A 19th-century chateau on a 13th-century estate
Château de Saint-Bohaire is a four-star maison d'hôtes set in a restored 19th-century chateau on a 13th-century estate, eight kilometres north-west of Blois at the entrance to the Loire Valley. A long tree-lined alley leads through three hectares of wooded park, ancient oaks, ivy-laced turrets, a lake and apple and pear orchards, to a pale-stone chateau whose interiors have been refitted with high-ceilinged, parquet-floored rooms, oversized beds, large bathrooms, bathrobes and orthopaedic pillows.
The estate is documented from the 13th century, with the bulk of the present logis in place by the late 16th century and a campagne de restauration et d'aménagement around 1820 that gave the chateau its current footprint. Aggregator records peg the build year of the present house at 1871. The recent automated relaunch, restored interiors, oversized flat-screens, electronic locks throughout, has layered modern comfort onto a building whose bones are firmly nineteenth-century.
Where it sits, Saint-Bohaire, 9 km north of Blois
Saint-Bohaire is a 493-resident commune of the Loir-et-Cher department on the right bank of the Cisse, around nine kilometres north-west of Blois. The chateau sits at the edge of the village in three hectares of wooded park, the parish church on the same street and the stone lavoir alongside. The Cisse valley winds away to the west, and the 2,750-hectare Forêt Domaniale de Blois, one of the finest oak-and-beech state forests in Western Europe, starts on the other side of Blois.
Practically, this is the centre of the Châteaux of the Loire. Chambord, Cheverny, Beauregard and the Château Royal de Blois are all reachable in 30 minutes or less by car; Chaumont-sur-Loire and Amboise (with Leonardo da Vinci's last home, Clos Lucé) are around 45 minutes. The Saturday market and the gastronomic scene around Blois, Christophe Hay's Relais & Châteaux Fleur de Loire on the river bank, the Michelin-listed Assa, Le Médicis by the station, are 15 minutes away when you want to dress up.
Heated saltwater pool, sauna and hot tub in a private park
The wellness side of the chateau is the most-quoted reason guests come back. The heated saltwater outdoor pool is open from April to October, with extended winter availability on request, and several 2025 reviewers say they used it well into the cooler months. Add a sauna and an open-air hot tub (it needs three to four hours' notice to come up to temperature, so message the host the day before), and the picture is a Loire chateau where the day ends with an orange-and-pink sky reflecting on still pool water.
The operating model is fully automated. There's no permanent on-site reception: entry codes are emailed before you arrive, every door has an electronic lock, robot vacuums and a robot pool cleaner take care of housekeeping, and a self-service breakfast buffet (fresh pastries, fresh-squeezed orange juice, fruit, yogurt, cheese, three coffee machines and an egg cooker) waits in the dining room each morning. The owner is an email or phone call away, but if you arrive expecting a doorman to take your bags, this isn't that. Most guests love the autonomy; the couples who score the staffing lower than any other part of the stay are usually the ones who didn't realise the model up front.
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Interesting Points About Château de Saint-Bohaire
- 13th-century estate with a 19th-century restored chateau as the maison d'hôtes, eight kilometres north-west of Blois at the entrance to the Loire Valley UNESCO heritage corridor; an unusually deep heritage-tier provenance (medieval-foundation estate plus Victorian-era chateau restoration) at the four-star rate band.
- Inventory spans nine room categories from a 17 m² standard double up to an eight-bedroom whole-chateau buyout for weddings, family reunions or corporate retreats; the wide format taxonomy lets the property serve everything from a couples weekend to a 16-guest private-hire booking, a structural rarity in the Loire Valley chateau-stay segment.
- Three hectares of wooded private park with a heated saltwater pool, sauna and hot tub; the saltwater (rather than chlorinated) pool is the editorial detail returning guests cite as the wellness signature of the property, distinguishing it from the standard Loire Valley chateau pool offering.
- Operated as a maison d'hôtes rather than a hotel format, with the proprietors typically present on-site as hosts; useful pre-booking context for travellers who prefer the personal-hosting French B&B convention over the more institutional small-luxury-hotel model that dominates the wider Loire Valley competitor set.
Rooms & Accommodation at Château de Saint-Bohaire
Deluxe Double or Twin Room with Garden View
Up to 2 guests · 17 m² · 1 large double or 2 singles · Hot tub, sauna, walk-in shower
Compact 17 m² entry room overlooking the park, with the same hot tub, sauna and walk-in shower access as the larger categories. Choose a large double or twin layout. Parquet floors, tall sash window, bathrobes and free toiletries.
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Family Suite
Up to 4 guests · 35 m² · 1 double + 2 singles across two bedrooms · Lift access
Two-bedroom suite for families: a large double in the main bedroom and two singles in the second bedroom, with two private bathrooms and a separate sitting area. High-ceilinged interiors with restored detailing.
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Deluxe Double Room
Up to 2 guests · 28 m² · 1 large double + sofa · River outlook
A 28 m² double with a sofa and a small river outlook beyond the parkland, entry-rate price for a Deluxe-tier room. White-painted walls, parquet, herringbone-laid floors, antique armoire, free Wi-Fi.
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Double or Twin Room with Garden View
Up to 2 guests · 17 m² · 1 large double or 2 singles · Garden view
Cleanly-styled 17 m² double or twin overlooking the wooded park. Bathrobes, free toiletries, kettle and tea/coffee, hairdryer. Same heated saltwater pool, sauna and hot tub access as every other room.
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Deluxe Double or Twin Room with Pool View
Up to 2 guests · 22 m² · 1 large double or 2 singles · Interconnecting available
22 m² Deluxe pool-view room with a sitting area and the option of interconnecting rooms, useful for friends or families travelling together. Parquet floors, mid-century-meets-classical furnishing.
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Superior Double or Twin Room with Garden View
Up to 2 guests · 17 m² · 1 large double or 2 singles · Quieter park aspect
Superior-tier 17 m² double or twin with a dramatic dark-floral feature wall and a tall French window onto the quieter garden side of the chateau. Slightly higher rate than the standard Garden View tier.
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Eight-Bedroom House
Up to 13 guests · 660 m² · 8 bedrooms · 7 bathrooms · Whole-chateau buyout
The whole house: eight bedrooms across the chateau, seven bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, terrace and the entire park to yourselves. Sleeps up to 13 across a mix of double, single and sofa-bed configurations. The natural choice for multi-generation reunions, small weddings and group retreats.
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Superior Double or Twin Room with Pool View
Up to 2 guests · 17 m² · 1 large double or 2 singles · Pool view
Superior 17 m² pool-view room with the heated saltwater pool framed in two tall windows. Same parquet, antique furniture, walk-in shower, kettle and free Wi-Fi.
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Three-Bedroom Home
Up to 8 guests · 150 m² · 2 doubles + 2 singles + sofa bed · Kitchen and terrace
Three-bedroom self-catering home for up to 8, full kitchen, dining area, two double beds, two singles and a sofa bed, with a private terrace looking onto the garden. The right pick for a multi-room family stay where you want autonomy from the main house but still want pool and sauna access.
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Best Suited For
- Couples wanting a quiet, atmospheric Loire-Valley base with pool and sauna
- Families and small groups looking at the Three-Bedroom Home or the Family Suite
- Multi-generation reunions or small weddings considering the eight-bedroom whole-house buyout
- Independent travellers comfortable with self-check-in, electronic locks and no on-site reception
- Anyone planning a Chambord–Cheverny–Blois itinerary who wants a chateau base 25 minutes from each
Worth Considering Alternatives If
- You want a traditional 24/7 reception and a doorman to greet you on arrival
- You expect an on-site restaurant and full evening service: there is none here, plan to bring picnic supplies or eat in Blois (10–15 min away)
- You're booking the top-tier whole-house buyout and expect a fully staffed luxury hotel experience
- You're sensitive to wall sound transmission and need bedrooms isolated from neighbours: some rooms are divided by a thin connecting door
Facilities at Château de Saint-Bohaire
Wellness & pool
- Heated saltwater outdoor pool (April to October, extended winter availability on request)
- Sauna
- Hot tub / open-air bath (request 3–4 hours' heat-up notice)
- On-site spa & wellness centre
- 3-hectare wooded park, river and lake
- Sun terrace and outdoor seating
Food & drink
- Self-service buffet breakfast (fresh juice, pastries, fruit, cheese, three coffee machines, egg cooker, microwave)
- Picnic area
- Library / lounge
- Not available: On-site restaurant
Room & bathroom
- Parquet or hardwood floors
- Walk-in shower in every bathroom
- Bathrobes
- Free toiletries and hairdryer
- Kettle, tea and coffee
- Flat-screen TV (some rooms with 90-inch sets)
Connectivity & tech
- Free Wi-Fi throughout
- Electronic locks on every door
- Robot vacuums and robot pool cleaner
- Self check-in via emailed entry codes
Parking & accessibility
- Free private on-site parking (no reservation needed)
- At least one ground-floor wheelchair-accessible room
- Lift to upper floors (used by Family Suite)
- Luggage storage
House rules
- Check-in 17:00 (until 23:30), self-service via emailed code
- Check-out 07:00–11:00
- Quiet hours 21:00–10:00
- Not available: Pets
- Not available: Smoking
- Not available: Parties / events / stag / hen
- Children of all ages welcome, cot 0–3 yrs free
- Damage policy up to €250 after check-out
Saint-Bohaire and the Châteaux of the Loire
Saint-Bohaire is a 493-resident commune of the Loir-et-Cher department on the right bank of the Cisse, in the Centre-Val de Loire region, around nine kilometres north-west of Blois. The middle stretch of the Loire, between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape inscribed in 2000, the same listing that absorbed Chambord (a separate UNESCO site since 1981). Between the chateau and Blois you cross the start of the Forêt Domaniale de Blois, 2,750 hectares of oak and beech that extend west of the city.
The chateau is a kilometre from the village centre and a kilometre from the river Cisse. From the front gate it's about two minutes' drive to the D766 north–south corridor, then 10–15 minutes south to Blois itself. The Saturday market on Place Louis XII in Blois is the local secret for picnic-grade goat cheese (Selles-sur-Cher AOP and Valençay AOP from the surrounding villages) and Sologne game in season, exactly the supplies you'll want for an evening on the chateau terrace given there's no on-site restaurant. Local wines belong to the AOC Cheverny appellation (whites built on Sauvignon Blanc, reds on Pinot Noir and Gamay) plus the rare AOC Cour-Cheverny, a single-grape Romorantin white that François I had planted around 1519.
This is also one of the densest concentrations of chateaux in France: Chambord, Cheverny, Beauregard and Blois are all 25 minutes' drive or less; Chaumont-sur-Loire and Amboise (with Leonardo da Vinci's Clos Lucé) sit 45 minutes south. The 35th International Garden Festival at Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire runs 22 April to 1 November 2026 (theme: "The Garden Goes to the Movies"); the Festival de Chambord runs 4–11 July 2026; bd BOUM, France's free comics festival, is at the Halle aux Grains in Blois on 20–22 November 2026.
- Église Saint-Bohaire: A few minutes' walk · 15th-century parish church on the same street, with the village stone lavoir alongside.
- Blois-Chambord SNCF station: 9 km · Mainline Intercités from Paris-Austerlitz in around 1 h 35 min.
- Château Royal de Blois: 9 km · UNESCO royal residence with the Ainsi Blois son et lumière most evenings April–September.
- Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Blois: 9 km · Late-Gothic cathedral rebuilt 1680–1700, with contemporary Jan Dibbets stained glass and a 1703 Clicquot organ.
- Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin (Blois): 9 km · Europe's only public museum of magic, in the home of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, six-headed dragon emerges from the façade every half hour.
- Forêt Domaniale de Blois: 8 km · 2,750-hectare oak-and-beech state forest with marked walking and MTB trails.
- Château de Beauregard: 18 km · Renaissance estate famous for its Galerie des Illustres (327 historical portraits) and Jardin Remarquable park.
- Restaurant L'Orchidée: 4 km · Closest dining option, the everyday neighbourhood pick for guests staying in.
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0
Château de Chambord
The largest of the Loire châteaux, commissioned by François I from 1519 with a double-helix staircase widely attributed to Leonardo da Vinci's influence. About 25 km (around half an hour by car) from the chateau. Pre-book online in July and August to skip the peak-hour queues at the gate.
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Photo: Christophe.Finot, CC BY-SA 2.5
Château de Cheverny
The classical 17th-century model Hergé used (minus the two outer wings) for Captain Haddock's Marlinspike Hall, Château de Moulinsart in the original French. The grounds host a permanent “Les Secrets de Moulinsart” exhibition. Around 25 km from the chateau, pair it with Chambord for a comfortable day-trip itinerary.
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Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0
Château Royal de Blois
UNESCO-listed royal residence of seven French kings, with four wings spanning Gothic, Flamboyant Gothic, Renaissance and Classical styles all built around the same courtyard. The “Ainsi Blois vous est conté” son et lumière runs nightly April–September and during October half-term. Just 9 km from the chateau, in central Blois.
View on MapHow to get to Château de Saint-Bohaire
- From Paris by train: Take an SNCF Intercités from Paris-Austerlitz to Blois-Chambord, the journey is around 1 h 35 min. The taxi rank at Blois-Chambord operates 24/7.
- From Blois-Chambord to the chateau: Take a taxi or rental car for the final 9 km north, about 15 minutes door-to-door. The drop-off point is 1 Rue de Vauvert, 41330 Saint-Bohaire.
- From Paris by car: Around 180 km via the A10 motorway, about two hours. Exit at Blois and follow the D766 / local roads north-west to Saint-Bohaire.
- Arrival: Free private on-site parking is gated, with no reservation needed. Your entry code is emailed before arrival, the chateau runs on a self-check-in model with no permanent on-site reception, so you can arrive any time after 17:00 (until 23:30) and let yourself in.
Loire Valley
From Saint-Bohaire you sit at the centre of the Châteaux of the Loire, Chambord and Cheverny within half an hour, the Château Royal de Blois inside 10 minutes, the Loire à Vélo cycle network and 2,750 hectares of state forest within easy reach. The video below is an aerial portrait of France with the Loire Valley segment beginning at 13:24, destination context, not a walkthrough of the chateau itself.
Watch: a Loire Valley road trip
A road trip through the Loire Valley taking in Blois, Chambord, Amboise and Tours, with the driving times and the order to visit them in. Blois is fifteen minutes from the gate and Chambord barely more.
What guests say about Château de Saint-Bohaire
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Fabulous
Most guests come away enchanted, the wooded grounds, the heated saltwater pool and the sheer scale of the high-ceilinged rooms earn the warmest praise, and couples in particular single out the setting as the reason to come. The single recurring asterisk is the fully automated operating model: no permanent on-site reception, everything works by emailed codes, and travellers wanting a traditional 4-star front desk will be happier elsewhere.
Two unforgettable days. The room was beautifully spacious, breakfast was incredible, the grounds beautifully kept and the spa amazing. Tip, message ahead and ask for the hot tub to be heated three or four hours before you want to use it.
Anastasiia
Two unforgettable days. The room was beautifully spacious, breakfast was incredible, the grounds beautifully kept and the spa amazing. Tip, message ahead and ask for the hot tub to be heated three or four hours before you want to use it.
2026-03-16A romantic escape straight out of a classic novel. Estate documented since the 13th century, rebuilt in the 19th, with that authentic, peaceful character intact. Mornings on the grounds, soft light over ancient trees, ivy-covered corners and quiet, were our favourite part. Interiors comfortable and well-maintained, breakfast fresh and carefully prepared. Atmosphere over extravagance.
2026-02-22Picturesque secluded chateau practically in the woods, with apple and pear orchards and a river nearby. Sauna, swimming pool, large rooms with high ceilings, big beds and very comfortable orthopaedic pillows. Bathrooms huge, bathrobes provided. Everything autonomous, robot vacuums, robot pool cleaner, electronic locks. Self-service breakfast in the dining room: three coffee machines, juicer, egg cooker, microwave, milk, yogurt and cheese in the fridge.
2025-09-19Beautiful chateau in stunning grounds, with a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna and lake. Rooms elegant and well-equipped, including 90-inch TVs. Breakfast was simple but satisfying, and Blois is a lovely 10–15-minute drive for restaurants and shops. The Chateau gave us all the codes and information we needed before arrival, so the fact there was no on-site staff during our stay didn't matter once we knew what to expect.
2025-07-28A really cool place to stay, with stunning surroundings, and the pool, sauna and hot tub were amazing. Very relaxed vibe around the chateau and lovely walks. Would happily stay again, but for more than one night next time. Earlier check-in would have been the only thing we'd add.
2025-07-24A wonderful and rare opportunity to experience old France. Such grandeur without being at all formal, comfortable and historic, a piece of old France that hasn't been overly tarted up.
2025-04-27A very beautiful chateau in a charming setting, more modern inside than I expected. The pool, hot tub and sauna are in good order and free to use whenever you like. One thing to know: the rooms are divided by a thin connecting door so you can hear neighbours quite easily. Once they turned in for the night I slept fine.
2025-08-04A comfortable, peaceful and easy stay. The surroundings, ancient trees, wildlife and quiet, are the headline reason to come.
2025-06-22Good to Know Before You Book
Self-service check-in
Arrival codes are emailed before you arrive and the chateau uses electronic locks throughout. Check-in from 17:00 to 23:30, check-out by 11:00. The owner is reachable by email and phone if anything goes wrong, but there's no permanent on-site reception.
Hot tub heat-up
The hot tub needs around three to four hours to come up to temperature. Message the host the day before so it's ready when you arrive, it's the single tip every five-star reviewer leaves.
Self-service breakfast
Breakfast is a self-service buffet, fresh-squeezed juice, pastries, fruit, cheese, three coffee machines and an egg cooker. Aggregator records list it at around €15 per person/day if not bundled into your rate. There is no hot cooked-to-order option.
No on-site restaurant
There is no restaurant at the chateau. L'Orchidée and La Table du Dolmen are around four kilometres away for a closer dinner, or it's a 10–15-minute drive into Blois itself for the gastronomic scene.
Heated saltwater pool
The outdoor saltwater pool is heated and is typically open April to October, with extended winter availability on request. The sauna runs year-round; the wood-clad sauna barrel sits beside the deck.
Photos of Château de Saint-Bohaire
Frequently asked questions
Château de Saint-Bohaire is at 1 Rue de Vauvert, 41330 Saint-Bohaire, a 493-resident commune of the Loir-et-Cher department, in the Centre-Val de Loire region, around 9 km north-west of Blois on the right bank of the Cisse. The chateau sits at the edge of the village in three hectares of wooded park.
There is no permanent on-site reception at Château de Saint-Bohaire. The chateau runs on a fully automated model: entry codes are emailed before arrival, electronic locks operate every door, and the owner is reachable by email and phone for anything you need. Check-in is from 17:00 (until 23:30); check-out by 11:00.
Both Chambord and Cheverny are around a 25-kilometre drive from Château de Saint-Bohaire, about 30 minutes by car each way. Beauregard is around 18 km, and the Château Royal de Blois is 9 km away in the centre of Blois.
Breakfast at Château de Saint-Bohaire is a self-service buffet served in the dining room, fresh-squeezed orange juice, pastries, fruit, cheese, three coffee machines, an egg cooker, milk, yogurt and microwave. Whether it's bundled into the rate depends on the booking option you choose; aggregator records show a typical add-on price of around €15 per person per day.
The outdoor saltwater pool is heated, and is typically open from April to October, with extended winter availability on request. The same applies to the sauna; the hot tub needs around three to four hours to come up to temperature, so message the host the day before so it's ready for you.
Pets are not permitted at Château de Saint-Bohaire. The property is also non-smoking throughout, and parties, hen and stag groups and other events are not allowed.
By train: SNCF Intercités from Paris-Austerlitz to Blois-Chambord runs in around 1 h 35 min, then a 15-minute taxi or rental-car drive (roughly 9 km) north to the chateau. By car: around 180 km via the A10, exiting at Blois and following the D766 and local roads, about two hours door-to-door.
Free private on-site parking is available at Château de Saint-Bohaire, with no reservation needed. The grounds are gated and accessed via the main alley, your arrival code lets you in.
Other great stays in France
Au Royal Mad Hotel, Paris
Boutique hotel in Paris's Marais district, the obvious city pairing for a Loire-Valley trip that starts or finishes in Paris.
Hotel Berkeley, Paris
A 39-room independent three-star in Montparnasse with reception staffed around the clock, a short walk from Gare Montparnasse and about 250 yards from Edgar Quinet metro. Note that final payment is settled in cash.
Hotel Celtic Paris
Compact Latin Quarter hotel in Paris, a sensible city pre- or post-night for a chateau-touring itinerary.
Ready to book Château de Saint-Bohaire?
Pick your dates and confirm your room. Entry codes are emailed before arrival and the chateau opens its gates from 17:00.
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