The 10 most beautiful castles in Cantal
10 châteaux
Chosen among 146 recorded castles
What to see in Cantal when you only have a weekend: the 10 most visited castles according to their visitors’ reviews, among those open to the public whose visiting conditions we checked on the official website. For each: what you see, the entry price, the link to the full entry.
Ranked by renown: how often their name is searched on Google each month, and how many reviews visitors have left. “Beautiful” is your word; what we measure is what visitors choose.
No. 1
Château de Val (Val Castle)
Lanobre
The Château de Val stands on a peninsula of the Bort-les-Orgues lake in the Cantal region, its six turrets crowned with machicolations rising above the water.
Adult €8Hours, prices and access
No. 2
Château d'Anjony (Anjony Castle)
Tournemire
In the village of Tournemire, this 15th-century fortified castle stands with its keep flanked by four round towers, remarkably preserved since it never endured a siege. Inside, visitors can see 16th-century frescoes depicting the Nine Worthies, along with a chapel painted with scenes from the Passion.
Adult €10Hours, prices and access
No. 3
Château d'Alleuze (Alleuze Castle)
Alleuze
Perched on a rocky spur above the Alleuze valley, this ruined stronghold still shows its square plan flanked by four round towers, characteristic of 14th-century fortresses. Never a royal residence, it functioned as a forward post guarding Saint-Flour and housed only a garrison.
Free entryHours, prices and access
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No. 4
Castle of Pesteils
Polminhac
Standing on a rocky spur above Polminhac and the Cère valley, the Château de Pesteils combines a keep dating from the 14th-15th centuries with a residential wing enlarged in the 17th century and reworked in a neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th.
Adult €11Hours, prices and access
No. 5
Château du Sailhant (Sailhant Castle)
Andelat
Perched on a volcanic rocky spur near Saint-Flour, Château du Sailhant has overlooked a waterfall and a former crater lake for a thousand years.
No. 6
Château de Chavagnac (Chavagnac Castle)
Neussargues en Pinatelle
Chavagnac Castle, built in the 15th century in Upper Auvergne, is marked by its cylindrical towers which experienced a remarkable history: they were torn down during the Revolution and later rebuilt.
No. 7
Château d'Auzers (Auzers Castle)
Auzers
In Auzers, in the Cantal department, this château built in the early 16th century retains a distinctly medieval look despite its reconstruction: two massive towers and a stair tower flank a rectangular main building topped with a machicolated walkway.
No. 8
Chateau de Messilhac
Raulhac
Set on a rocky spur above the Goul valley, Messilhac combines an 11th century Romanesque keep with a Renaissance main building raised in 1531. Two square towers topped by a machicolated wall-walk flank a sculpted facade, while a staircase with ribbed vaults leads to rooms that still hold their coffered ceilings and…
Adult €9Hours, prices and access
No. 9
Château de la Mothe
Puycapel
The Château de Lamothe stands in the commune of Puycapel, in the Cantal department, along the road linking Calvinet to Cassaniouze. Its medieval core, reworked during the 18th and 19th centuries, is arranged around a farm courtyard centred on a fountain.
No. 10
Castle of Miremont
Chalvignac
At Chalvignac, in the Cantal, the ruins of Miremont stand on a rocky platform that once overlooked the surrounding area, where the outline of a medieval stronghold can still be traced.
Every castle in Cantal (146)Which ones open this weekend?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most beautiful castle in Cantal?
- The most visited in Cantal is Château de Val, first in this selection according to its visitors’ reviews. All 10 castles listed are open to visitors with checked hours.
- How much does a visit cost?
- The adult entry price is shown under each castle when the official website publishes it; 1 of these castles are free.
- How is this selection made?
- Among the 146 castles recorded in Cantal, we keep those open to the public with a photo, then rank by number of Google reviews. No castle pays to appear.