From Versailles to the Loire Valley, a royal odyssey

Sheltered from the swathes of visitors who don't tend to venture across the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, the Hameau de Marie-Antoinette is a series of outbuildings constructed around the Petit Trianon chateau. Its ten or so small rustic-style houses are distinguished in this royal setting. Built between 1783 and 1786, the hamlet served as something of a retreat for the queen, far from the conventions and pomp of the palace. Its beautiful restoration offers visitors an astonishing journey into the secret world of Marie-Antoinette.

While the staircase of the Château de Blois, a masterpiece of French Renaissance architecture, is worth the trip in itself, you cannot leave the city without encountering its incredible green spaces where nature reigns supreme. Behind the Saint-Louis cathedral is the Bishop's Garden, considered a particularly remarkable locale with its countless rose bushes. Opposite the castle are the Jardins du Roy–the King's Gardens–whose magnificent terraces, across five acres in the heart of the city, were reinvented by the landscaper Gilles Clément. Discover a particularly royal side to nature.

Given the title ‘First painter, engineer and architect of the King' by François I, Leonardo da Vinci was invited to move into Le Clos Lucé, near the Royal Château of Amboise, in 1516. The celebrated Italian polymath would spend the last three years of his life there. The castle and its splendid, tree-filled park are now a wonderful museum where visitors can discover the artist's notebooks, drawings and models. Reconstructed inventions and an immersive audiovisual show make for an educational and fun journey for children and adults.