Spending Christmas at a château isn't just for fairy tales. At Candes-Saint-Martin, one of France's Most Beautiful Villages, at the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers, Château de Candes Art & Spa welcomes families throughout the festive season: houses sleeping up to eight, spa included in your stay, an urban art park illuminated each evening, and a troglodytic restaurant serving its festive menu from 3 December to 3 January. Here's how to organise a Christmas in the Loire Valley at the estate, with prices and dates.
Sleeping eight under one roof
The estate has 26 properties, comprising 33 bedrooms, and their variety makes a family Christmas possible. Château bedrooms, for couples and grandparents. Suites with kitchens, sleeping three to six. Estate houses, sleeping up to eight, with their own kitchen and sitting room: you can prepare your own Christmas Eve dinner, the children have their own bedroom, and breakfast is taken together. And for two, la Tour d'Aubigny, a 15th-century tower with views over the Loire from the terrace. A cot is provided, and pets are welcome in suites and houses for a supplement.
What's included in your stay
- Two hours of spa per night at Zen Garden: heated pool at 28 °C, sauna, hammam carved into the tuffeau stone, outdoor jacuzzi at 38 °C. The spa is open to children from 12 years old, with supervision, and family time slots are available.
- The Street Art Parc, day and night, illuminated each evening: five hectares and over sixty works, with a play area.
- Daily housekeeping, a welcome gift on arrival, Wi-Fi.
- During the Christmas holidays, from 19 December to 3 January, buffet breakfast is served each morning at the Grand Pressoir, from 8.30 am to 10.30 am, for a supplement: pastries, fresh bread, eggs and hot dishes, regional charcuterie and cheeses, fruit, dairy products and homemade granola, €32 per person.
Festive meals, without cooking
From 3 December to 3 January, Le Pressoir du Château, the estate's troglodytic restaurant, serves its festive menu Thursday to Sunday, from 7 pm to 8.30 pm: foie gras in Rabelaisian wine, roasted scallops, Rouge des Prés glazed with rosehip, mango-passion pavlova. €89 for four courses, €99 for five courses, vegetarian menu at €79 or €89, children's menu at €29 up to age 12. On 31 December, New Year's Eve dinner, drinks included, is €238 per person. And every Sunday, the Sunday Brunch, from 11 am to 2 pm, all-you-can-eat buffet with Loire wines and crémant, €49 per adult and €25 for children aged 3 to 11, park included. Tables can be booked online, one table per time slot.
A typical day between Christmas and New Year
In the morning, breakfast at the Grand Pressoir beneath the timber frame, then an outing: Saumur and its château are 20 minutes away, Chinon 25 minutes, the Fontevraud Abbey a quarter of an hour, Tours and Angers an hour away, with their Christmas markets. The village of Candes-Saint-Martin can be explored on foot, from the collegiate church to the confluence. In the afternoon, the spa for adults and teenagers, the play area and park for the younger ones. At 5 pm, the park lights up: it's time for a family stroll by lamplight. In the evening, dinner at Le Pressoir, or a meal in your accommodation.
The spa in winter
Zen Garden is winter's pleasant surprise: moving from the sauna to the outdoor jacuzzi at 38°C when it's cold outside is an experience that appeals equally to teenagers and grandparents. Spa Côté Loire, a ten-metre swimming corridor beneath a vaulted cellar and a Nordic bath overlooking the river, can be privatised for an hour for the family, up to six people, at €80 for resident guests. Massages, in the troglodytic room, can be booked online; the Discovery Offer, two hours of spa and a twenty-minute massage, is €83.
How much does it cost, and when to book
Rooms in the château can be booked from 29 July 2026 onwards, whilst suites and houses are available year-round. Rates vary depending on the accommodation and dates; availability and exact prices are shown online for direct booking. For the Christmas holidays, six to eight-person houses book up first: reserve before the end of November. For New Year's Eve dinner at Le Pressoir, tables are limited to around twenty covers.
How to get here
From Paris, allow three hours by car, or take the TGV to Tours Saint-Pierre-des-Corps in around an hour, then the TER to Port-Boulet station, ten minutes from the château. The estate lies on the Loire à Vélo route and is Accueil Vélo accredited. Full details of access can be found on the How to get here page. Upon arrival, we'll accompany you to your accommodation, luggage included.
Book: chateaudecandes.com/reserver · 02 47 93 69 16 · reservation@chateaudecandes.com. Château de Candes Art & Spa, 11 rue Trochet, 37500 Candes-Saint-Martin.
Your questions
Is the château open on 24 and 25 December?
Yes, the estate welcomes guests throughout the festive season. Le Pressoir serves the festive menu on Thursday 24 December; Friday 25 and the weekend as well, Thursday through Sunday.
Can children use the spa?
From age 12 onwards, accompanied by an adult. Family time slots are available at Zen Garden; Côté Loire can be reserved privately for families.
Can we cook in the houses?
Yes, the suites and houses have kitchens. The château rooms do not, but Le Pressoir and breakfast are just a short walk away.
Is there a Christmas tree and decorations?
The château is decorated for the festive season in December, and the grounds are lit up each evening. As for decorating your house, that's entirely up to you.
