New Sound and Light Show

History and the Château like no one has ever really seen them

One of the first sound and light shows to be created in the courtyard of a French château, The Story of Blois (Ainsi Blois vous est conté) has been illuminating the site for more than 25 years.

In 2018, the Château has inaugurated a new and exciting show using the latest technologies. More eccentric than ever, once night falls, immersive special effects and monumental projections take over the grandiose architecture of the castle. A collapsing château as it quakes before Catherine de’ Medici, or the Duke of Guise more alive than ever: love stories, tragedies and secrets gracefully flutter separately or simultaneously over the four façades during a unique 360° show.

In a veritable festival of special effects the Château royal’s new Sound & Light Show quite literally brings the history of France to life. Once night falls, in an audiovisual production that is as captivating as it is striking for its realism, “The Story of Blois” (Ainsi Blois vous est conté) reveals the four wings and the genius of the great builders of the 13^th to 17^th centuries. Precise 3D modelling of the shapes of the façades to dress up and animate the architectural diversity of the place, remixed music, voices floating in space, video mapping, use of film-making processes, insertion of live action scenes and so on: the technologies used to design this novel set have enabled every eccentricity never before witnessed in Blois.

After being the residence of counts of Blois and dukes of Orléans, and a favourite abode of seven kings and ten queens of France as well as princes in exile, today the Château royal de Blois is inhabited by the memory of its occupants and its illustrious visitors. Video mapping, a technique that is able to recreate movement, combined with the insertion of scenes specially filmed for the new set design, reinforce the accounts of famous episodes from the history of France, in which the main characters seem to have been reincarnated. From the citadel of Thibaud the Trickster to Gaston of Orléans by way of the festive home of Louis XII and the Renaissance castle of François I: the 12 sequences immerse spectators in the turbulent chronicles of Blois, from visits by Joan of Arc and Ronsard to the murderous plots hatched by Henri III against the Duke of Guise.

Lighting effects that hug the shapes of the buildings – like flames from flickering candles, glowing red embers, façades embossed with gold and illuminated like an old manuscript, the romantic effect of climbing roses that invade the wings of the Château, spectacular stained glass windows for Joan of Arc’s visit, rain streaming down the walls, and blood spatter after the assassination of the Duke of Guise – combine with immersive sound effects to thrust the audience into a unique 360° spectacle. Remixed and spatialized to adapt to the new narration, the music tracks and the voices of famous French actors Robert Hossein, Pierre Arditi and Fabrice Lucchini perform the words written by Alain Decaux to captivate the audience in a labyrinth of sound and light…

Season 2025: from 5 April to 27 September + All Saint's holidays (from 18 October to 1 November)

EVERY EVENING in the courtyard of the Chateau (except on 21 June, 13 July)

• April and September: 10:00 pm
• May, June, July and August: 10:30 pm
• October and November: 7:15 pm

Duration: 45 minutes (the ticket office opens 30 minutes before the show begins)

The access is not limited. You don't have to book a specific date.
In case of bad weather conditions, the show is not cancelled.

Free simultaneous translation with an audioguide in several languages. Disinfection of devices after each use.

Individual prices 2025

• Entrance price for the show: Adult: 12€ / Reduced rate : 10€ / Child (6-17 years): 7,50€ / Free admission for children under 6 years and people with disabilities (proof required).
• Audioguide: free of charge
• Combined tickets to visit the Royal Chateau of Blois and/or the House of Magic and/or the Doubt Foundation are available

There is no seats available during the show (people are standing up in the middle of the courtyard of the chateau). People who need a seat can bring their own folding chair/stool (we don't provide chairs).

Book your tickets here (Tickets are valid for the 2025 season, it's not necessary to book a date in advance).

Animals

Whatever their size, our pet-friends are not allowed inside the Chateau, except for guide dogs accompanying visitors with disabilities.

Information: 0033 (0)2 54 90 33 33 or contact@chateaudeblois.fr

The booking service stands ready to answer any questions from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12:30 pm and from 1:30 pm to 5:15 pm (except on public holidays).

Useful information:

- Visitors with disabilities and their carer will be admitted free of charge.

- On the Place du Chateau, 2 parking spaces for persons with reduced mobility (PMR, in French) are at your disposal.

- Wheelchair available on loan, information in the reception area

Entrance by the gate under the equestrian statue of Louis XII. The spectators are in the middle of the courtyard during the show. If you can not stand for a long time, it is possible
to bring a folding seat.

Dogs accompanying persons with disabilities are admitted on the grounds of the monument.

Continue your visit of Blois by taking advantage of our combined tickets at special prices!

Free admission for children under 6 years and people with disabilities (+1 carer) (proof required).

*Reduced rate for students, teachers visiting individually, adults with large families and job seekers (proof required)

It's not necessary to book a date or an access to visit the Royal Chateau of Blois and to see the Sound and Light Show. Combined tickets are valid for the 2025 season. They could be used on several days.

Group price granted for groups composed of 20 people or more. More information

Buy your tickets on line!
Book your tickets in advance here

The town of Blois is located on the door step of the Val de Loire, less than 2h south of Paris.
The Royal Chateau of Blois constitutes the ideal introduction to a visit to the accessible chateaux of the Loire, less than 30 minutes away: Chambord, Cheverny, Chaumont sur Loire, Amboise, Chenonceau...

How to get to Blois?

> By car

From Paris: 180 km/112 miles (2h)
- autoroute (motorway) A10: Paris/Bordeaux - exit Blois
- route nationale (highway) RN 152: Paris / Orléans / Blois
From Nantes: 285 km/177 miles (3h)
From Lille: 400 km/250 miles (4h)
From Lyon: 450 km/280 miles (4h30)
From Bordeaux: 400 km/250 miles (4h)
To prepare your itinerary, go to: mappy / viamichelin / google maps

GPS coordinates:
- Decimal degrees: Latitude 47.585343 Longitude 1.331537
- Degrees, minutes, seconds, hundredths: Latitude N46 35 08 77 Longitude E1 19 53 52

> By train

1h30 from Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz): the Paris / Tours and Paris / Nantes lines
To prepare your itinerary:
www.voyages-sncf.com
www.ter.sncf.com/centre

To go to the Chateau from the Blois-Chambord railway station:
By foot: 8 mn
By bus: stop at the foot of the Chateau -
Information: www.azalys-blois.fr
By taxi: taxi at the railway station 24/7
Information: 0033 (0)2 54 78 07 65

> By bicycle
Nearly 400 km/250 miles of lanes, pathways and small roads have been conceived, designed, benchmarked and secured in the vicinity of the chateaux of the Loire.
Several itineraries passing through Blois are detailed on
www.chateauxavelo.com

2 bicycle parking areas at the foot of the Chateau and on the square
The Royal Chateau of Blois has been awarded the "La Loire à Velo" and the "Accueil Vélo" (bike hospitality) certification guaranteeing cyclists a high quality of welcome.
Further information on www.loireavelo.fr
Bicycle rentals: www.bloischambord.com

> By bus
There is a bus stop at the foot of the Royal Château of Blois.

- Azalys transport company: to inquire: 0033 (0)9 693 693 41 or www.azalys-blois.fr
- Shuttles: to inquire: www.remi-centrevaldeloire.fr - www.bloischambord.com/planifier/transport/navette-bus-mini-bus (in French)

> From foreign countries by plane
From Paris: Orly (180km/112 miles) or Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (220km/137 miles) airports
From Tours: Tours - Val de Loire airport (60km/38 miles)

Parking facilities

> Car park

The closest underground parking lots:
- "Chateau" parking at 200m (416 parking spaces), access on avenue Jean Laigret - 3€ / 3 hours
- "Valin de la Vaissière" parking (336 parking spaces), access on quai de la Saussaye

The Blois town center features ample surface parking, including more than 600 free parking spaces (10 to 15 minutes from the foot of the Chateau)

> Camper van parking

Parking area "Parc des Expositions": south of the Loire, on Avenue Wilson, next to the "Parc des Expositions".

From 1 June to 30 september, the parking is not allowed in several places on the Loire side like Levée des Tuilerie, Edmond Mounin parking lot on the right bank and Port de la Creusille on the left bank.
Apart from these spots, the parking for camper vans is allowed on public roads, on condition of having an adequate size.

More information here (website only in French language)

> Bus park

Free park for buses situated 400m away from the chateau. Download the map