France · Centre-Val de Loire
Where to Stay in Blois, Centre-Val de Loire
Blois is a royal city on the Loire in the heart of the Loire Valley, France, crowned by a great château of many ages.
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Where to stay in Blois
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
In Blois the old town decides everything: stay inside it, or out beyond. The steep streets around the château keep the museums, the cathedral, and the river within a walk, and staying in the centre suits anyone here for the royal city. The old stairways climb quiet at dusk.
Rooms sit in the old houses below the château. Out toward the newer districts and the station, the town spreads into calmer streets. A room away from the centre trades the château for parking, space, and an easy road to the great Loire châteaux.
The vineyards roll green past the edge. If you want the château and the museums, stay in the centre; if you want the road and the country, take a room outside. Either way, the château is close at hand.
About Blois
Blois is famous for its royal château.
What is Blois known for?
The Château Royal de Blois rises over the town in a jumble of styles, from Gothic to Renaissance, with a famous spiral staircase and a bloody royal past. Steep stairways climb the old town above the Loire. Kings and châteaux mark the place.
What are the main landmarks in Blois?
The Château Royal de Blois crowns the town. Its four wings, built across four ages, ring a courtyard above the river, the great sight of the city, with the famous spiral staircase at its heart. Magic and art fill the square.
The Maison de la Magie stands across from the château with its dragons, while the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Collégiale Saint-Sauveur rise over the old streets.
What is the history of Blois?
Blois rose as a seat of counts and kings. The powerful counts of Blois held the town in the Middle Ages, and later the kings of France made its château a favourite royal home on the Loire. Kings held their court here.
Louis and Francis rebuilt the château wing by wing over the centuries, and its famous spiral staircase and Renaissance galleries date from those golden years. Blood was spilled in the great château. In 1588 the king had the mighty Duke of Guise murdered in the royal apartments, one of the darkest deeds of the wars of religion.
The court moved away in the end. As the kings settled at Paris and Versailles, Blois sank into a quiet provincial life, but its château and old streets survived the centuries. The whole Loire valley was later named a treasure of the world.
Blois keeps its royal château above the river still.
Where is Blois?
Blois sits on the banks of the Loire. The old town climbs a steep hillside above the great river in the Loir-et-Cher, in the heart of the château country of the Loire Valley. Forests and vineyards ring the town.
The wide river carries the light through the valley.
What is the climate of Blois?
Blois has a mild, temperate climate. Cool, damp winters and warm summers follow the seasons of the Loire, and rain falls gently through much of the year. Mist rises off the river on autumn mornings.
The valley stays soft and green.
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More cities in Centre-Val de Loire
Updated August 2026