The Château de Chambord with Kids: Free Entry, the Horse Show and a Room of Their Own

Most châteaux ask children to look and not touch. Chambord gives them a room of their own, a show and a forest. Here is how to plan the day, and which of the Chambord and Chenonceau day tours work with children.

What it costs for a family

The free entry for under-18s applies on an individual visit, so bring ID. The Passport includes the château, the HistoPad and the show, and the adult Passport covers a child only when bought alongside it.

Le logis des enfants, on the second floor

This is the part families miss. On the second floor of the keep, in the François I tower, is a space built for children: sixteen hands-on activities, sound experiments, touch screens, large-scale settings and a quiet area for the youngest. It is open every day from 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30.

It is free with your château ticket, it starts from age three, and everything is in French and English. Access can be limited when it gets busy, so go in the morning.

The HistoPad treasure hunt

The HistoPad is a tablet you rent at the door, rebuilt for 2026. François I himself narrates, and inside the 3D reconstructions of the rooms there is a treasure hunt for the whole family. There is also a historical selfie: pose dressed as the king, as Leonardo da Vinci or as the Mona Lisa. The family offer is three tablets for €17.

The horse show

For most children the show is the highlight. Chambord, A History on Horseback runs 45 minutes in the Maréchal de Saxe stables, with ten horses and eight riders playing kings and a playwright, under covered, shaded stands. It is in French, but the horses need no translation. In 2026 it runs from 4 April to 27 September and from 17 October to 1 November; the times are on the events page.

Outdoors: bikes, pedal cars and the punt

From 4 April to 1 November the jetty hires out the things children remember:

• An electric punt on the canal, 30 minutes for up to five, €22.
• A rosalie pedal car for two adults and two children, €20 an hour.
• Children’s bikes from €4 an hour, on 25 kilometres of paths.
• Guided 4×4 drives into the deer reserve, from age three, €15 for children.

The canal circuit is four kilometres and flat, with observation hides for spotting wildlife. The park page has every option.

Strollers, baby carriers and changing tables

Strollers are allowed inside, and the château lends light ones at the entrance while they last. Metal-frame baby carriers are not allowed in the rooms and go in the free lockers. Toilets with changing tables and bottle warmers are by the reception area and inside the château. The upper floors are reached by stairs only.

That makes a soft baby sling the easiest way to carry a small child up the double helix staircase, where no pushchair can follow. Keep the stroller for the courtyard, the ground floor and the gardens, where the paths are level, and leave it at the foot of the stairs while you climb. The park paths beyond are sand and gravel, so bigger wheels cope better there.

Food and breaks

You can stay all day without leaving the estate. Le Café d’Orléans, inside the château, serves lunch made with produce from the estate. Autour du Puits, at the foot of the château, sells food to take away, and the restaurants on Place Saint-Louis stay open all year. There are picnic kiosks by the car parks and picnic spots in the forest.

Toilets with changing tables and bottle warmers are free by the reception area, and there are more inside the château for ticket holders.

A rainy day with children

Rain costs you the park, not the day. Start with the 20-minute film on the ground floor, let the children run the HistoPad treasure hunt through the rooms, and give the children’s space on the second floor the time it deserves. The horse show still runs, because the stands are covered and shaded. Save the bikes and the punt for the first dry hour, and check the month on the weather page before you go.

Dogs, bags and the rules

Dogs are welcome in the park on a lead but not in the château, the gardens or the stables, except assistance dogs, and not at the horse show. Anything bigger than 55 by 35 by 20 centimetres goes in the free lockers at the entrance, and power banks are not allowed inside at all. Balls, toy swords and scooters stay outside too, so leave them in the car rather than argue at the door.

Which tours work with children

Each tour sets its own age rules, and they differ more than you would expect.

A nine-hour day in a van is long for small children, and one reviewer said so plainly. With under-sevens, the easiest day is often your own car or train, the ticket, and the château and park at your own pace.

A half-day plan with children

• 9:00 — in at opening, straight up the double helix staircase before the crowds.
• 10:00 — the children’s space on the second floor, when it opens.
• 11:00 — the terraces, then down for the 11:45 horse show.
• 12:45 — lunch at Le Café d’Orléans or a picnic by the car parks.
• Afternoon — the punt, the bikes or the canal circuit.

Hours, tickets and parking are on visiting Chambord.

Chambord tours that work for families

Chambord: Entry Ticket to the Castle

Admission to the château and gardens on your phone. A final sale, valid on your date.

From $24 per person

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Chambord Castle: Private Guided Walking Tour

Two hours inside Chambord with a private guide, tickets included, step-free.

From $343 per person

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Loire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine

Coach from Paris, both château tickets in the fare, and a wine tasting at Chenonceau.

From $129 per person

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