Château de Chambord

Standing on a grassy expanse amidst vast acres of forest, Chambord is enormous. Francis I built Chambord as a hunting lodge, but he believed that bigger was better so the vast edifice has 440 rooms and 80 staircases. Francis spent only 40 days at his huge home, which now has far less furniture than many other properties and is owned by the state. Apart from its impressive size and isolated location, Chambord’s most interesting feature is the double-spiral staircase in the center of the building. (Open all year, tel: 08.25.82.60.88.)