Château d'Ussé

Rigny-Ussé, France

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Opening hours: Feb 16 - Mar 31 10:00-18:00; Apr 1 - Sep 30 10:00-19:00; Oct 1 - Nov 1 10:00-18:00

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

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Perched on a high terrace overlooking the Indre Valley at the edge of the Chinon forest, Château d'Ussé in Rigny-Ussé, Indre-et-Loire, originated as an eleventh-century Norman stronghold before evolving into the French Renaissance castle visible today. The site, initially fortified by Gueldin de Saumur and later rebuilt in stone by the Comte de Blois, was purchased by Jean V de Bueil in the early fifteenth century and substantially reconstructed beginning in the 1440s. The distinctive chapel, begun by Jacques d'Espinay in the fifteenth century and completed by his son Charles in 1612, exemplifies the blending of Flamboyant Gothic with Renaissance elements. In the seventeenth century, Louis I de Valentinay demolished the north range to open the courtyard to expansive views of the parterre terrace, designed under the influence of André Le Nôtre. The castle subsequently passed to the House of Rohan and then to the duc de Duras in 1802, later hosting Bourbon Restoration discussions and serving as a retreat where François-René de Chateaubriand composed portions of his *Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe*. Now classified as a monument historique, the château remains privately held by descendants of the Blacas family.