Practical Information
LOIRE VALLEY CASTLE
Opening times in 2025
Le Château du Rivau is open daily from March 29th to November 11th 2025.
March 29th – April 30th : 10am – 6pm
May 1st – September 30th : 10am – 7pm
October 1st – November 11th : 10am – 6pm
Admission closes 45 minutes before closing time. We recommend that you allow at least 1h30 hours to visit the château, stables and gardens. Half a day is optimum to stroll around the gardens.
The Gastronomic Restaurant Jardin Secret is open from March 28th to November 11th. Booking is mandatory.
The Restaurant La Table des Fées is open from March 29th to November 11th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Booking is mandatory. NB: The La Table des Fées restaurant is only open to ticketed visitors to the Rivau.
Groups are welcome to visit all year upon reservation. Contact us for further details.
Fees 2025
The entrance fee includes the visit of the gardens, the castle and the Royal Stables. There is no ticket for the gardens or the castle only.
Adults : 13,50 €
Children (5 to 18 years old) : 7,50 € (Free for kids under 5 years old)
Students (under 25 years old) and jobseeker : 10 €
Family 2 adults and 2 kids : 35 €
Family 2 adults and 3,4 or 5 kids : 40 €
Disabled Adult : 7 € / Disabled Child : 5 €
Year Pass
Audioguide : + 3,50 €
Costume for Rent for Kids: + 3,50 € (3rd one free)
Means of payment accepted :
Box office : cash, bank card, cheque, holiday vouchers, connect holiday vouchers, exchange voucher, culture pass, culture voucher, grouped draw.
Shop : cash, credit card, cheque.
Restaurants : cash, bank card, cheque.
Hotel : cash, bank card, cheque.
American Express bank cards are not accepted.
Booking online
How to come ?
The Rivau is located in the Loire Valley in the Touraine region.
– WITH YOUR CAR : From Tours, take highway A10 in the direction of Bordeaux and Poitiers. Take Exit 25 in « Sainte Maure de Touraine » then follow the direction of Chinon and the signs to Château du Rivau.
From Angers or Saumur, take Highway A85 in direction of Tours. Take exit 5 « Chinon/Bourguei »l, then follow the signs to Château du Rivau.
– WITH THE TRAIN : From Paris Gare Montparnasse take the TGV to Tours or Saint Pierre des Corps. Then you can either take a train to Chinon and order a private driver (20 mins) to take you to Rivau and back.
– WITH A BIKE : Many routes are possible to come to the Château du Rivau by bike. They are less crowded then most of the Loire Bike Road and very pleasant. The Château du Rivau is awarded the Accueil à Vélo label and offers a range of services to make it easier for cyclists to get around.
Handicap accessibility
There are two reserved parking spaces in the on-site car park, 100m from the ticket office.
For disabled visitors, there is private level access through the entrance gate (please ring the bell to be greeted), which gives access to the ticket office/shop and the restaurant. Due to a listed cobbled path, the entrance is a difficult part of the visit, but help is available.
The gardens, the wine press and the audiovisual trail in the Royal Stables are accessible. Gardens are accessible via natural paths, either paved or natural, which may be accessible to wheelchairs if the weather is wet – avoid rainy days for the gardens because of the risk of mud.
Access to the restaurants and the boutique is possible too for wheelchairs. Access to the castle is more difficult or not possible depending to the handicap. For a wheelchair it should be booked in advance. The visit of only two rooms of the castle is available and you need to booked before the day of your visit (you will be accompanied in this two rooms by one of the site employees).
Other informations
For groups (booking required) : guided tours are available all year in French or in English.
For individuals : self-guided tours with a leaflet in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Swedish and Portuguese.
All the information at the ticket office, in the gardens and in the castle are in French and in English.
Reception languages : French and English.
Audioguides available in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Chinese and a family version in French.
Dogs on a lead are welcome in the gardens but not in the castle’s rooms.
We have been awarded the Quality Tourism and Accueil Vélo labels. An electric bike terminal is available in the car park for visitors to the castle.
We have two free private car park. Please note that camper vans are not allowed to park overnight.
