Guided tours in the town

The historical centre

This visit enables you to discover the historical centre of Châteaudun and admire the town’s most beautiful monuments. You will see the old town fortifications, the twelfth-century church of La Madeleine, the medieval quarter, the castle from the outside – the route comes to an end in the Place du 18 octobre to evoke the new town, rebuilt in the eighteenth century.

Châteaudun from the upper town to the lower

This visit enables you to discover the historical centre of the town from the medieval quarter at the top of the rocky crag and also from the banks of the Loir underneath the castle. The route starts in the Place du 18 Octobre with the new town, rebuilt in the eighteenth century, and then follows the remains of the old fortifications.

The beautiful houses of Châteaudun

This visit lets you discover the most beautiful houses in Châteaudun. You can admire the classical façades dating from the reconstruction of the town in the eighteenth century, the remarkable coloured brick fronts of the local houses from the late nineteenth century and the attractive villas from the early twentieth century in the area around the train station.

The 1870 war in Châteaudun

This visit retraces the course of the battle which took place on 18 October 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. After a walk around the museum, the visit follows the action in the battle from the defence of Châteaudun to the deliberate fire in the town started by the Prussians after the combat, and its terrible consequences.

The abbey of La Madeleine in the fortified town

This visit includes the twelfth-century church of La Madeleine in its entirety and the old fortifications of Châteaudun. The route takes in the site of the old fortified town gates in front of the restored ramparts on the Rue des Empereurs. The castle formed part of the defensive system and is also explained from various different angles.

The church of Saint Valérien and the graveyard of Champdé

This visit starts at the church of Saint Valérien, a remarkable building thanks to its thirteenth-century Romanesque doorway and its tall bell tower – 50 metres high – and also its Renaissance stained glass windows and richly decorated sixteenth-century side chapel. The second part of the visit discovers the remains of the chapel of Champdé and the graveyard.

The church and quarter of Saint Jean

On this visit you will discover the history and unique aspects of the quarter of Saint Jean, in the north of the town on the right bank of the Loir, followed by a visit to the church of Saint Jean-de-la-Chaîne. This Romanesque church was enlarged in the twelfth century and then greatly reformed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when Gothic elements were added, and a large late Gothic doorway was built, which is used for access to the graveyard.