Clos Lucé

Originally a summer residence for the Kings of France who lived in the nearby Chateau d'Amboise, Chateau de Clos Lucé has become internationally renowned as the final home of Leonardo da Vinci. Arriving to the Loire Valley at the invitation of King Francis I in 1516, Leonardo devoted the last three years of his life here to develop his architectural and engineering projects. Newly restored, the classified chateau now houses a permanent exhibition dedicated to a large collection of his unconventional inventions. The garden is also an open-air museum with real-life mock ups of 20 inventions with which you can experiment yourself, such as the turning bridge, Da Vinci's boat - a predecessor of the pedalo - or his infamous helicopter. Clos Lucé is a member of the French Heritage and Culture Club.