunt; at feeding time (usually around 5pm) the dogs are released in a spectacle that draws a crowd.
Château de Cheverny
Elegant Loire chateau that inspired Tintin's Moulinsart
A story
Hergé used Château de Cheverny as the model for Moulinsart — the ancestral home of Captain Haddock in the Tintin series. The resemblance is unmistakable, and the chateau now has a permanent Tintin exhibition, "The Secrets of Moulinsart," in the outbuildings.