Château de Villesavin

"A pleasant little chateau - apparently built to house François I's finance minister while the much larger Chambord Castle was constructed (at least assuming I understood the explanation correctly). Although much much smaller and more tumbledown than Chambord, I much preferred Villesavin. Firstly there were far fewer people (Chambord is a proper tourist trap) and secondly the rooms are furnished as they would have been at the time. As such the Castle felt more alive and less like a show home. You can only visit the majority of the rooms by joining a tour, which is in French only (and the guide spoke way too fast for my school-level abilities), but there is an handout sheet available in various other languages, which explains the basics of each room. There is also a slightly odd little 'kids zoo' with some goats, chickens, etc. but it all felt a bit abandoned and was hidden off to the side behind some fallen trees. The castle is definitely worth a visit if you want to avoid the crowds and don't mind something a bit less polished (but no less authentic for it). There's a lovely wild-flower meadows and a dovecote at the side of the castle - both worth a look. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the adjoining wedding museum - not really my cup of tea, but the mannequins are a bit of a giggle (I think they must have run out of human coloured paint halfway through...)."

"Disappointed with our visit. Pleasant enough, but the tour guide was quite inpatient with some small children in our tour party (not with us. 8 in the tour plus children) Inside you visit a few rooms with a lengthy explanation. To be fair the poor tour guide had a small and interesting group - 2 additional languages, a baby and a toddler. We were given laminated translation sheets. Everything looked tired and whilst understanding it is in a state of restoration it just seemed unloved. The bee garden is pretty and just being established. The wedding museum was interesting but mainly glass wedding gift displays. The petit farm was not great. Lots of bantam cockerels all together with a couple of hens, some cute goats - two young ones not in the pens! And a donkey and overweight Shetland pony behind an electric fence. There was also a tree down which prevented getting closer to the goats. The goat climbing frame was cool though! We didn't have children but it wouldn't have been a great area to visit with tiny children. Everything just seems a bit uncared for. Worth a peep at, but not worth 12 Euros in our opinion."

"This is a privately-owned chateau. We were served a lovely lunch by the owners and were able to explore the grounds."

"Very good tour with lots of details on the house history and owners. Current family have owned the house for three generations and are working on rooves, etc. Highlight was a bat emerging from the kitchen oven and whirling around the room."

"With Dmitri, a tour guide from a la francaise, we toured Chenanceau, Chambord. But, in between those well-known Chateaux, the most unexpected and welcomed surprise was the visit and lunch at the Chateau de Villesavin. Because of its smaller size, the feeling and transport to an ancient time was much more palpable. The generosity and warm courtesy shown by our hosts made us fans who would return and recommend visiting. I found the wine made and bottled at the Chateau de Villesavin to be excellent. Wish I could get more in the States. We managed to bring home two bottles safe and sound that were purchased at Chateau."