Extracurricular groups

The cultural service of the castle of Azay-le-Rideau proposes you a wide panel of visits and workshops to discover the castle while having fun.

Our team of cultural mediators is in charge of the animation of workshops and visits. Trained to address young audiences, they adapt their speech to the age of the children in the group.

The cultural service is at your disposal to help you define your visit project:

• For more information on the contents of our tours and to define your project, contact our educational officer by phone at 02 47 45 67 96 or by e-mail at joanna.labussiere@monuments-nationaux.fr
• To book your visit, contact our reservations manager and educational service assistant by phone at 02 47 45 68 61 or by e-mail at resa.azay@monuments-nationaux.fr

Heritage workshops

"Funny animals in the castle": in search of the hidden animals of the castle

In the castle of Azay-le-Rideau, there are strange animals... Go in search of these strange beasts, terrifying or amusing, which are hidden in the decorations and the corners of the rooms. The little ones will be able to discover chimeras, griffins or harpies. After the visit, children will have the opportunity to create the fantastic animal of their choice.

Activity adapted to children with mental disabilities.

Age: 6 to 11 years old

"The Portrait": how to read a portrait, what meaning to give it?

Through the study of numerous portraits presented in the castle, children are introduced to this pictorial genre. After the visit, the children follow a creative workshop during which they divert black and white reproductions of works from the castle in order to create a colorful, unstructured portrait.

Activity adapted to children with mental disabilities.

Age: 7 to 12 years old

Visits

Independent visit of the castle and the park

Discovery of the monument under the responsibility and guidance of the group leader.

You can also rent audioguides.

ATTENTION: minors cannot be left to wander freely on the site. The adults who accompany them must act as guides and supervisors.

Activity adapted to children with hearing, mental and visual disabilities.

"A trendy visit: the park of the castle, its history, its species

Giant, bald or with wigs, the trees here have very funny names! And they have sometimes crossed the oceans to reach the castle... Budding botanists, come and let us tell you the story of these large trees, some of which are hundreds of years old.

Possibility to sit in the shade on the lawn in case of high temperatures.

Activity adapted to children with mental disabilities.

Age: 7 to 12 years

"Archifacile": when, how, why? The keys to the architecture of the castle

What is the secret of the beauty of the Azay-le-Rideau castle? It's archifacile! Our great expert in Renaissance architecture will give you the instructions for creating a true masterpiece... The techniques of the ^16th century builders will no longer be a mystery to you!

Age: 7 to 12 years old

"Gods versus superheroes": meeting with the superheroes of the castle's collections

A god, goddesses, a magician and knights are the essential ingredients for beautiful and exciting stories. And in a castle, we have many stories to tell! Follow our guide and let us tell you, during your visit, the extraordinary stories of these heroes who populate the works and the decor of the castle. In the tapestries, the paintings, open your eyes, they are everywhere!

Activity adapted to children with mental disabilities.

Age: 6 to 10 years old

"A castle at the time of François ^I

Discovery of the history of the castle in the ^16th century: who were its builders? What was the political and historical context in which it was built? What was the daily life like there?

Activity adapted to children with hearing, mental and visual disabilities.

Age: 7 to 12 years

"Philomène raconte le château": confidences of the lady-in-waiting of the mistress of the castle

What an effervescence! Lord Gilles Berthelot returns to his castle, perhaps accompanied by King François ^I! The faithful Philomène, lady-in-waiting of the mistress of the castle, has put on her most beautiful dress to welcome you and make you discover, from room to room, the home of her lord and the backstage of this great event.

Activity adapted to children with mental disabilities.

Age: 5 to 10 years old

"Le château à l'envers": intrigues and adventures told for children and adults

What if the reflection of the castle in the water mirror was more than just a reflection? On the other side of the mirror, there is a hidden life where nothing happens as it does here... Listen to the story of this upside down castle where life - on the other side - holds many surprises!

For the park: possibility of sitting in the lawn in the shade in case of high temperatures.

Activity adapted to children with mental disabilities.

Age: 4 to 12 years old

All reservation requests must be sent by email to resa.azay@monuments-nationaux.fr and contain the following elements:

• Date and time of the desired visit
• Name of the establishment organizing the visit
• Administrative address of the establishment
• Name, first name, telephone number and e-mail address of the person in charge of the group
• Number of children
• Number of accompanying persons
• Type of visit desired
• If you would like audio guides to accompany your independent visit, please specify the number and the language chosen (FR, EN, DE, IT, ES)
• Is the establishment part of the social field (integration structure, priority education, city policy, priority district)?
• Will children with disabilities participate in the visit?

Once we have received your request, we will study its feasibility and, if necessary, we will send you a reservation confirmation to be presented on the day of your visit at the ticket office, along with a method of payment.

Independent visit of the castle and the park (1h30 to 2h)

Discovery of the monument under the responsibility and guidance of the group leader.

You can also rent audioguides.

Full price: 40€.

Groups of young people with disabilities, integration structures, priority education, city policy, priority neighborhoods: 20€.

Audioguides

Audioguide rental: 3€.

Fun tour (1 hour)

Discovery of the monument under the guidance of a mediator in ^16th century costume.

Full price: 90€.

Groups hosting young people with disabilities, integration structures, priority education, city policy, priority neighborhoods: 40€.

Discovery tour (1 hour)

Conducted by a cultural mediator, the discovery tour allows you to discover the monument through a theme.

Full price: 90€.

Groups of young people with disabilities, integration structures, priority education, city policy, priority neighborhoods: 40€.

Heritage workshop (2h)

Conducted by a cultural mediator, the heritage workshop includes a thematic visit and a time of plastic creation in the educational room.

Full price: 130€.

Groups of young people with disabilities, integration structures, priority education, city policy, priority neighborhoods: 60€.

The visit package includes entrance to the monument and the activity for a group of 30 children and 5 accompanying adults. Rate per additional accompanying adult: 9€.

Reservation is mandatory, including for groups visiting the castle on their own.

Payment must be made on site in cash, by check payable to the "régisseur de recettes du château d'Azay-le-Rideau", by credit card or by administrative order form (if you are a public institution).

ATTENTION: audioguides must be paid on site.

A few tables are available for picnics next to our educational room. However, we do not provide any back-up areas in case of bad weather.

As the monument has only one educational room, we cannot receive two groups at the same time for workshops. Nevertheless, it is possible to alternate workshops and visits.

The cultural service offers a wide range of activities adapted to children with disabilities and led by our mediators who are trained to welcome specific audiences.

In the reception area, it is possible to borrow a wheelchair. For an independent visit, we can provide you with a FALC (Easy to Read and Understand) booklet of the castle as well as an adapted map of the park containing two suggested outdoor tours.

The monument has an interpretation center open to all types of visitors. You can discover digital devices as well as mediation tools adapted to people with disabilities and which allow you to learn more about the architecture, the history and the collections of the castle.