Practical Information

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LOIRE VALLEY CASTLE

Winter closure
from 12th November 2025 to 31th March 2026 included

The entire site is currently closed : reopening April 1st, 2026 !
Le Château du Rivau, its 4-star hotel and its two restaurants look forward to welcome you in spring for a colourful season.

Our 2026 programme will soon be available in our online diary, and you can start planning now your visit to the gardens and château or preparing your group visit.

Our offices remain open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Please do not hesitate to contact us ; we’ll be delighted to help you organise your visit in 2026 !

To reach the ticket office and the group service : +33 (0)2 47 95 77 47 – info@chateaudurivau.com

To contact the Hotel and the restaurant Jardin Secret : +33 (0)6 62 91 54 43 – hotel@chateaudurivau.com

Get ready for your visit to Château du Rivau

Opening time in 2026

Le Château du Rivau is open daily from April 1st to November 1st 2026.
April : 10am – 6pm
May 1st – September 30th : 10am – 7pm
October 1st – November 1st : 10am – 6pm

Admission closes 45 minutes before closing time. We recommend that you allow at least 1h30 hours to visit the château, stables and gardens. Half a day is optimum to stroll around the gardens.

The Gastronomic Restaurant Jardin Secret is open from April 1st to November 1st, from Wednesday to Sunday. Booking is mandatory.

The Restaurant La Table des Fées is open from April 1st to November 1st, every day for lunch (from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., with last orders at 2:30 p.m.). Booking is mandatory. NB: The La Table des Fées restaurant is only open to ticketed visitors to the Rivau.

Groups are welcome to visit all year upon reservation. Contact us for further details.

Fees 2026

The entrance fee includes the visit of the gardens, the castle and the Royal Stables. There is no ticket for the gardens or the castle only.

Adults : 13,50 €
Children (5 to 18 years old) : 7,50 € (Free for kids under 5 years old)
Students (under 25 years old) and jobseeker : 10 €
Family 2 adults and 2 kids : 35 €
Family 2 adults and 3,4 or 5 kids : 40 €
Disabled Adult : 7 €
Year Pass
Audioguide : + 3,50 €
Costume for Rent for Kids: + 3,50 € (3rd one free)

Free admission applies to holders of a professional Guide Card and the Press Card, as well as to children with disabilities (under 18).

Book online

You can book your tickets online on this page, or on the day of your visit directly at the château’s ticket office.
Tickets purchased online do not provide skip-the-line access.

How to come ?

The Rivau is located in the Loire Valley in the Touraine region.

– WITH YOUR CAR : From Tours, take Highway A10 in the direction of Bordeaux and Poitiers. Take Exit 25 in « Sainte Maure de Touraine » then follow the direction of Chinon and the signs to Château du Rivau.

From Angers or Saumur, take Highway A85 in direction of Tours. Take exit 5 « Chinon/Bourguei »l, then follow the signs to Château du Rivau.

– WITH THE TRAIN : From Paris Gare Montparnasse take the TGV to Tours or Saint-Pierre-des-Corps. Then you can either take a train to Chinon and order a private driver (20 mins) to take you to Rivau and back.

– WITH A BIKE : Many routes are possible to come to the Château du Rivau by bike. They are less crowded then most of the Loire Bike Road and very pleasant. The Château du Rivau is awarded the Accueil à Vélo label and offers a range of services to make it easier for cyclists to get around.

Parking and parking facilities

Two free car parks are available :
– Car Park P1 is located 200 meters from the ticket office. It offers two parking spaces for people with reduced mobility, as well as two spaces equipped with an electric vehicle charging station.
– Car Park P2 is a 10-minute walk from the ticket office entrance. Access is signposted from Car Park P1.

View the parking map here.

People with reduced mobility may be dropped off and picked up in front of the ticket office before the vehicle is parked in one of the two car parks. Access to the ticket office by car is exceptional and must be done at very low speed, as the path is used by pedestrians, including children. Parking in front of the entrance gateway and in front of the ticket office is not permitted (fire access).

For bus and coach access and parking, view the map here.

These are private car parks. Motorhomes may park during the day, but overnight parking is not permitted.

Handicap accessibility

There are two reserved parking spaces in the on-site car park, 100 meters from the ticket office.

For disabled visitors, there is private level access through the entrance gate (please ring the bell to be greeted), which gives access to the ticket office/shop and the restaurant. Due to a listed cobbled path, the entrance is a difficult part of the visit, but help is available.

The gardens, the wine press and the audiovisual trail in the Royal Stables are accessible. Gardens are accessible via natural paths, either paved or natural, which may be accessible to wheelchairs if the weather is wet – avoid rainy days for the gardens because of the risk of mud.

Access to the restaurants and the boutique is possible too for wheelchairs. Access to the castle is more difficult or not possible depending to the handicap. For a wheelchair it should be booked in advance. The visit of only two rooms of the castle is available and you need to booked before the day of your visit (you will be accompanied in this two rooms by one of the site employees).

Means of payment accepted

Ticket office : cash, bank card, holiday or exchange voucher, culture pass, culture voucher, grouped draw.
Gift shop : cash, credit card.
Restaurants : cash, bank card.
Hotel : cash, bank card.

American Express bank cards are not accepted.

Others informations

For groups (booking required) : guided tours are available all year in French or in English.

For individuals : self-guided tours with a leaflet in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Swedish and Portuguese.

All the information at the ticket office, in the gardens and in the castle are in French and in English.
Reception languages : French and English.
Audioguides available in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Chinese and a family version in French.

Dogs on a lead are welcome in the gardens but not in the castle’s rooms.

We have been awarded the Quality Tourism and Accueil Vélo labels. An electric bike terminal is available in the car park for visitors to the castle.