Chambord or Chenonceau

Chenonceau absolutely. It has everything - art, architecture, romantic setting, intriguing history.

See Chambord from outside for sure.
See Chenonceau inside and outside during the summer with the formal garden

Chenonceau. We take visitors to Chenonceau most weeks, Chambord we try not to visit at all if possible. It's a long way to drive in an old car, and at the moment even the view of the outside is marred by the scaffolding.

Chenonceaux 100%. Beautiful both inside and out, intimate. Very easy to see early if you base in Amboise.

Chambord is BIG, and still felt crowded in late afternoon. Chambord felt more like visiting Versailles or something. I mean, it was amazing and I would recommend it, but I found it less enjoyable than other chateaux.

For me, it's 100% Chenonceau.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Chenonceau was our first choice and now the clear winner.

We visited both on a trip years ago. Both were worthwhile.

Chambourd is immense and is an impressive site as you drive up, but for beauty, placement and the gardens I would choose Chenonceau every time.

Chenonceau by far….was there a year ago and scaffolding is everywhere at Chambord……Chenonceau’s florist put fresh flowers in the chateau daily and they are incredible……its rooms are amazing……after being wowed by the physical size of Chambord you get inside and the rooms are cold…..

Chenonceau is my favorite. Enough so that I’ve been there twice.

Chenonceau is the winner, but Chambord anyway worth driving by to see it from the outside.

If you can, visit Chenonceau in the late afternoon. It was really peaceful when we did that. Check the hours-I think they stay open later in the summer.

I love them both but Chenonceau is my all time favorite. They have a café there with outdoor seating looking right at the chateau, and very good food. And the grounds are lovely, where “the servants” lived, and more. I’ve been more times than i can count and i recommend getting there when they open. Less people and the light is amazing. I’ve spent whole days there, it’s that wonderful. The walk from entrance to chateau is beautiful.

Does anybody know if there's still black swans at Chenonceau? I was there many many years ago (1997) and I love the photos I took of them. I also agree about walking to the entrance down the road lined with plane trees, it was amazing.

We were there this past Sept and didn’t see any swans at all.

I was there in October and may have seen white swans. I definitely didn’t see black swans.

Another vote for Chenonceau. It's a very relatable chateau. I can picture myself living there each time we've visited.