Amboise combines the Château Royal — where French kings held court and Leonardo da Vinci is buried — with Château du Clos Lucé, Leonardo's last residence from 1516 until his death in 1519. The compact town centre, medieval streets, and Loire riverside esplanade make Amboise one of the most rewarding half-day excursions in the region.
Amboise sits on a rocky promontory above a broad bend in the Loire, its royal château visible from kilometres away. The Château Royal d'Amboise served as the principal residence of several French kings from Charles VIII to François I, and it was François I who invited Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise in 1516, providing him with the manor of Clos Lucé connected to the château by an underground passage. Leonardo spent the last three years of his life in Amboise, dying there in 1519; his remains lie in the château's Chapelle Saint-Hubert.
The Château Royal d'Amboise charges €15 (~$16) for adults. Opening hours vary by season: January–February from 10am, rising to 9am in spring and summer, with closing times from 4:30pm (January) to 7pm (July–August). Closed 1 January and 25 December. Tickets are sold at chateau-amboise.com or the entrance. The château includes the Charles VIII chapel with Leonardo's tomb, the royal apartments, towers with sweeping Loire views, and gardens.
Clos Lucé, Leonardo's last home, is 500 metres south of the Château Royal — a 5-minute walk through the old town. The manor is open to the public; adult admission is approximately €17.50 (~$19). The interior displays rooms as Leonardo occupied them, along with scale models of his inventions (flying machines, armoured vehicle, hydraulic saw) built by IBM engineers in the 1980s from Leonardo's own drawings. The park surrounding the house features full-scale reconstructions of several machines outdoors.
A full Amboise day: take the first train from Tours (around 8am), walk from Amboise station (10 min) to the Château Royal at opening time (9am), allow 1.5–2 hours including the chapel and rooftop tower views. Walk down to the riverside for coffee, then walk to Clos Lucé (10 min from the château). Allow 1.5–2 hours at Clos Lucé including the gardens. Lunch in the old town on Rue Nationale or the riverside quayside. Return by late afternoon train.
How to get there
- Mode
- Train (TER)
- Duration
- 20 min from Tours
- Cost
- €5–8 (~$5.50–8.65) each way
- Notes
- SNCF TER from Tours station to Amboise; station is a 10-minute walk from the château via the Loire bridge
- Mode
- Car
- Duration
- 30 min from Tours
- Cost
- Fuel ~€3–5 (~$3.25–5.40) one way
- Notes
- D751 along the Loire south bank; parking on the riverside esplanade below the château
- Mode
- Bicycle (Loire à Vélo)
- Duration
- 1h15 from Tours
- Cost
- Bike rental from €15/day (~$16)
- Notes
- Signposted Loire à Vélo cycle path along the south bank of the Loire; flat and well-paved
Suggested itinerary
- 08:00 Take the first TER train from Tours to Amboise station (20 min). 08:30 Walk 10 min from station across the Loire bridge and up to the Château Royal d'Amboise. 09:00 Enter the château at opening; begin with the Chapelle Saint-Hubert to visit Leonardo's tomb before crowds arrive. 09:45 Royal apartments and the great hall. 10:30 Climb the Tour des Minimes spiral ramp to the terrace for Loire panorama views. 11:15 Walk 10 min through Amboise old town (Rue Nationale) to Château du Clos Lucé. 11:30 Explore Leonardo's chambers, the model exhibition, and the invention machines in the park. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant on Place Michel Debré or the riverside quayside. 14:30 Free afternoon: explore Amboise old town, the riverside walk, or take a wine tasting at a local Vouvray domaine. 16:30 Walk back to Amboise station for the return TER to Tours.
Location
Montée de l'Emir Abd el-Kader, 37400 Amboise, France
47.4103, 0.9832 View on map
Highlights
- Chapelle Saint-Hubert — Gothic chapel containing Leonardo da Vinci's tomb
- Tour des Minimes and Tour Heurtault — spiral ramps where horses were ridden to the château
- Loire River panorama from the château terraces
- Clos Lucé manor — Leonardo's furnished last residence
- Full-scale outdoor models of Leonardo's inventions in the Clos Lucé park
Tips for visiting
- The Chapelle Saint-Hubert containing Leonardo da Vinci's tomb is very small — visit at 9am sharp before coach tours fill it.
- Buy a combined ticket for Château Royal and Clos Lucé at the Amboise tourist office (Place Michel Debré) for a small saving over buying separately.
- Walk between the two sites through Amboise's Rue Nationale for the best view of the old town — it takes 10 minutes on foot.
- The Clos Lucé park is best explored before midday; the outdoor machine models attract school groups later in the day.
- Cycling the Loire à Vélo from Tours (25km, ~1h15) is a scenic alternative to the train and leaves the bike to explore between Amboise and Tours at leisure.
When to visit
April–October for the best weather and garden conditions. May and September combine good weather with lower visitor numbers than July–August. Arrive at both sites at opening time (9am) to avoid coach groups.
Accessibility
Clos Lucé ground floor and the lower park areas are accessible to wheelchair users. The Château Royal's main terrace and gardens are reachable via the Tour des Minimes spiral ramp (wide enough for wheelchairs); some interior rooms require stairs. Contact the Château Royal at +33 (0)2 47 57 00 98 or Clos Lucé at +33 (0)2 47 57 62 88 for specific accessibility information.
Visit, book or contact
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to visit both the Château Royal and Clos Lucé?
Château Royal d'Amboise charges €15 (~$16) for adults. Clos Lucé charges approximately €17.50 (~$19) for adults. Purchased separately, a full visit to both sites costs around €32.50 (~$35) per adult. A combined ticket is sometimes available via the Amboise tourist office at Place Michel Debré, tel: +33 (0)2 47 57 09 28.
Is Leonardo da Vinci actually buried at Amboise?
Yes. Leonardo da Vinci died at Clos Lucé on 2 May 1519 at the age of 67. His remains were later transferred to the Chapelle Saint-Hubert within the Château Royal d'Amboise, where his tomb is marked with a commemorative stone. His skull was identified by forensic analysis in 2019.
How long does each site take to visit?
The Château Royal takes 1.5–2 hours to see the chapel, apartments, and tower views. Clos Lucé takes 1.5–2 hours including the interior rooms, the invention model exhibition, and the outdoor park. Combined, plan 3.5–4 hours for both sites, plus travel time from Tours.
Can Amboise be reached from Tours without a car?
Yes, easily. SNCF TER trains run from Tours station to Amboise station in approximately 20 minutes, several times daily, for €5–8 each way. The station in Amboise is on the south bank; walk across the Loire bridge (10 min) to reach the château. Timetables are at ter.sncf.com.
What else is there to do in Amboise beyond the two châteaux?
The old town around Rue Nationale has Renaissance townhouses, artisan shops, and wine bars. The riverside esplanade along the Loire is ideal for a walk or picnic. Amboise is in the Vouvray wine appellation; several producers offer tastings a few kilometres north of town. A small market fills the riverside on Friday and Sunday mornings.