Can you visit the château de Rochecardon?

The château is private property divided into co-ownership and does not offer organised visits; only the exterior grounds can be seen.

Why is the château de Rochecardon linked to Jean-Jacques Rousseau?

The philosopher stayed there in 1768 and 1770 at the invitation of the Boy de la Tour family and was lodged in the estate's dovecote.

Who built the château de Rochecardon?

Its current appearance, including the hexagonal tower, dates from building work carried out around 1620 by Horace Cardon, an ennobled Lyon printer.

Where does the name Rochecardon come from?

The estate was formerly called la Roche de Vaise; its present name comes from Horace Cardon, who transformed it in the seventeenth century.

Where is the château de Rochecardon located?

It stands in Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, in the Rhône department, at the confluence of the Rochecardon and Arche streams.

Château de Rochecardon

Rochecardon Castle

Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or

Visit

Hours to be confirmed

Where: Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or

Hours and prices not verified at the source yet.

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

Château de Rochecardon stands in Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or (Rhône), in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.

The château de Rochecardon stands in Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, at the point where the Rochecardon and Arche streams meet. Its present appearance, with a hexagonal tower and mullioned windows, dates from building work carried out around 1620 by Horace Cardon, a Lyon printer ennobled under that name, who gave the estate its current title. The property is remembered for the visits of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, hosted here by the Boy de la Tour family in the eighteenth century while he pursued his interest in botany. Now divided into private apartments, the château is best appreciated from its surroundings, among a chapel, a basin and a plane-tree avenue dating from that same period.

Written from Château de Rochecardon

What to know

The château is now held in private co-ownership and is not set up as a monument open to visitors.
The hexagonal tower and the grounds, including the chapel and plane-tree avenue, can be seen from outside the property.
The place is noted for Jean-Jacques Rousseau's stays, who was lodged in the dovecote during his visits in 1768 and 1770.
No opening hours or admission fees apply, since the château itself is not organised for public access.
It is located in Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, in the Rhône department, at the confluence of two streams.

Where this château is

Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or · Rhône · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Map of the area around Château de Rochecardon

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

675 Chem. de Saint-André, 69760 Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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Heritage status: Protection status unknown

In pictures

Frequently asked

Can you visit the château de Rochecardon?: The château is private property divided into co-ownership and does not offer organised visits; only the exterior grounds can be seen.
Why is the château de Rochecardon linked to Jean-Jacques Rousseau?: The philosopher stayed there in 1768 and 1770 at the invitation of the Boy de la Tour family and was lodged in the estate's dovecote.
Who built the château de Rochecardon?: Its current appearance, including the hexagonal tower, dates from building work carried out around 1620 by Horace Cardon, an ennobled Lyon printer.
Where does the name Rochecardon come from?: The estate was formerly called la Roche de Vaise; its present name comes from Horace Cardon, who transformed it in the seventeenth century.
Where is the château de Rochecardon located?: It stands in Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, in the Rhône department, at the confluence of the Rochecardon and Arche streams.