Chateau de Chimay

Chateau de Chimay

Chateau de Chimay
4
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
Closed
Saturday
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Sunday
Closed
About
Come and discover the 1000-year history of the Château de Chimay and its occupants, past and present. After watching the film “Secrets de Chimay”, in which Stéphane Bern presents the history of the Château, enter the Entrance Hall. Stroll through the Weapons room, the Thierry Bosquet salon, the Portraits salon and the Winter Garden room. The Theatre, listed as Exceptional Walloon Heritage since 1993, will then reveal itself to you, before letting you continue on your way to the Chapel and the view over the Park. After your visit, enjoy our mini-golf or a drink on the terrace in the Château's main courtyard. Equally, depending on our annual musical program, discover the château in its festive ambience at a concert in the listed theater.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Be123456
    Amsterdam, The Netherlands56 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice but little to see for the money
    It is a beautiful castle, but you could only see 5 rooms and all on the ground floor. We deliberately skipped the film of half an hour (!), since we did not come to watch a report (and see children interested in that), but to visit the castle. But I can see now why you had to watch such a long pre-film, since you come to see so little. The 5 rooms you could view I found very impressive (theater & dollhouse room for example), although I understood that most of the castle was redecorated in the 30s after a fire, so wrs little authentic. But wonderfully lavish Renaissance style. So I would not pay more than 5 euros for such a small tour (instead of €10 and €8 vr children).
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 July 2024
  • Krdwn
    Reims, France130 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Little interest, despite beautiful pieces
    3/5 for the care and preservation of heritage, for the visit only I would have put 2/5. It's beautiful! There are obviously many original objects to contemplate (I am not an Expert, it seemed to me). But the visit of the 5 pieces loses all its interest without explanation (4 poor booklets or an app just as anecdotal). 30 minutes of film, 10 minutes of visit for us.... I wouldn't advise. Too bad because there's potential.
    Bonjour Krdwn, Merci pour votre évaluation et ce commentaire. La visite permet de découvrir les pièces les plus intéressantes de ce château privé, dans lequel les Princes résident : - la salle d'armes - le salon des portraits - le hall d'entrée - le jardin d'hiver - la chapelle - le salon Thierry Bosquet - et bien sûr, le théâtre classé au Patrimoine exceptionnel de Wallonie depuis plus de 30 ans. Ces pièces, ainsi que la cour d'honneur, la terrasse et la vue sur le parc son accessibles au public lors de nos ouvertures. Aussi, pour les personnes qui ne souhaitent pas, sur le moment, lire toutes les infos reprises dans l'application ou sur les livrets disponibles dans chaque pièce, nous proposons un livret plus complet à la boutique, à prix démocratique, permettant à chacun de repartir avec les explications que l'on apprécie parfois lire sur la route... Bien sûr, forts de constater que certains visiteurs recherchent, comme vous, une visite plus enrichissante, notamment grâce aux interactions humaines, nous proposons des VISITES GUIDEES. Tous les jeudi en français cet été 2024, les prochaines auront lieu les week end des 14-15 septembre, 28-29 septembre, 26-27 octobre, 1-2-3 novembre et 9-10-11 novembre pour cette fin d'année 2024. Notre collègue guide touristique vous attend donc avec plaisir lors d'une prochaine visite guidée pour vous faire découvrir le château, ses pièces et son mobilier, son histoire et ses anecdotes, ainsi que celles des Princes et Princesses de Chimay :-) Belle journée,
    Written 5 September 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 31 August 2024
  • Mél-Tom T
    Montfaucon, France262 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Chateau de Chimay
    Visit the castle of Chimay which belonged to distant descendants / cousins of the kings of France! It is still inhabited but it is still possible to visit it. Very nice visit with private theater and superb plays
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 November 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles273 reviews
Excellent
133
Very good
92
Average
24
Poor
14
Terrible
10

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Monica B
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg43 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Friends
Nice castle in Chimay, a must when you are passing by. Just a thing that i didn’t really like was the lenght of the movie that we had to watch before entering,it was a bit too long, 35 minutes. Otherwise,inside the castle was breathtaking,we could wisit only some rooms at the ground floor but it was worth.
When we finished we sat on the terrace and had a cold chimay beer
Written 2 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Mister, We thank you for your visit and comment. Indeed the film can be a bit too long but that's the easier way to discover the whole history of the place before getting inside. But if that's a big deal, you can just leave and go directly to the castle. Thank you once again and see you! The team of the Château de Chimay
Written 10 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Steven J
Brussels, Belgium91 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Superb visit to this architectural jewel, starting with a filmed documentary serving up a feast of historical context. And our group received a special treat. The indomitable Princess Elisabeth de Chimay, the 95-year-old châtelaine, gave us an impromptu presentation in the "Salon des Portraits". An utterly unique and unforgettable experience. Un grand merci à toute l'équipe du château.
PS: There's an excellent gift shop attached to the château with the best selection of Chimay beers to be found in the town. Also a café with terrace overlooking the courtyard for quaffing said beers.
Written 27 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Mister, We thank you for taking the time to comment your tour. We are glad that you enjoyed it and that you met the Princess Elisabeth. Thank you once again and see you! The team of the Château de Chimay
Written 6 September 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Andreyevich
London, UK27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Couples
This is a charming Chateau situated in the centre of the town of Chimay. It is still the family home of the dowager Princess Elisabeth and her son Prince Philippe of Chimay.

The Chateau has a fascinating and turbulent history dating back to the middle ages, possibly even 9th century. Only a few rooms on the ground floor may be visited but they provide plenty of interest. Visitors are provided with a tablet which provides a lot of information. There is also a guide in the Chateau who was pleasant and informative. The reception cum gift shop is small but attractive and the staff are helpful.

One of the many stories worth finding out is that of the coming of the German army in 1940, and how they were deterred from raiding the sealed archive store. Another is how the citizens helped to save many treasures in the disastrous fire of 1935.

There is an impressive 200 seat theatre which offers an unusual 3D film on the Chateau's history.

The highlight of our visit was a chat with Princess Elisabeth herself who in her 90s still takes a keen interest in the Chateau and its visitors. She speaks excellent English albeit she said it was babyish as she learnt the language from her English nanny. We learnt of her fight to save the Chateau from near ruin and almost forced sale, now thankfully much restored to its former glory, thanks to the hard work of Princess Elisabeth and the support of her son and his third wife.
Written 1 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

letit76
Montreal, Canada5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
To flee!!! 10 euros to see only a film, 5 rooms of the castle and a small chapel!! No outside. Anyway, no point. I would not recommend this visit at all.
There are cheaper or identically priced castles with many more rooms to visit and gardens where you can walk as much as you want.
Automatically translated
Written 28 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

C_Justine
Belgium10 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Family
So I'm going to write this in English instead of Dutch, so lots of people can understand what I'm saying, lol!

When I looked this up, I read a lot of negative reviews, we almost didn't go because of that! But I'm so glad we did. What makes this castle so special is that the princess of Chimay, together with her family, still lives there. That's also the reason why you can only visit 3 rooms.

Price for a ticket is 9 euros, so no, not cheap. But I think they need this money in order to keep the castle. So I'm all right with that.

The Ipad is a nice touch, never had such a technologic visit before! When we entered the hall, the princess was sitting there at a table, ready to answer any of your questions! Also her son (can't remember which one), gave us a tour and told lots of things. We were lucky to also experience the theatre!

All in all, if you're in Chimay of not far from it, it's worth a visit!
Written 12 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Madam, We thank you for your delightful comment! Even if the Castle is still inhabited by the Princes of Chimay (and also the ghosts, but that's another story ;-)), we try to give our visitors a good insight of the events that were played in the Castle. Indeed the Princess Elisabeth comes every afternoon to see the visitors and her humor and comments make the Castle a lively place to visit! We bedanken u ook voor de vertaling van uw commentaar, Zo kan ieder lezer uw mening leren! Tot volgende keer in Chimay! Hoogachtend,
Written 15 August 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

In for a pound
Ixelles, Belgium78 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Family
This whole place is a bit of a let down. The few rooms they let you see hardly offer much of interest and the iPads they give you just provide with a catalogue of things and people without any context or explanation. So they're effectively pointless.

The kids derived some modicum of joy from the AR ghost hunt until one of their iPads packed up because it wasnt charged sufficiently, something the staff refused to reimburse us for...

The show in the theatre offered a slightly surreal history of the Chateau, disinterestedly recounted by the current owner, the Prince, in his upper class drone which had us all nodding off until the whole thing was cut mercifully short by another technical hitch leaving us all five minutes in pitch darkness.

All in all, une histoire belge not to be recommended. And a massive rip off to boot. Honestly, dont bother.

Written 18 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon forapound, Thank you for you message which we are sorry to read. The estate is privately owned and the family very much involved in the day to day work. We have done a huge amount of work over the last couple of years to offer our visitors a historical, fun, modern and accessible to all visit and our staff is trained to be helpful, efficient and friendly. The power cut/ technical problem was due to an electrical incident from outside the property. But we agree with you, our staff should have been more responsive and we will definitely do some internal revisions on that matter. It is a pity that you did not have the chance to talk to Princess Elizabeth who is a great character and usually greets our visitors. We hope that you will give us another chance and visit our beloved Chimay again, maybe for a concert in our theatre or when our new film is launched next Spring... With kind regards, The château de Chimay team
Written 5 September 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

mikee14
london51 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Friends
Situated in the historic town of Chimay, known for it's beer, the Chateau is a great place to visit. instead of a guide your are given an interactive touch screen, like an ipad, which takes you around the rooms.At the end of the tour there is a visit to a small theatre in which you see a 3d film about the history of the Chateau, this is very entertaining as well as being informative.Well woth a visit for 9 euro
Written 28 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SorayaBE
Brussels38 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2014 • Couples
If you are in Chimay, it's worth making a tour of the castle. Although it is small, the visit is very well done. Thanks to the iPad, you can visit the rooms at your own pace and choose to focus on what interests you most. Given the interactive features, the entrance ticket is reasonably priced, and you can get a EUR 2 discount (so you pay EUR 7 instead of EUR 9 per adult) thanks to a voucher which you can find in the local brochure called "Carnet avantages" which you can get at some hotels and tourist offices. The little theatre inside the castle is really magnificent, although I found the 3D show a bit disjointed at times. The only criticism I would have is that the visit descriptions sometimes seem like promotion for the aristocratic family (the prince and princess of Chimay) who own it, but then the family paid for the whole renovation of the castle, and given that they open the castle to the public it is hard to resent them from doing a bit of self-promotion!
Written 10 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SeanCutting
Rutland, UK346 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Friends
A fantastic chateau just off the main town square. My friends, wife and I were blown away with the iPad tour ... what a great idea and full of videos that played when you touched the highlighted screen you pointed at in each of the rooms we visited. The theatre was interesting and they played a history of the Chateau in 3D ... suggest you do not miss and pay it a visit ... all for 7 euro, excellent value.
Written 29 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

terry b
Fort Myers, FL4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2010 • Business
I was fortunate enough to have spent 2 summers living at the castle. Employed as a private duty nurse. Not for the princess or any of her family, but a family friend from America.
We arrived at the castle just in time for the 500 yrs celebration, and it was spectacular! costume of 1486, real life jousting.. the list is endless.
What a wonderful 2 summers i spent there.
A big thanak you to the Princess and her family for making me feel welcome.
I am so glad to see she is now sharing her home with everyone.
Thank you.
Terry Botma/ Ft Myers, Florida
Written 27 November 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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