News
Château de Blois: new guided tour at the Museum of Fine Arts this Sunday, October 4
On the occasion of the first weekend of October, the cultural programming in Blois revolves around brand-new events and unusual tours, led by a new offering dedicated to the Fine Arts collections along with unique heritage experiences.
A new Sunday offering to explore the Fine Arts collections
The cultural calendar for the first weekend of October highlights Blois's heritage collections with the launch of a new guided tour format. Offered under the title "A Sunday at the Museum", this new event takes place on October 4, 2026, within the Museum of Fine Arts. Designed to recur every first Sunday of the month, with the next session scheduled for December 6, 2026, this tour invites the public to take an in-depth and unique look at the works preserved in the monument's rooms.
This initiative allows visitors to rediscover the permanent collections through dedicated mediation. Collections and conservation indeed represent one of the major pillars of the site's cultural offerings, combining history, architecture, and fine arts to make artistic creation accessible to all visitor profiles at the start of this autumn.
Closed towers and behind the scenes: an unusual itinerary inside the monument
Alongside this museum offering, the Royal Castle of Blois presents an architectural immersion experience called "Unusual Tour of the Royal Castle of Blois" throughout the period running from February 8, 2026, to December 27, 2026. This itinerary stands out by granting access to strictly restricted areas, allowing curious visitors to step inside spaces usually closed to the public.
Guided into the little-known corners of the royal fortress, participants can explore the towers and various hidden passageways that bear witness to the site's complex architectural evolution. This circuit sheds light on the multiple construction phases of the residence, enriching the overall historical understanding of the court and the state apartments across the centuries.
Asian art exhibition and playful immersion on the agenda
Current gallery programming is also highlighted by the presentation of a major temporary exhibition devoted to Far Eastern arts, entitled "Reflections of the Far Away: The Collectors' Dream of Asia". Open from September 19, 2026, to May 16, 2027, this display features selected pieces illustrating how art enthusiasts and collectors viewed Asian traditions.
In terms of permanent playful activities, the giant escape game "The Daring Escape of Marie de' Medici" remains available throughout the entirety of 2026, from January 1 to December 31. This interactive, collaborative experience transforms the historic setting into a life-sized playing field, drawing upon key episodes in the castle's history to engage participants' problem-solving skills.
Visitor guidelines, touring tools, and overview of nearby activities
To welcome visitors throughout this period, the monument operates with opening hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with ticket sales ending at 5:30 pm. Visitors benefit from a suite of digital tools including themed slideshows dedicated to architecture, fine arts, and iconic figures such as the Duke of Guise, complemented by the Visit'Blois mobile application.
This central heritage offering is set within a diverse cultural environment designated as a "City of Art and History". The immediate surroundings feature the King's Garden located at the foot of the castle, the Bishopric Gardens, the rose garden, as well as nearby cultural venues including the House of Magic, the Foundation of Doubt featuring creations by more than 40 contemporary artists surrounding the artist Ben, the Natural History Museum, the Resistance, Deportation and Memory Centre, the Comic Strip House, as well as traditional Loire boat rides in futreaux and Loire à Vélo cycling trails.
Sources: chateaudeblois.fr