Park and Gardens of the Château d'Ainay Le Vieil : The landscape park surrounds the medieval castle, and the water games from the early 17th century guide us in promenade that is a real initiation into garden art: the Garden of the Poets with its flower-lined arcade avenue and its green rooms, the Rose Garden with its ancient varieties, and its climbing roses that invade the trees and the two 17th century summer houses, the Island Square with its structure of palissade-trimmed hornbeams, the Charterhouses that have each their own theme garden: the mixed-border, the sculpted orchard, the meditation garden, the cloister with its simples and the embroidered flower beds.
The gardens of the château d'Ainay-le-Vieil are classified as Historical Monuments and ”Remarkable Garden”.
Created in : XVIème siècle
Surface : 7 hectares
- Opening 2024 :
Every day except Tuesday, from Friday 29 March to Sunday 27 April 2025: from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm, open without interruption on weekends and public holidays.
Every day from Monday 28 April to Sunday 31 August: from 10am to 7pm without interruption
Every day except Tuesday, from Monday 1 September to Sunday 28 September: from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm, open without interruption on weekends and public holidays.
Visiting times for the castle: consult the castle website.
- Visits :
Unguided visits.
Guided visits .
Access partially adapted for disabled persons.
Visits to the gardens are free. A plan is provided to you at the reception. At the entrance to each garden, a panel gives explanations.
The castle can only be visited by guided tour, lasting approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Charges :
Adult: Castle, park and gardens €12.50 / Park and gardens €10.00
Child under 5: free
Child (5 to 18): Castle, park and gardens €9.50 / Park and gardens €8.50
Group (from 20 people): Castle, park and gardens €10.00 / Park and gardens €8.50
Large family, student, job seeker (with card): Castle, park and gardens €9.50 / Park and gardens €8.50
- Services :
Shop, Picnic area, Public lavatory, Fastfood-Restaurant, Restaurant, Bed and Breakfast, Self-catering cottage, Saloons to let, Seminars, Receptions, Cocktails, Concerts, Marriage photos, Shooting of films, Wi-Fi Access, Children's workshops, Lawns for sunbathing, Dog admitted if kept on a lead, Carpark arranged, Museum visit, Castle visitation, Exhibition visitation, escape games.
- Access :
By A71, exit at Saint-Amand-Montrond, then take the RD 2144 towards Montluçon, follow it for 8 km to Meslon. Take the D2 on the right towards La Celette. After 2 km, you are in Ainay-le-Vieil.
GPS (Lat x Long) : 46.667742000, 2.550845000
