Château de Cheverny

Château de Cheverny is one of the best-preserved and most elegant of the Loire châteaux, and it is unusual in having stayed in the hands of one family line for most of its history. The present building was begun by Henri Hurault in 1624 and finished in the 1630s, replacing an earlier castle. It was built in a single campaign, which is why it has such a unified, symmetrical look, with a pale tuffeau-stone front, tall slate roofs, a central pavilion and matching wings. The style is French classical rather than Renaissance, and the building has hardly changed since.

The château is still lived in, and the interior shows it. The rooms are richly furnished with tapestries, painted ceilings, panelling and period furniture, arranged as in a real family home. The grand staircase, the dining room with painted scenes from the story of Don Quixote and the royal bedchamber give a good idea of how a seventeenth-century nobleman lived. The Hurault family were passionate hunters, and the trophy room has a huge collection of antlers from deer that were hunted in the surrounding forest. The estate still has a pack of hunting hounds, and the dogs are a feature of the visit, although they are not allowed into the building.

Cheverny is also known to readers of comics as the model for Marlinspike Hall, the home of Captain Haddock in the Tintin books by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé. A permanent exhibition, which has its own ticket, brings the story to life with scenes and models. It is aimed at children and adults who grew up with the books and is air-conditioned, so it is a pleasant break on hot days. The Orangery is another cool place, and it has a connection with the history of the Louvre during times of war.

The park around the château offers more to do. The gardens are formal, with a kitchen garden and lime avenues, and there is a forest with canals where guided buggy or boat tours are offered. Equestrian shows and demonstrations of the hunt are held on certain days. Wide lawns and picnic areas make the estate a good family stop. Opening hours change between high and low seasons, and tickets are sold on site.

The château lies in the countryside near Blois, not far from the huge Château de Chambord, and the two are often visited together. Plan at least two hours for the house and the Tintin exhibition and longer if you take a tour of the grounds. It suits families, comic fans and anyone who prefers a lived-in house to an empty monument.