Château Gaillard — Attraction in Loches

Having read the reviews we thought we would come and visit the Chateau, we understood that it would not be as large as others we had visited but the reviews said that it was well worth a visit so we set off. The first thing we came across was that parking was not free but a pay at the meter public car park but having got that far we though ok so we have to pay not a big deal. We walked up to the Chateau and payed our entrance fee the gentleman on the reception was very nice and explained in English where everything was and recomended we visit the tables on the terrace and have a drink and something to eat, this was a huge disappointment we chose the set menu at 25Euros each for a glass of orange, a tuna salad (which was actually not salad but a pot of beans and pulses with tinned tuna on the top) followed by a piece of orange cake and we paid an extra 5 Euros for a coffee (only Black Coffee they do not have any milk). The cake did not taste of oranges not even a hint of orange which was very disappointing. We sat at the table for 30 minutes before the lady brought over the cake and coffee when we asked about our orange juice and salad she appologised and said she had forgotten we ordered them, I could have understand if there were a lot of other people eating but there was only 1 other table occupied. It took another 15 minutes for our food to arrive. The food was not made to order it was already preprepared in the fridge all she did was take the lid off. So lunch cost 60Euros for 2 of us and it was dreadful and cash only. Inside the Chateau we found the rooms not historically correct with both modern and historic furnishings all mixed together and no information boards we could see in English which would have helped to explain what we were looking at. The gardens which other visitors had said where fantastic were a few squares of grass outside the Chateau and a few beds of fruit and vegetables and a single bed of flowers. Overall we felt that it was vastly overpriced having spent nearly 100 Euros on this visit eating what could only be described as mediocore meal at best and a walk around the Chateau and gardens which were very...

Much more beautiful than it looks in the photos.

If you’re wondering whether it’s worth it, it is! There are many lovely things to see in the gardens and castle and though our guide Adrien was amusing, accommodating and knowledgeable, he could not take us through the entire grounds.

In our exploration after the tour, we discovered a grounds in which many things were available to touch rather than being behind plate glass (for example in the old bakery), where gorgeous flowers like 2 meter thistles, dahlias and roses bloomed abundantly and with many enchanting sculptures. It is a privately owned and run castle and I applaud the owners for their very successful restoration. We were really impressed, particularly because they saved this castle from being razed to the ground by another potential buyer!

It is a castle with a beautiful mix of Italian and French styles whose beauty cannot be fully captured by photos for some reason.

I particularly loved the cabinet of curiosities and the incredible care that was taken by the owners not to either overwhelm the rooms with too much decor nor to leave them bare nor to fill them with modern monstrosities, but to keep the decor authentic, beautiful and...

Château Gaillard - Tous les autres châteaux de la région sont beaucoup plus accessibles qu'ici.

Cette semaine j'en ai vu beaucoup entre Blois et Tours. En tant qu'utilisateur de fauteuil roulant, je dois toujours me renseigner à l'avance si quelque chose est accessible. Lorsque je visite un château, je ne m'attends certainement pas à ce qu'il soit entièrement accessible, et cela ne me dérange pas. J’ai une attitude positive, donc j’attends avec impatience ce qui est possible. En fait, j'ai presque tout apprécié, même si le temps n'était pas clément tous les jours et que je devais régulièrement affronter de fortes averses de pluie. Château Gaillard s'annonce largement accessible et le premier étage était également accessible via une petite rampe. Malheureusement, ce n’était certainement pas le cas. Pour atteindre le château, il faut d'abord emprunter un long chemin de gravier avec de gros graviers meubles. C'est presque impossible, surtout sous la pluie. Ensuite, il est très mal indiqué par où entrer. Heureusement nous avons rencontré un jardinier qui nous a montré la bonne porte. Il n’y a personne à l’intérieur pour demander quoi que ce soit et le château n’a rien de très spécial. La pente à l'extérieur est impossible à emprunter en fauteuil roulant, même avec beaucoup d'aide. D'autres visiteurs ont également constaté que la pente était non seulement impossible, mais même dangereuse !

À cause du mauvais temps, je n'ai même pas regardé le jardin et j'ai voulu partir le plus vite possible. J'ai remarqué que les allées du jardin étaient recouvertes du même horrible gravier. Je n'ai aucun problème à payer un droit d'entrée. Ce sont précisément ces types d’endroits qui ont besoin de revenus pour continuer à exister. Une réduction s'applique généralement aux utilisateurs de fauteuil roulant et à leur accompagnateur. Au Château Gaillard, le tarif réduit pour l'utilisateur de fauteuil roulant et son accompagnateur n'était que de 2 € de moins. C'est une mauvaise chose. Tous les autres châteaux que j'ai visités bénéficiaient d'une réduction proportionnelle à ce que vous pouvez voir. Tous les autres endroits où j'étais offraient un meilleur service. De plus, ils ont été honnêtes sur ce qui est accessible et ce qui ne l’est pas. Et c’est précisément cette dernière qu’il me semble important de partager. J'ai vite oublié l'entrée payante, mais la mauvaise expérience restera un moment...