The biggest, most theatrical château in France (double-helix staircase, 5,440-hectare walled hunting park, bike paths included) paired with the royal Château Royal de Blois and its handsome old town — a heavyweight Loire weekend that stays inside comfortable EV range.
Chambord is the largest and most famous château of the Loire Valley — 440 rooms, the celebrated (possibly Leonardo-inspired) double-helix staircase, and a 5,440-hectare walled national estate roughly the size of inner Paris, laced with over 25 km of marked cycling routes and wildlife-watching hides where deer and wild boar are genuinely visible at dawn/dusk. Fifteen minutes down the road, Blois offers a totally different château experience: four wings spanning four centuries of French architecture (medieval, Gothic, Renaissance, Classical) wrapped around a real, walkable old town with half-timbered streets and a decent food scene. This file focuses on that pairing; if you want to go deeper into the valley, our Amboise & Chenonceau trip covers the next cluster of châteaux 30–40 minutes further southwest — the two are easy to combine into one longer Loire trip if you have 4+ days.
Meudon-la-Forêt to Chambord is roughly 195–205 km via the A10 (exit n°16 Mer or n°17 Blois), about 2h05–2h20 depending on traffic — Chambord's own visitor site quotes "two hours from Paris by car," and Meudon sits close to the A10/A11 access southwest of the city, so the trip from your driveway is essentially the same length. That's comfortably inside a single charge on the Model Y Premium's realistic ~330–370 km range, so no charging stop is needed on the way down.
Drive down Friday evening or early Saturday. Spend the day at Château de Chambord: the famous double-helix staircase, the rooftop terrace forest of chimneys and lanterns, and — if energy allows — a walk or bike loop into the walled park itself. Entry is €21 for EU/EEA residents (the reference "non-resident" rate is €31; bring ID to get the resident price), and parking at the P0/P3 car lots is €8/day (bicycle parking is free).
Morning: ride your bike into the Chambord estate — the park has 25+ km of dedicated cycling paths, including a stretch of the Loire à Vélo (~6 km through the domain) and three signed "Châteaux à Vélo" loops (10–43 km) connecting Chambord, Cheverny, Villesavin and beyond. There's also a 15-km circuit built specifically for wildlife-watching (deer, wild boar) through publicly accessible forest — early morning or dusk gives the best odds of sightings. Afternoon: drive 20 minutes to Blois and visit the Château Royal de Blois (€16 adult, four wings spanning medieval to Classical architecture) before wandering the old town's half-timbered streets. Charge the car at the Blois Supercharger while you're there.
A last morning in Blois's old quarter — steep medieval stairways, the cathedral, riverside views over the Loire — then the ~200 km drive back to Meudon-la-Forêt, arriving on whatever charge remains from the Blois Supercharger top-up.
This is one of the best-suited trips in the whole series for the bike: Chambord's national estate is officially "Accueil Vélo" and "Loire à Vélo" certified, with free bicycle parking at the main entrance (with an e-bike charging point and repair station) and over 25 km of marked paths inside the 5,440-hectare park itself — plus onsite bike rental at the Embarcadère if you'd rather not unload. Bike loaded inside per the Car Camping & Bike Guide. The wildlife-watching circuit (15 km) is a highlight — quiet forest roads with real odds of seeing deer or boar, something you won't get on foot in the time available.
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tolls (A10, round trip, approx.) | ≈ €25–30 |
| Charging (top-up at Blois Supercharger) | ≈ €8–12 |
| Chambord parking (P0/P3, per day) | €8/day |
| Château de Chambord entry (EU/EEA resident rate) | €21 |
| Château Royal de Blois entry | €16 |
| Lodging (Camping Val de Blois, worker package + city tax, 2 nights) | ≈ €25 |
| Food (self-cooked, most meals) | ≈ €20–25 |
| Treat: Sologne game dish or comfort lunch menu | €25–37 |
| Total | €150–190 |