The Royal Chateau d'Amboise was the heart of royal power during the renaissance. Built high above the town of Amboise, the chateau and gardens offer panoramic views of the Loire Valley.

The Chateau that we see today is all that remains of the original buildings as many were destroyed during the French Revolution. It has been restored and now contains a important collection of renaissance furniture and furnishings.

The gardens are compact, limited in size by the size of the rock platform on which they have been created. They are of note as these were first to be laid out in what is now considered to be 'the Formal French Style.'

The Naples Terrace is bordered with Limes, from here there are wonderful views of the Loire. This open garden design was seen as very innovative in the late 15th century previously the medieval garden had been closed.

On the slopes at the end of garden the french show their love of topiary with hundreds of perfectly pruned buxus globes.

On the main lawn is a wonderful Lebanese cedar that offers welcome shade on a hot summers day.

The Jardin d'Orient and Jardin du Midi have a Mediterranean feel with plantings of rosemary, jasmine, laurel and cyprus In the Jardin d'Orient is a sculpture by artist-sculpture Rachid Koraichi, it honours the companions of Abul al-Kader who died at Amboise.

The gardens do not have many borders but the borders are beautifully planted with flowers in similar colour schemes.

To the edge of the main lawn is a bust of Leonardo da Vinci surrounded by a 2m high semi-circular buxus hedge. This marks the spot where, at his request, he was originally buried. He remains were moved in 1871 to the St Hubert Chapel.

Chateau Royal d'Amboise is a Chateau/Garden experience both enhance the other and give a wonderful feel of what it would have been like during the renaissance.