Château de Meung-sur-Loire — Attraction in Orléans

Really enjoyed this castle. Not too crowded and full of character. Our French is pretty basic so we were given a guide folder in English to take round with us - definitely worth doing as the explanations of castle life through the ages (on a room by room basis) really gave life to the visit.

The rooms are well furnished, and you can also visit the attic and the basement.

We attended the 30 min Musketeer Show, but with hindsight probably wouldn't have bothered as it wasn't really what we'd expected (it was really a comedy show between two musketeers, aimed at kids and pretty incomprehensible for those with poor French).

There is also a small area of animatronic dragons in the gardens - again, probably more suitable for those with small kids.

Overall a really enjoyable visit and seemingly a bit off the main coach tour route, as it was...

They have an interesting collection of ancient objects, The château was built and destroyed several times. The oldest still existing parts date from the 12th century and were built by Manassès de Seignelay (bishop from 1207 to 1221). Still standing are the main rectangular plan building, flanked by three towers, a fourth having been destroyed. It was occupied by the English during the Hundred Years' War. The rear façade was rebuilt in the Classical style by Fleuriau d'Armenonville (bishop from 1706 to 1733). Beneath the castle are dungeons, a chapel and various medieval torture instruments, including one used for water torture. In the 13th century, the bishops of Orléans abandoned the castle and it was used as a prison. Among those incarcerated there was the poet,...

How so glad that I visited this Chateau.

Over 2 hours of a history lesson from the dried earth cellars to the ancient oak beams of the attics. Following the very well written guide, it was like stepping back in time as one visited room after room and written with passion that encouraged me to want to read to the very end of each of the paragraphs and sometimes again.

The artifacts on display all put together so well that the memories will be with me for a long time.

No silly restrictions on photos, interesting smells and lovely classical music that accompanied the whole visit. A friendly reception, more information from the tourist office, and nearby, a superb boulangerie.

Thank you for this very...