10 things to do in the Loire Valley with teens

The Château du Clos Lucé was the last residence of Leonardo da Vinci. In 1516, the Italian Renaissance genius accepted the invitation of Francis I and settled in France, bringing his notebooks from Rome, as well as three of his major works (the Mona Lisa, Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist), which are now kept in the Louvre Museum.

He made Amboise his home, from where he worked for the King on numerous projects. Prolific and inspired, Leonardo da Vinci worked as an engineer, architect and director, organising sumptuous celebrations for the French Court. On 2 May 1519, he died in his bedroom, and was buried not far away, in the Saint-Hubert chapel of the Royal Château d’Amboise.

The Château du Clos Lucé is not only Da Vinci’s last residence, but also one of the great Loire Valley chateaux to visit in Touraine. The rooms of this vast residence, adorned with red bricks, will take you into the rich history of the 16th century. But the true reason why I’ve put it in this article, is its unique collection of his inventions, spread over several rooms and an exceptional garden. The models can be manipulated there for the greatest pleasure for kids (7-12 years old benefit from an adapted visit booklet).

The Château de Chambord, one of the most majestic castles in the Loire Valley, was constructed under the orders of François I and, though monumental it may be, was used only as a hunting residence where the king and his court used to stay only for  a few weeks per year! The plan of the castle and its decors stem from the central axis, the renowned double helix staircase, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, an ascending spiral leading to a profusion of chimneys and sculpted capitals on the terraces. But few people know that the castle is build inside a park of 13,500 acres, which hosts a remarkable density of stags, deers and wild boars. That’s why we decided to test this experience and join another family for a small group game drive at the end of a sunny April day. Accompanied by a forest driver guide, we sat in an all-terrain vehicle and explored a complex and peaceful natural environment. We visited the ponds, prairies and heaths of what is the largest enclosed nature reserve in Europe. We received interesting explanations about the management of wild flora and fauna from our guideand during a stopover in the spacious trophy room, we had the privilege of discovering how a stag’s antlers can develop over seven years. And of course, we saw many deer and wild boars, though not up very close. We saw also many birds, among which the guinea fowl is probably the most common.