A very special Christmas, bedecked in Scottish tartan, in the most feminine of the Loire châteaux: Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chenonceau owes its world-famous, unique elegance to women with exceptional destinies. Its architects and gardeners have incorporated sophisticated touches of female inspiration everywhere you look. On the 450th anniversary of Marie Stuart's wedding to the heir apparent, François, son of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis, Chenonceau is paying tribute to the young Scottish queen, with a destiny as tragic as it was extraordinary, with majestic, tartan-coloured bouquets.

From 6 December to 4 January, arrangements put on display by the château's floral workshop in each room will brighten up your visit, warmed by the fires lit in every remarkable fireplace. In the Hall stands a towering red and green Christmas tree, adorned with Scottish ribbon, in the impressive kitchens the tables are laid with delicious fragrances, in the bedroom of Francois I, a garden of rare and delicately coloured collection hellebores awaits, in Catherine de Médicis' bedroom there is a surprising checkered pattern of tartan plants and in the gallery, suspended over the river, is a maze of traditionally coloured fir trees... The whole atmosphere is truly magical, down to the snowy silence of the chapel.

The Quatuor Thélème will be playing on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 December at 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm to accompany visitors with the traditional Christmas carols and Renaissance hymns.

Information: +33 (0 47 23 44 02.