06 July 2012

More Montpoupon photos

When I think about it, quite a few of the châteaus in this area — the east side of Tours — have furnished rooms that visitors can see. Besides Montpoupon, Valençay, and Cheverny, there are the Château du Moulin near the town of Romorantin, which was still lived in a few years ago, and may be now. The Château de Villesavin, near Chambord and Cheverny, is lived in, too, and open to the public for tours.

A bedroom in the Château de Montpoupon

The Château de Saint-Aignan is lived in but it is not open to the public at all. Recently, the Château de Selles-sur-Cher was re-opened to public visits, and the new owners might actually live in the building. I haven't been to see it, but I plan to go there before the end of the summer. It had been closed up for a decade or so until this year.

Walt at Montpoupon

Walt said he liked the photos above, showing him in the courtyard at Montpoupon on Sunday afternoon, July 1, because they give you an idea of how we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There were some other tourists wandering around, but no more than a dozen. There was no pushing and shoving, no shuffling around in a crowd. We could enjoy peace and quiet and beautiful scenery all at the same time, and spend as much time as we wanted in each room of the château and the museum exhibits.


Lawn signs at Montpoupon

There were signs advising visitors to keep off the grass and to prevent their dogs from soiling the place, but they were humorous or at least attractive rather than stern and forbidding. All in all, there was a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere about the place. As far as I could tell, there's no big parking lot at Montpoupon, which might indicate that it doesn't attract big crowds (yet?). Walt just pointed out to me that there is a parking lot, and I can see it on the Google Maps aerial photo. It's not huge.

The Montpoupon gatehouse seen through a window from the main building

The wine cellar at Montpoupon is one of the many
museum exhibits on the property.


Montpoupon is about 12 miles from Saint-Aignan, 20 miles from Amboise, and 10 miles from Chenonceaux.

16 comments:

  1. The strike-through key has run amock, LOL.

    Surprising how normal-sized the bedrooms in the chateau appear, but as you mention it is just one room wide.

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  2. We think Montpoupon is a great snapshot of aristocratic 19thC rural and sporting life. It can be a hard sell if you mention all the hunting trophies and the focus on hunting though. Matthieu, the visitor services manager is extremely obliging.

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  3. Is it only english speaking dogs that have been warned off the grass at Mon-poop-on?

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  4. Hi Ken, liking your Montpoupon photos, and the review of l'auberge: we have not yet been, but both look good. I wondered if you and Walt had registered for a carte ambassadeur du Loir-et-Cher? It's free and available to permanent residents and those with holiday homes: for every visitor, you get a 50% reduction for an accompanying person. I thought it might be useful for you both, as I know you sometimes take your guests to visit the chateaux. They send you out a new card each year. Sorry, rubbish with hyperlinks in comments, but the address is: http://www.tourismeloir-et-cher.com/espace-ambassadeur/loir-et-cher.asp.
    Hth! M

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  5. Sorry, Ken, I forgot to add that it's only valid for tourist attractions in Loir-et-Cher, so unfortunately not for Montpoupon, Chenonceau, etc., but there are still plenty to choose from in L-et-C!

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  6. Lovely tour thank you :-) It makes all the difference doesn't it? having the space to enjoy a place. Shuffling along in a horde is our idea of tourist hell.

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  7. The crowds are the main reason why I prefer to visit smaller and lesser known châteaux. This year I took Mats and Vera to see Amboise though - this was their visit of the region after all, and we were almost pushed from the stairs by a group of schoolchildren. If we had had more time I would certainly have taken them to Montpoupon! Martine

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  8. Lesley, I think the word "no" is understood by French-speaking dogs (or their "guardians") as well!

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  9. quiet place and a beautiful castle to rest..

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  10. LOL, Lesley! I wondered why the sign didn't say "non" also.

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  11. The photos of Montpoupon have been outstanding. I'm surprised I've never been there, or even heard of it before, on our several trips to the Loire. But 3 of my nieces and other family members are finishing up a week in the area, and I've sent these posts to them suggesting they go there, since they love visiting chateaus.

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  12. I have really enjoyed these inside shots of Montpoupon :)) I hate crowds, too, so I will be adding this one to my little list of châteaux to mention to my students -- in case they ever actually do go to France!

    Judy

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  13. Hi Ken,

    We haven't ever been to Montpoupon but we'v been tempted by your super posts. It's on our list for the summer!

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  14. Did they offer you a glass?

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  15. Thanks, McCork, for the info about the Carte Ambassadeur.

    Starman, no glass. The wine cellar is just an exhibit, not the real thing nowadays.

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  16. I have the "Seine-Maritime Carte d'Ambassadeur" :-)

    Ambassadors are offered very special visits several times a year and these visits are completely free then...


    http://www.seinemaritime.net/fr/Les-actions/Loisirs/Dispositifs/Ambassadeur-76

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