After our visit to Château de la Bourdaisière for the Plant and Spring Festival, we decided to stop off at Château de Cheverny to admire their famous tulip ribbons.
Posters in the Paris metro announced the event (shared with the Easter festivities also to be seen in the park) and caught my eye several times. As I’m a big tulip fan, I was tempted by the idea of a quick trip, especially as it’s much more practical than having to travel all the way to Holland… So we decided on this little getaway almost at the last minute, and killed the Easter weekend with one stone, on our way back from the Château de la Bourdaisière, where we’d attended the spring festival that very morning. We were really surprised by the crowds when we arrived; there were a lot of people waiting to visit the château, and we decided to enjoy the park alone, as we’d been to Cheverny several times before. So what better way to enjoy the visit than to start with a snack in the beautiful orangery set back from the château! Café viennois and chocolate mousse were a great comfort, as the day was far from over…
After that well-deserved dose of sugar, it was time to admire these two long ribbons, made up of 500,000 tulips, and produced in two different color variations. You still have a few days to see the tulips in full bloom. The first ribbon in vivid shades of red, orange, yellow and white isn’t necessarily a combination I usually like, but the effect is truly breathtaking, accentuated also by the movement the ribbon takes along its length.
I preferred the second combination of white, pink, mauve and purple, a soft, elegant color harmony punctuated by pretty Easter decorations. The decorations are present throughout the walk, from characters such as bunnies to more elaborate floral settings, adding a fun touch.
This year, double the number of tulips were planted in the park in autumn, and each ribbon is 250 meters long and 12 meters wide, which makes the whole thing so impressive. I regret, however, that the variety of tulips was not mentioned throughout the tour, although I was able to find some information on the château’s website. Apparently they are Triumph tulips, in particular the « Château de Cheverny » tulip…
What’s really handy, though, is that you can follow the progress of the tulips on the site as well as on the château’s Instagram account.
So you can plan your visit with peace of mind (not like us, but we were lucky to have the perfect timing) and enjoy these enchanting floral arrangements!
Château de Cheverny in the Loire Valley
