Visiting Three Chateaux in Burgundy, France
The Château de Tanlay in Tanlay, France. August 13, 2020.
From Troyes, France—where we stationed ourselves for a visit to the Champagne region—Arnaud and I had an equally advantageous starting point from which to reach three of the famous châteaux in the Burgundy region.
If you have the chance to spend time in Burgundy or in Champagne, these three treasures are well worth a day trip. Each of these three Burgundy chateaux has a completely different flavor than the other, and all will give you insight and appreciation into the evolution of the French Renaissance.
Le Château de Tanlay
The Château de Tanlay, built in the 17th century and held by the same family since the early 1700s, shows signs of needing a little renovation funding. Don’t let this deter you from a visit.
While the curiously carved chateau, its historical furnishings, and its grounds have plenty to impress any visitor, I found the trompe d’oeil great hall, completely done in grisaille, and the frescos hidden in a secret room in a turret at the top floor the utterly stand-out features.
You’ll find a warm welcome from the staff, who greet you and provide the tours of the château. (All visits to the castle’s interior require a guide.) The staff guides the tours in French, as most of the Château de Tanlay’s visitors speak French. However, English speakers can borrow a descriptive booklet to follow as the guide takes the group through each room. During the tour, our guide regularly checked in with me in English to ensure he answered my questions and received my impressions of the visit.
Le Château de Maulnes
Quirky Château de Maulnes, more preserved ruin of the Renaissance than resplendent castle, begs several questions and captured my imagination more than any of the other châteaux we visited in Burgundy.
The architects, a combination of Italians, French, and the owners, it seems, conceived the castle on a unique pentagonal plan. The castle changed hands several times and fell into complete ruin before the state appropriated it to save it from disappearing entirely. The authorities have undertaken extensive research to better understand its original design and purpose and they have clearly spent significant sums to restore it as best they can. I found a visit to Maulnes a fascinating look at a castle unlike any I’d ever seen anywhere else.
On your guided tour of the château, you’ll find Roman-style baths with vestiges of frescos on the walls, an innovative cooling system to use the local stream and rainwater pouring down into the center of the building via a channel in the central staircase, and an exterior roof terrace with incredible views.
Likely more of a hunting lodge than a residential location for sumptuous dinners and parties, the Château de Maules should get more attention from local guidebooks and recommendations. I didn’t expect much from our visit based on the snippets of information I’d read beforehand, so its delights truly surprised me.
Le Château d’Ancy le Franc
The massive 16th century Château d’Ancy le Franc has received a lot of loving restoration, which you’ll see presented to the greatest advantage in its main gallery and chapel.
Feast your eyes on the wraparound fresco in the château’s Gallery of Pharsalus—interrupted in its monochromatic color scheme by an intrusive portrait of King Louis XIII—and pause a moment to appreciate the artistic contrast between the chapel’s paintings and the door leading into the small room for contemplation on mortality.
The grounds have three gardens in separate styles: English, French, and one called simply the “west garden,” which I liked the best for its melodic fountain and gentle lines of delicate trees.
Planning a Trip to See Castles in Burgundy
Many people visit Burgundy for the wines—and they should take breaks where they can to see the regions other treasures, including its castles.
If you’d like to see castles in Burgundy, you’ll need to rent a car for the day if you haven’t already traveled to the region in one. Each of the three châteaux listed here stands far from any reasonably walkable train station or city. (For tips on driving in France as a tourist, read my article with the how-to here.)
If you need a rest between castles—and likely you will—take a break for lunch or tea in Tonnerre, a small French village perfectly spaced between these three sites.
Picturesque Tonnerre, with its winding flower-boxed streets and central river, has several food options; we stopped for a delicious house-made financier, green tea, and coffee at La Tentation, a centrally located and very cozy tearoom. (Highly recommended!)
Have you seen chateaux in Burgundy?
P.S.—If you can’t get enough of French châteaux, I’ve written a series of articles on castles in the Loire Valley. Start with this post on prioritizing the dozens (if not hundreds) of castles in the Loire Valley region.