Château de Chenonceau

The Château de Chenonceau spans the river Cher near the village of Chenonceaux in Indre-et-Loire, and is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire. The estate is first mentioned in writing in the eleventh century; the present building went up between 1514 and 1522 on the foundations of an old mill, and the gallery bridging the river was added between 1556 and 1559. That bridge is why it is the one everyone recognises. The château does not sit beside the water, it stands in it. The formal gardens on either bank are part of the visit.