Château d'Ussé

About this place

The Château d'Ussé stands at the edge of the Chinon forest, on a terrace above the Indre valley near the village of Rigny-Ussé, in the Indre-et-Loire department of central France, about 34 km in a straight line south-west of Tours. A fort was first raised here in the 11th century and later rebuilt in stone. In the 15th century Jean V de Bueil, a captain of Charles VII, bought the ruined castle and began rebuilding it, and the Espinay family who followed gave it much of the look it has today, mixing medieval towers with Renaissance windows. In the 17th century the north wing was pulled down to open the courtyard to the view over terraced gardens. With its white towers, pointed turrets and chimneys against the forest, Ussé is said to have inspired Charles Perrault's tale of Sleeping Beauty. Some rooms are set with costumed scenes from the story, and there are also furnished apartments, a small Gothic and Renaissance chapel in the park and formal gardens on the terraces. The château is still privately owned and is open roughly from mid-February to mid-November. The Château d'Azay-le-Rideau is about 13 km away in a straight line, and the two are easily paired in one day.