Tour Beauvoir, Stone tower in Blois, France

Tour Beauvoir is a Romanesque stone tower in the center of Blois. With a nearly square footprint, it rises through a ground floor, two upper levels, and a former attic, and each floor holds just one room.

Built in the 11th century for the lords of Beauvoir, the tower joined the county's defenses in 1256. It later held the count's court and prison for over a century, and after the Revolution it was linked to the nearby Cordeliers convent, remaining a prison until 1945.

The tower's name comes from the lords of Beauvoir, whose fief stretched from here to the Loire. Since 2025 it has belonged to the owners of the Le Clos Macé guesthouse, who let visitors in on request and have fitted out the ground floor as an unusual gîte; the upper floors are being renovated.

You can reach the top through a staircase that was added in the 1970s, since the original floors had no internal connection. Once up there, the balcony gives you a look over Blois toward the Loire River and the surrounding hills.

Most people do not expect to be able to sleep inside an 11th-century defensive structure, but this tower has been fitted out as a small guesthouse. The rooms keep their medieval proportions while offering modern comforts, and the rooftop terrace is kept for watching sunsets over the town.