Unless you've got a car with you, Chateau de Valençay is well off the beaten path for the majority of the Loire Valley visitors...and technically, it's not even part of the Loire (it's a good hour's drive southeast of Chenonceaux, where I stayed). The chateau here is mostly 19th century, very new in comparison with other French chateaux. The focus here is definitely Napoleonic - his slick and womanizing diplomat Talleyrand actually bought the place for a time.
The place is great if you have kids in tow - there's a big labyrinth and playground to keep them busy for a while, plus a small petting zoo. Re-enactments are common, with lots of personages dressed in period garb and even some fencing duels. Peacocks are free to roam the grounds here as well. Because the chateau is situated far from the tourist drag that is the Loire, you don't see a lot of buses with English foreigners either - a welcome change!
Beyond that though, I found the rooms and furnishings on display not as engaging as I would have hoped. At about €8 or €9 for entry, you'd have to be a serious chateau or Napoleon fan to make your visit at Valençay worthwhile.
