A key stop on the Jacques Coeur route, Ainay-le-Vieil Castle boasts an impressive medieval surrounding wall, octagonal in shape and built in the 13th century. All around these imposing fortifications is a moat dating back to the Middle Ages. As soon as you enter the courtyard, you will notice the magnificent main building in the Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance style. Marie-Antoinette, the Colbert family and Louis XII were guests at this majestic edifice, which once belonged to Jacques Coeur!
Ainay-le-Vieil Castle also owes its reputation to its gardens designed by Charles de Bigny, with meticulously sculpted trees and shrubs. The leafy grounds face two Renaissance pavilions and are home to a thousand-and-one plant species, including an amazing collection of old rose varieties. Its lands are spread around the water and are divided into chartreuses, elegant architectural structures converted into botanical art galleries. One of them is directly inspired by the gardens of Le Nôtre with its embroidery parterres, while another contains a sculpted orchard. An ode to nature
