The chateau is right in the centre of the town. In terms of whether it is worth a visit, it depends how many days you have, and what other chateaux you have seen / want to see.

Azay is nice, but in my opinion not the best to visit. I would put Chambord, Chenonceaux, and Amboise ahead of Azay.

Thank you for that. I am based in Tours and will visit Chenonceau but I am looking for somewhere that has a nice town. Somewhere I can have a nice lunch and engage in a bit of people watching. Incidentally it doesn't have to have a chateaux attached to it. I am sure that there are some lovely towns losing out because they don't have their "own" chateaux.

We are visiting the Loire area for the first time this fall for 3 days and will probably spend the entire 3rd day in Blois. There is a chateau there but we also want to explore the town, which sounds very interesting...

Azay is a lovely village -- and yes, the chateau is right in the middle of it. It's not a spectacular chateau, but it's very pretty, and well-maintained (although the Sleeping Beauty displays in the tower are a little cheesy -- in a funny, kitschy way)

Not worth a special trip, but certainly worth a visit if you're in town.

Sunshine

(although the Sleeping Beauty displays in the tower are a little cheesy -- in a funny, kitschy way)

You are mixing up your Chateaux.

Sleeping Beauty is at Ussé, about 20 minutes from Azay.

cocojam.

This put me off going to Blois

www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/c.aspx… - 27k

Sunlover, you're right -- I did. That's what I get for posting during a bout of insomnia.

Azay is the one that sits in the middle of a small pond...and it's well and truly lovely, as is the village. It's still not spectacular, but very, very pretty.

(Usse is nice, too)

BoxTheFox -- that's a photoset of a single occurrence.

I'm not about to say that France does not have its problems -- particularly with young men of North African descent. It IS a problem, and France WILL have to address it, the sooner the better.

But to let a single photoset set you off of what is a lovely village with an amazing (and very historically important) chateau is a bit like avoiding Belfast because ohmygosh it's such a violent city with all those religious wars, or New York, Miami, or Los Angeles because of its movie gangsters.

Yes, it happens, but it's not every day -- and it isn't in the primary tourist areas. Those neighbourhoods aren't lovely and peaceful areas, sadly -- they are tough neighbourhoods, and wouldn't ever be mistaken as a place you should be hanging out.

Having lived close to the centre of Blois for the past two years I can assure you that this article features on a short period of time when almost every town and city faced similar unrest.

IMO, Blois is probably the most peaceful city you could hope to visit in this part of France.

I loved Azay-le-Rideau. Yes, it's a small castle, but it's beautiful. The guided tour inside the castle was excellent and truly informative. The town is nothing special, nevertheless.

I have to say you should definitely visit Blois. Not only the castle is one of the best ones you can see, but the city itself is lovely, plenty of old buildings and churches, the best chocolate in France, and the Maison de la Magie (the House of Magic) across the castle is a lot of fun. Totally different, of course, but it's worth the visit.

I was on my own (I'm a woman, 42 y.o., look younger) and didn't have any problem. Walked to and from the castle in the evening for the light and sound show (really good) and felt absolutely safe.