Romance in the Stone: 5 Fairy-Tale French Castles for Valentine’s Day

Once upon a time, in a faraway place, the castle gates swung wide. Then noble knights and princes rode out to quest for damsels in distress—until, perhaps, a fire-breathing dragon or an enchanted wood got in the way. Such was courting way back when, long before Valentine’s hearts and flowers, in days of yore and lore. 

It was Charles Perrault, French poet, writer, and storyteller, who transformed those ancient folk tales into the beloved literary tradition we call the fairy tale. 

His classic anthology, Stories or Tales from Times Past, with Morals, or Tales of Mother Goose (Contes de ma mère l’oye), as it is commonly known, was written long, long ago … in 1697. 

Among the eight simple stories therein is one of the fairest of them all, Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. At the center of that kingdom, like so many classic fairy tales, is a castle. Legend has it that Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant was modeled on Le Château d’Ussé, in France’s Loire Valley. 

Thus, real life fairy-tale castles inspire this Valentine’s Day edition of Luxury Defined, where beauty, wonder, and romance are etched in stone for the ages. 

1. Château de Jonval in Oise, Hauts-de-France 

Perched on its wooded hillside in the town of Pierrefonds, the Château de Jonval is an exceptional 20th century revival of French Renaissance architectural style, just an hour from Paris in the department of Oise—with a grand view of the iconic Château de Pierrefonds. 

Over the years, the château has undergone significant enhancements to its infrastructure and exterior, including new roofing and contemporary windows and doors. With 10 bedrooms on offer, Château de Jonval will provide a total 815 square meters (8,772 square feet) of living space.  

Those spaces await fulfillment by an owner who will choose the château’s fixtures, fittings, finishes and decor for the 21st century. There is, happily, a fully renovated guest pavilion on the property with 300 square meters (3,229 square feet) of interior space.  

An elegant, adjacent chapel underwent extensive renovation and is in perfect condition. The Italianate gardens await the vision of the château’s next steward. 

2. Château Louis XIII in Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes 

A masterpiece of Belle Epoque architecture, Château Louis XIII was built in 1895 in homage to the châteaux of the Loire Valley—but in Cannes, a jewel of the French Riviera.  

The happy result was a gated, four-level château with eight, luxurious en suite bedrooms in what would become La Californie, “the hill of millionaires” and most sought-after neighborhood in Cannes.  

Its turreted spires, iconic on the skyline, overlook the Mediterranean Sea, the city below and the Massif de l’Estérel mountain range and occupy a significant plot of private land, with 6,355 square meters (68,404 square feet or about 1.5 acres) of landscaped gardens. 

In 1982, the house underwent complete renovation by the current owners, adding a modern swimming pool to the terraces. Its interior spaces (totaling 735 square meters, or 7,911 square feet) underwent a total redesign by the celebrated Roman architect and decorator Toni Facella Sensi.  

Chateau Louis XIII is a five-minute drive from the center of Cannes and 20 minutes from the international airport in Nice.  

Related: Explore 3 Castles and Palaces with Artistic Touches

3. Medieval Castle in Uzès, Gard, Occitanie 

The fairy tale comes to life in the dreaming spires of this medieval castle near the ducal towns of Uzès and Avignon in the Gard department of Occitanie.  

Past the iron gates is a courtyard with a listed seigniorial chapel, three garages and a tack room with high, imposing brick vaults, a former stable, an aviary, a caretaker’s lodge, ancillary dwelling, and a swimming pool. 

Built in 1100, the castle is listed on the supplementary inventory of historic monuments. Its keep, watchtowers, battlements, and hidden archways hark to a bygone era.  

Within are great halls, banqueting rooms, salons, and a library with enormous stone fireplaces and splendid coffered ceilings. Mosaic-tiled floors, wall tapestries, frescoes, murals, and ancient artifacts offer a window to its storied past.   

The sumptuous accommodations include the vast “Royal Suite,” with its dressing room, two further suites, and five guest bedrooms.   

Enveloping this kingdom is a private park of majestic cedar, cypress, and elms, and verdant lawns bordered by rolling farmland. 

4. Château in Brittany 

The magnificent castle sits on nearly 40 hectares (98.8 acres) of wooded parkland along the River Aven in southern Brittany. 

Built and developed from the 15th to the 18th centuries, the limestone structure fell into disrepair until extensive restoration and renovation over the last 20 years. It took roughly seven years to dismantle the structure stone by stone, with a crew of seven stonemasons permanently on-site. 

They also created a granite quarry on the property to acquire new stone. The designers, while respecting the structure’s antiquity, used wood framing, glass, and structural steel to update and expand the castle’s interior space to about 2,300 square meters (nearly 25,000 square feet). 

Among the medieval features are the original solid-stone spiral staircase and a great room with a monumental limestone fireplace and beamed ceiling. 

Several original buildings include the chapel, monk’s tower, honey shed, and flax drying shed. The property also provides a boathouse on the river, a workshop, garage, caretaker’s house, employees’ lodge, a large, detached guest house, a natural granite swimming pool and several themed gardens. 

5. 15th-Century Castle in Gien, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire 

This fortified château is set on 17 hectares (42 acres) of French formal gardens and wooded parkland near the world-famous wine regions of Burgundy and Sancerre, less than two hours from Paris. 

Built in the 15th century, the castle is listed as a historic monument by decree. The Gothic central volume and dry moats date from the mid-1400s, while the quadrangular tower with trellis patterned brickwork, ornate pepper pot tower, and Romanesque turrets are 17th-century additions.  

The internal elements are no less impressive: The epically scaled reception hall is graced with a vast open fireplace. The dining room is accoutered with rare 16th-century Flanders leather wall screens. The library is paneled in Regency-style woodwork. 

The castle and an ensemble of buildings and ancillary structures, including staff and guest houses, and event spaces, encompass 2,300 square meters (24,757 square feet). The Louis XIII-style courtyard to the rear of the castle can accommodate weddings, grand parties, or even automotive shows. To the fore, the Renaissance gardens are landscaped according to the original 17th century plans.