Montrésor: Castle and Village

Begin your morning at the Château de Montrésor, a Renaissance residence built within 11th-century fortress walls by Imbert de Batarnay, adviser to four French kings. Inside, rooms furnished by Polish exile Count Branicki display Italian paintings, family silver, and a piano once played by Chopin. The terraced gardens cascade down four levels toward the Indrois valley, offering wide views over the rooftops below. Afterward, stroll the cobbled Grande Rue through one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, past white tuffeau limestone houses and the Collégiale Saint-Jean-Baptiste with its headless Revolutionary-era statues. Follow the Balcons de l'Indrois riverside path for reflections of the castle in the water. The château is open from February through November; last admission is 45 minutes before closing.