château d'ussé

This château is one of the most beautiful of the ''Châteaux de la Loire '' on the outside and it is really worth the time to get there ! We skipped the inside visit though and combine this trip with a visit to the villages of Condes Saint-Martin and Monsoreau , both included in the list of the Most Beautiful Villages of France and less than 20 minutes away . We then completed our tour with the visits of Chinon and Azay Le Rideau . It provided us with a nice mix of different castles and villages !

The Château d’Ussé is a magnificent, privately-owned castle that overpowers Ussé, the village it seats in. Legend has that Charles Perrault stayed there and based his Sleeping Beauty castle on it. True or not, there is no question that this castle is an architectural marvel. Somewhat outside of the usual “Loire Valley Castles” tours, it presents the advantage of not being as crowded as other, major castles. There is, however, not much to visit inside as many rooms remain closed, in need or under costly renovations. Regardless, the owner offers visitors to follow a track with some historical artifacts placed along the way. Young and old will also enjoy the diving-in-the-dark detour to the underground tunnel, one that was most likely used by the owners and their guests throughout the French Revolution.Of note, the “Ronde de Garde” track is worth it if 1) you can handle tiny, spiraling staircases and 2) see amazing views from the top of the castle. If you have kids, they will also be interested by the scenes from Sleeping Beauty reenacted with mannequins throughout the Ronde de Garde.If you have time, the gardens are well manicured and will be the background for a nice stroll. The Church is also worth visiting, both for the building and the history that is told in it (French and English).

This is a beautiful 15th century fortified castle and is well worth the time to take the tour. There are a lot of furnishing inside, armor, weapons, furniture, clothing displays, household items. The rooms are elaborately furnished. There is a Cinderella tower, which is a draw for kids. I thought it was rather lame and skipped past every room.You can walk the parapets around one side of the chateau and enter the tower that was used as a dungeon. You can also enter the attic area. You can tour the church and the caves where the stone was quarried. I would not hesitate to make a return visit. There is plenty of parking in the area and a lot of places to eat as well. Would I visit again? Yes.Parking is in a lot nearby and there are plenty of food options in the area.

As you have probably read, this is the chateau used as inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty "Belle au bois dormant." The outside of the chateau is large and impressive. I couldn't even get the whole thing in my lens for a photo. There is also a nice church on the grounds. Inside is well-preserved. However, what's cheesy is there are mannequins with costumes of different eras inside the rooms. Then there is a tower that is dedicated to Belle au bois dormant - there is Disney music playing and scenes from the Disney version of the story displayed with mannequins. Kids would probably like that. A fun place to visit, even if it's a little cheesy.

After reading many posts we decided to only stop for photos of the exterior. We heard that the interior was very disappointing and not worth the visit. Glad we did stop and see the exterior. It is truly beautiful.

I enjoyed looking at this beautiful castle. Visiting the inside of it is rather disapointing. If you are looking for a guided tour, they do not offer any.This castle is more like visiting a museum.The grounds are lovely, i still recommend a visit but it would not be my first choice!

Stopped here on our way back to Paris. Spend 1-2 hours touring gardens, Chateau and chapel. Fun that they 'dressed up' rooms with mannequins in costumes to show the dress of times. A fun visit.

We enjoyed our tour of the castle. I don't disagree with reviewers that say it was very expensive and the exhibits were poor. However, we enjoyed an extensive climb through the rooms and towers, seeing the construction of the castle, with very few people. Kids would enjoy the experience. The castle and grounds were a very beautiful site, as we approached on a country road in the valley directly below. We also toured the chapel on the grounds next to the chateau. It has an interesting history. The gift shop was disappointing. The wine storage caves are not worth seeing.

This is a really fairy tale castle, just outside Tours. It is said to be the chateau which inspired the story Sleeping Beauty, and anyone who has visited it can see why, I think it is the most beautiful chateau of all. In one of the turrets is a series of rooms featuring the story. It is magical inside and out with a wonderful small church in the grounds with beautiful stonework and lovely gardens. Well worth a visit.

Usse was a great example of how now to present a Chateau. It's over-priced, offers a great deal less than less expensive, more impressive neighbours. The building itself is fine, but the badly constructed dioramas are very poor and the "sleeping beauty" exhibits is, frankly abysmal. It feels as though there is a great deal of material in the Chateau to look at, but it is badly presented and lacks signage. by way of "interpretative material" one is given a double-sided A4 sheet and that's your lot. A true low-point is the "attic" where there is a mess of junk which is of no merit, is covered in dust and cobwebs and smells of mouse droppings. there are far better places to go. save your money.

Most expensive of all the Chateaux we visited. I have limited mobility, and although the main gate was opened for me to gain access, I was unable to gain access to any of the interior of the Chateau. The outside is impressive but access is limited, due to owners residing in end wing which reduces the outside accessibility. The gardens are poor compared to most others visited. The best part is the view from the Chateau, and the view from across the road looking up. My wife looked through the inside, and like previous reviewers, was not very impressed, as the Sleeping Beauty theme was rather out of place. More of the Chateau's history would have been more interesting. Would recommend other Chateaux rather than this, if you are only visiting a few.

A picture perfect fairy tale castle reputed to be the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty. There are costumed period figures in the furnished rooms which bring them to life and a turret with dioramas of the story of sleeping beauty. Highly recommend for kids. Also the cafe across the road had great light meals for reasonable prices.

This was very impressive, unfortunately we could only take pictures from the bridge. I am attaching a few photos for you to see. There is a river that runs in front of the Chateau with a stone bridge that gives a great vantage point/view

Exterior is amazing....interior is embarrassing. Focus on Sleeping Beauty rather than history of the castle is poorly pulled off.Current clothing exposition focussing on late 1800's is out of place in setting.Highest admission price of castles / chateaus we have visited while offering the lowest overall value.

Based on turrets alone this is the authentic fairy tale chateau. Plus there is a wonderful garden and 'just right' size of the interior open for public with the original furniture still in tact including Louis sofas and la-polonais poster bed. Contrary to other reviewers I think that the entrance fees (36 Euros for family) compare well to say Fontevraud. The latter is 26 Euros, but 'unfurnished' inside and received public money (USSR is a private castle, where renovations are financed by the owners)