Centre-Val de Loire · Loir-et-Cher, France

Château Royal de Blois

A living textbook of French architecture: four wings around one courtyard spanning Gothic, Flamboyant, Renaissance and Classical styles. Residence of seven kings and ten queens of France, and the scene of the assassination of the Duke of Guise on the orders of Henri III in December 1588.

At a glance

Built: 13th–17th centuries
Style: Four wings, four eras: Gothic, Louis XII, Francis I Renaissance, Classical
Commissioned by: Counts of Blois; French crown
Signature feature: The openwork Francis I spiral staircase
Royal residence: Seven kings and ten queens of France lived here
Dark chapter: Assassination of Henri, Duke of Guise, 23 December 1588
Classical wing: Gaston d'Orléans wing by François Mansart (1630s)
Visiting: Open to visitors year-round