Blois

Blois is the secret capital of the Loire Valley — a lively prefecture city (approx. 47,000 inhabitants) with a fascinating royal castle right in the city center. Blois Castle is unique because it combines four different architectural styles in one building: Gothic (13th century), Flamboyant Gothic (Louis XII, around 1500), Italian Renaissance (Francis I, 1515–1524), and Classicism (Gaston d'Orléans, 17th century). During the tour, you literally walk through 400 years of architectural history.

The famous Franz I staircase tower is a masterpiece of the Renaissance: an octagonal, open spiral staircase on the exterior facade, adorned with salamanders (the emblem of Francis I) and richly decorated with reliefs. In the chambers of Catherine de Medici, there are 237 carved wooden panels, some of which allegedly served as secret poison compartments — historically disputed, but a great story.

Blois was the scene of one of the most dramatic murders in French history: in 1588, King Henry III had his rival, the Duke of Guise, murdered in his own chambers here — an event retold in the castle's sound and light show.

The old town below the castle has steep alleys, half-timbered houses, the "Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin" (Museum of Magic, named after the father of modern magic, 11€), and one of the most beautiful views of the Loire from the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge.