Château d'Ussé

Château d'Ussé

The Sleeping Beauty castle

At the edge of a forest in the Loire valley, where the river Indre flows quietly by, stands a château that looks exactly as a fairy-tale castle should: Château d'Ussé. Its white walls, pointed turrets, steep roofs and many towers rise in tiers against a green wooded hillside, half-hidden among the trees. It is so enchanting that, by long tradition, it is said to have inspired the writer Charles Perrault to set his famous tale of Sleeping Beauty here.

A castle of many ages

Ussé was not built all at once. It began as a medieval fortress, strong and serious, but over the centuries — especially in the 1400s, 1500s and 1600s — its owners rebuilt and softened it, adding graceful Renaissance windows, fine turrets and elegant rooms. The grim fortress slowly turned into a comfortable and beautiful home, while keeping enough towers and battlements to look wonderfully romantic.

This blending of medieval strength and later elegance is part of what gives Ussé its storybook charm: it has just enough of the old castle about it to seem magical, and just enough comfort to seem like a real home.

Sleeping Beauty's tower

The famous link to Sleeping Beauty is celebrated inside the château. In one of its towers, visitors can climb a winding stair past scenes from the fairy tale, told with costumed figures: the christening of the princess, the wicked fairy's curse, the prick of the spindle, the long enchanted sleep, and the prince who finally breaks the spell. For young visitors especially, it brings the old story vividly to life in just the kind of tower where one can imagine a princess sleeping for a hundred years.

Whether or not Perrault truly had Ussé in mind when he wrote his tale in the 1690s, the château wears the legend proudly, and it is hard to imagine a more fitting setting.

Gardens and a famous designer

Ussé also boasts beautiful formal gardens, with neatly clipped trees and terraces overlooking the river. These were laid out in the grand French style associated with André Le Nôtre, the master gardener who designed the gardens of Versailles. From the terraces there are lovely views over the Indre and the countryside, framed by the forest.

A living château

Unlike some great castles that became empty museums, Ussé has remained a lived-in family home, owned by the same noble family for generations. This gives it a warm, cared-for feeling, with rooms full of furniture, tapestries and personal touches, as well as a fine chapel and stables.

Visiting today

Visitors can tour the château's elegant rooms and chapel, climb the Sleeping Beauty tower, and stroll the formal gardens with their river views. Surrounded by forest and reflected in the calm Indre, Château d'Ussé is the very picture of a fairy-tale castle — a place where it is easy to believe that, somewhere in a high tower, a princess might still be waiting for the spell to break.