Villandry, or the art of garden design / Villandry, tout l’art des jardins

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This is what the extraordinary gardens of Villandry Castle look like on GoogleMaps™ – quite a patchwork, aren’t they?

Halfway through our annual trip to our French house, we stayed the night in L’Epicerie Gourmande, a restaurant/deli/boutique hotel located in the historic town of Villandry, in the Loire Valley.

Villandry Castle & Gardens were pretty much on the doorstep. So after checking in, and before dinner, we went for a relaxed walk around the sun-drenched gardens. The photos say it all.


Voici à quoi ressemblent les jardins du château de Villandry vus du ciel, sur GoogleMaps™ – joli patchwork, n’est-ce pas ?

A mi-chemin de notre traversée annuelle de la France, nous avons passé la nuit à L’Epicerie Gourmande, un restaurant, salon de thé et épicerie fine situé dans la ville historique de Villandry, en Val de Loire.

Le château de Villandry et ses jardins fabuleux se trouvaient quasiment sur le pas de la porte. Aussi, peu après notre arrivée, et avant le dîner, nous avons parcouru les jardins baignés de soleil.

Voici, en images, le compte-rendu de notre balade.

A Renaissance castle encased in splendid terraced gardens / Un château Renaissance blotti dans de splendides jardins en terrasses

A Renaissance castle encased in splendid terraced gardens /
Un château Renaissance blotti dans de splendides jardins en terrasses

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Spectacular geometric patterns of the Kitchen Gardens / Motifs géométriques spectaculaires du Potager décoratif

Spectacular geometric patterns of the Kitchen Gardens /
Motifs géométriques spectaculaires du Potager décoratif

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Sun Garden / Jardin du Soleil

Sun Garden / Jardin du Soleil

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Water Garden / Jardin d'Eau

Water Garden / Jardin d’Eau

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The Water Garden / La Pièce d'Eau

The Water Garden / La Pièce d’Eau

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Walking up to the belvedere / Montant au belvédère

Walking up to the belvedere / Montant au belvédère

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The extraordinary Ornemental Gardens / Les extraordinaires Jardins d'ornement

The extraordinary Ornemental Gardens / Les extraordinaires Jardins d’ornement

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Visitor information

logo-villandryVillandry Castle & Gardens
3 rue Principale
37510 Villandry
Tel: + 33 02 47 50 02 09
Email : info@chateauvillandry.com
Facebook @chateau.jardins.villandry

Please visit the Villandry Castle & Gardens website for opening hours.
Ticket prices for 2016
For the castle and gardens: Adult €10.50; Child (8-18 years old) €6.50; Student €6.50.
For the gardens only: Adult €6.50; Child (8-18 years old) €4.50; Student €4.50.

Villandry is located 15km west of Tours on the D7 road, off Junction 8 on the A85 motorway.

Logo-epicerie-gourmande1L’Epicerie Gourmande
6 rue de la Mairie
37510 Villandry
Tel. +33 02 47 43 57 49
L’Epicerie Gourmande is a restaurant/deli/hotel housed in a 16th century building in the centre of Villandry. We stayed in the suite, which sleeps up to 6 people. There are two double beds on the first floor, while the bathroom and the master bedroom, also with a double bed, are found up a short flight of ancient wooden stairs.
All information available on their website.


Informations pratiques

logo-villandryVillandry Castle & Gardens
3 rue Principale
37510 Villandry
Tel: + 33 02 47 50 02 09
Email : info@chateauvillandry.com
Facebook @chateau.jardins.villandry
Veuillez consulter le site de Villandry Château & Jardins pour les horaires d’ouverture.
Tarifs d’entrée 2016
Château et jardins : Adulte 10,50 € ; Enfant (8-18 ans) 6,50 € ; Etudiant 6,50 €.
Jardins seuls : Adulte 6,50 € ; Enfant (8-18 ans) 4,50 € ; Etudiant 4,50 €.

Villandry se trouve à 15 km à l’ouest de Tours (Indre-et-Loire) sur la route D7, accessible par la sortie n°8 sur l’autoroute A85.

Logo-epicerie-gourmande1L’Epicerie Gourmande
6 rue de la Mairie
37510 Villandry
Tel. +33 02 47 43 57 49
L’Epicerie Gourmande est un restaurant/hôtel/épicerie fine aménagé dans une bâtisse du XVIe siècle au coeur de Villandry. Nous avions réservé la suite, qui couche jusqu’à 6 adultes. Elle se compose d’une chambre avec deux lits doubles au premier étage, tandis que la salle de bain et la chambre principale, également dotée d’un lit double, se trouvent au sommet de quelques marches de bois sans âge.
Tout autre renseignement disponible sur le site.

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Lou Messugo
Suitcases and Sandcastles

10 Responses to “Villandry, or the art of garden design / Villandry, tout l’art des jardins

  • Wow! It looks pretty deserted too. Beautiful photos. #AllAboutFrance

  • All of the photos are gorgeous, but I love the photo with the little acorns peeking out from the hearts! #allaboutfrance

  • What, no tourists? A wonderful way to begin your holiday – bonnes vacances…

    • We were there late in the evening, just before closing time, hence the lack of company! Than you for your comment 🙂

  • What wonderful photos! This post brought back many happy memories for me. I was lucky enough to spend a year in Tours, as a student. We visited countless châteaux but Villandry and, in particular, its beautiful gardens, has remained an outstanding image.

    • Thank you for your comment June. We always stop over in the Tours area on our way to my hometown in Auvergne, and every year I wish we had more time to explore the area. Villandry was definitely a highlight among our many one-night stays there.

  • wow that is such a stunning place and I love those hearts, everything is so picturesque! #AllAboutFrance

  • Gorgeous place that we have already visited – but never (unless I am mistaken) with our own four acorns. I can imagine my eldest complaining already: “But what’s the point of a garden if you can’t play football in it?”. He’ll learn ;o) #AllAboutFrance

  • Wow, what stunning gardens! We had not yet discovered Villandry, so thank you for showing us. We’ll definitely have to include this on a future trip. #AllAboutFrance

  • Gorgeous photos of a lovely place. You were lucky to have it so empty; I’ve been once and it was hard to get a photo without plenty of other people in. Thank you so much for linking up to #AllAboutFrance, sorry I took so long to comment, I’ve gone a little astray with blogging, but back again tomorrow if you have another beautiful post to link up.

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