Valençay
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Valençay

Valençay

Loire Valley town dominated by Talleyrand’s grand Château de Valençay and its formal gardens.

The Château de Valençay rivals Chambord in scale but draws a fraction of the visitors — a real advantage if you prefer your Loire châteaux without the crowds. The building is a handsome blend of Renaissance and classical styles, set above beautifully designed English-style gardens with formal parterres, a deer park, and a children's playground.

The castle was the residence of Talleyrand, Napoleon's brilliant and slippery foreign minister, who bought it in 1803 at the emperor's insistence — Napoleon wanted his chief diplomat to have a suitably impressive address for receiving foreign dignitaries. The interior is furnished from the period and gives a vivid sense of early 19th-century aristocratic life. The town of Valençay itself is also known for its goat's cheese, which carries its own AOC designation.

The Valençay SOE Memorial, a short walk from the château, is one of the more affecting monuments in the Loire Valley — a statue and list of names honouring the 104 British-led agents who died working to liberate occupied France.

Guide

Things to Do

Valençay's main draw is its château, but the town itself has a few surprises. The SOE memorial, tucked into a small park, commemorates the British agents who parachuted into France during the Second World War — many of whom never came back. The market on the town square operates on a small but genuine scale, and the cheese shops selling the local goat's cheese are worth a stop.