Courtanvaux Castle A jewel nestled in the heart of a masterfully landscaped estate

Owned by the commune of Bessé-sur-Braye since 1978, Château de Courtanvaux is located on the edge of the Perche Sarthois region. This singular and endearing historic monument is set in a 68-hectare estate of woods, gardens, landscaped parkland and water features.

Guided tours of the interiors are available from May to September. The gardens and grounds are freely accessible all year round.

Numerous events bring the estate to life throughout the year: flower market, exhibitions, cluedo, etc.

Maman Quiou's castle governess to the King of Rome

Take a guided tour and discover the women who have shaped the history of this place, owned by illustrious families including the de Montesquiou-Fezensac family, kin to the famous musketeer d’Artagnan. Among them were Maman Quiou, governess to Napoleon I’s son and direct descendant of the great Louvois, and Marie Bibesco, a wealthy Romanian princess.

The château’s interiors can be visited by individuals from May to September, every day – including public holidays – except Mondays and days of exceptional closure, on guided tours lasting between 45 minutes and 1 hour each.

Fixed periods and times

May to September

May – June – September: 3pm, 4pm, 5pm

July – August: 11am, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm

Open all year round for groups

Rates

Adult (full price): €7.50

Adult (reduced rate* and pass rate): €6.50

Children (aged 7 to 17): €4

* Students under 25 and disabled persons (on presentation of proof)

A freely accessible domain all year round

The 68-hectare estate includes the Courtanvaux and La Nouette woods, water features (lake, pond, rivers), landscaped park and gardens. Hiking, mountain biking, geocaching and fishing are just some of the activities on offer!

Barring exceptional closures, the park is open to visitors all year round, every day, free of charge.

Hiking trails

The estate is criss-crossed by a multitude of well-marked hiking trails, including the GR 235 (red and white).

The estate is also covered by the “Autour de Courtanvaux” trail, which can be found in the Guide Rando du Perche Sarthois.

In addition, the“Lièvre ou tortue” leaflet offers two walking trails, one starting from the lions’ gate and the other from the château::

“Les bois”, blue signposted trail – 4.5 km (departure from the lions’ gate)
“A la rencontre de l’Anille”, yellow signposted trail – 8.5 km (departure from château)

Discover our other tours3MB

N°46 : Autour de Courtanvaux

7.0km

Pédestre1h 30minFacile
Boucle

Cycling and mountain-biking trails

Discover the area on cycling route no. 7 in the Le Perche Sarthois à vélo guidebook, “De Saint-Calais à Bessé-sur-Braye : Le tuffeau au fil des vallées pittoresques”, and on the mountain bike route “Du tuffeau par monts et vaux”.

You can also take advantage of the 33 km greenway linking Bessé-sur-Braye to Montval-sur-Loir. This route completes that of the V47 “LaVallée du Loir à Vélo” and continues with the 10 km cyclo link between Bessé-sur-Braye and Saint-Calais.

N°7 : Le tuffeau au fil des vallées pittoresques

50.0km

CyclotouristeMoyen
Boucle

CIRCUIT VTT DU TUFFEAU PAR MONTS ET VAUX

37.0km

VTT4h Difficile
Boucle

Geocaching

A modern-day treasure hunt!

Explore the magnificent Château de Courtanvaux in a fun and original way with geocaching! Scour the park and surrounding area in search of hidden caches, while enjoying the history of the site.

With your GPS or smartphone, set off on an adventure with family or friends, freely and independently, any time of year.

Don’t wait any longer, download the roadmap and set off in search of the mysterious cache, where you can mark your passage and exchange small items of little value.

Route description679KB

Fishing

The 1.5-hectare lake, classified as a second category lake, is a peaceful spot for fishing with family, friends or on your own. For more information on fishing at Courtanvaux.

Contact 02.43.35.38.39.

Discover the estate

… I saw the unheard-of dwelling, set into the green hillside, rise up before my eyes. It was like a fairy-tale castle that suddenly appears in the middle of a forest, ready to disappear as it appeared, under the influence of a spell.