Royal Treat

After four years of extensive restoration, the spectacular painted walls and coffered ceilings of the Château Royal de Blois are once again fit for a king. One of the most important of the Loire Valley châteaux, Blois offers a unique panorama of French architecture from the 13th-century salle seigneuriale of the counts of Blois to the 17th-century wing by Mansart, with the majestic Renaissance wing built for François I in between. Ravaged by time, soot and the Revolution, the richly painted and sculpted interior decor was renovated—virtually re-imagined—by Félix Duban in the 1840s with a profusion of royal motifs inspired by heraldic symbols and 16th-century fabrics. Now newly restored to its gilded glory, the decor alone merits a visit to Blois, but the beautiful Musée des Beaux-Arts in the Louis XII wing is also a must. In the courtyard, the historic nightly sound and light shows are complemented during the summer by swordfight shows held four times a day.

Originally published in the July/August 2008 issue of France Today.