Plan a célébration spéciale this holiday season with a stay at a historic French chateau in the Loire Valley. If pipers piping and dancers dancing are part of your dream holiday experience, set your compass for Château de Chambord, where 100 twinkling Christmas trees set a festive tone for Renaissance music and dancing, storytelling, performances, workshops, themed activities and more. Guests can sip mulled wine and nibble on sweet indulgences, or peruse the shops for authentic, artisanal Chambord products crafted from the estate’s own natural resources.

Château de Chenonceau © ADT Touraine – JC Coutand

Some of the Renaissance era’s most powerful women will be celebrated this holiday season at Château Royal de Blois. Festive décor features lace and glitter and an evening mystery tour titled Nocturnal Murmurs. The tour gets underway once night has fallen and the château has closed, and will include a performance of light and sound cast on the château’s façade.

Rooms and gardens at Château de Cheverny will be swathed in holiday decorations this season, while a walkway of giant treats enchant guests. The area in front of the Orangerie includes a collection of colossal cups to invoke a craving for the property’s beloved hot chocolate. Be sure to include a visit to the permanent, on-site exhibition devoted to the imaginary world and adventures of Tintin and his dog Snowy, created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Hergé foundation.

© L. de Serres – Chateau d’Amboise

You can add still more ooh la la to your holiday festivities at Château de Villandry, where holiday magic can be found both indoors and out. The gardens are filled with plant decorations, including majestic reindeer, gentle fawns, watchful owls and cheeky squirrels. Guests can also marvel at the enchanted forest of plants found in the attic.

Built over water between 1513 and 1517, the magnificent Château de Chenonceau celebrates with flora table arrangements designed by Jean François Boucher, who bears the distinction of “Meilleur ouvrier de France,” a title bestowed on France’s most illustrious master craftspeople.

© ADT Touraine – JC Coutand

Guests can look forward to an all-chocolate table in the kitchen and a forest-themed table replete with mosses, mushrooms and foliage.