Main Attractions of Blois in One Day

Begin your morning at the Royal Castle of Blois, where four centuries of French architecture unfold around a single courtyard — from the medieval great hall to François I's celebrated Renaissance staircase and Catherine de Medici's study with its secret cabinets. The Museum of Fine Arts, housed in the Louis XII wing of the same castle, displays paintings, tapestries, and Blois-made clocks spanning five centuries. From there, descend to the former Benedictine abbey church of Saint-Nicolas, with its early Gothic ribbed vaulting and Romanesque carved capitals, before crossing the 18th-century Jacques-Gabriel Bridge for a panoramic view of the old town rising above the Loire. After lunch, the House of Magic Robert-Houdin offers live magic shows and exhibitions dedicated to the Blois-born inventor of modern stage illusion. Climb the 122 steps of the Denis-Papin Staircase — often decorated with large-scale art installations — then visit the Cathedral of Saint-Louis with its striking contemporary stained glass by Jan Dibbets, and end the day in the terraced Bishop's Palace Gardens overlooking the river valley. The House of Magic is open only from April to early November; the castle and cathedral are closed on January 1 and December 25.