Let's get to it

The main attraction at Villandry is the garden. Or, I should say, gardens. There are six distinct gardens laid out geometrically on the castle grounds. The largest, part of which is pictured here, is the potager (kitchen garden). My photos do not do it justice. It's impossible to take the whole thing in at once, although I imagine you could do that while floating above in a hot-air balloon.

Part of the kitchen garden and medicinal herb garden as seen from the castle tower.

Visitors stroll along the many paths and corridors through each of the gardens, seeing everything at pretty much eye-level. The exceptions are the castle tower and the terraces along the edge of the forest where you can get some elevation. I'm hopeful that my snapshots will give you a feel for the place, but there's no substitute for actually visiting.