Skip to content
Chateaupedia

Castles in Charente, France

20 open to visitors · 144 châteaux listed · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Every château we have listed in this department, with its verification level.

We record 144 castles, manor houses and strongholds in Charente, spread across 108 towns and villages. The ones with the most visitor reviews are Château de La Rochefoucauld (Rochefoucauld Castle) (open to visitors), Castle of Cognac (on the historic monuments register) and Château de Chalais (Chalais Castle) (a listed historic monument).

22 of them receive visitors, according to their official website or their business listing. We have checked the opening hours of 20 and the prices of 8 of them, and each entry shows the date of that check. 15 of them are listed historic monuments, the highest level of protection in French heritage law. The dominant period is the Renaissance, with 59 buildings. Each entry says what we could verify and what still needs confirming: enough to plan a day that holds together.

The 8 castles not to miss in Charente

The most searched-for on Google and the most reviewed by visitors, among those open to visitors, with the essentials of each entry.

  1. 1

    Château de La Rochefoucauld (Rochefoucauld Castle)

    La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois

    At La Rochefoucauld, on a rock overlooking the Tardoire river, an 11th-century keep formed the base for a Renaissance residence built from 1520 onward by François II de La Rochefoucauld.

  2. 2

    Château de la Mercerie (Mercerie Castle)

    Magnac-lès-Gardes

    At Magnac-lès-Gardes, in the Charente region, this estate combines a late 19th century neo-gothic manor with an unfinished 220-metre facade in Italian Renaissance style, begun in 1939 by…

    Adult €12

  3. 3

    Castle of Cognac

    Cognac

    Standing on the banks of the Charente in Cognac, this castle occupies a site fortified since the 10th century, though the buildings seen today date mainly from the rebuilding carried out by…

  4. 4

    Château de Chalais (Chalais Castle)

    Chalais

    Standing on a rocky spur between the Tude and Viveronne rivers, the Château de Chalais overlooks the small town of Chalais in the Charente region, with origins going back to the Middle…

    Adult €11

  5. 5

    Château de Villebois-Lavalette (Villebois-Lavalette Castle)

    Villebois-Lavalette

    Perched on a hill overlooking the old Boisné road between Saintes and Périgueux, the remains of the Villebois-Lavalette castle combine a 13th century fortified enclosure with a wing of a…

  6. 6

    Château de Bouteville (Bouteville Castle)

    Bouteville

    The château de Bouteville stands as a ruin overlooking the Charente valley, a remnant of what was once one of the region's most powerful lordships in the late Middle Ages.

    Adult €9

  7. 7

    Château de Barbezieux (Barbezieux Castle)

    Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire

    In Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, this castle stands at the heart of the town, which it long protected as its principal stronghold.

  8. 8

    Château de Rochebrune (Rochebrune Castle)

    Étagnac

    Standing at the crossing of old roads linking Limoges, Angoulême and Niort, the château de Rochebrune raises its four corner towers surrounded by a moat, in the commune of Étagnac in the…

The 10 most beautiful castles in Charente, our selection

Coming this weekend? 9 castles open on Saturday or Sunday in Charente.

How much does it cost? 7 entry prices in Charente, including 0 free castles.

During the holidays, 12 castles open in Charente (Christmas holidays).

During the holidays, 13 castles open in Charente (February holidays).

During the holidays, 15 castles open in Charente (spring holidays).

For the spring long weekends, 13 castles open at Easter 2027 in Charente · 16 castles open for the May 2027 long weekends in Charente.

In French: Tous les châteaux de la Charente

Narrow this list

Every entry, A to Z

The full list for this department, for when you already know the name.

Take all 144 castles in Charente with you

The whole list, with each town and a link to every entry, in your inbox right now. Enough to plan the weekend without paging back through.

Free. One address, one-click unsubscribe, never resold.

See every castle in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

See all departments

Frequently asked

How many châteaux in Charente can you visit?
We record 144 châteaux in Charente, across 108 towns and villages. Not all are open: many are private properties we list for their heritage interest, and the entry says so when we know.
Which is the most visited château in Charente?
Château de La Rochefoucauld, in La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois, with 3,546 visitor reviews. Actual footfall is the measure, not an editorial ranking.
How many châteaux in Charente are listed historic monuments?
15 out of 144. Listing is the highest level of protection in French heritage law; every entry links to its official record in the Mérimée database.
Where can I find opening hours?
On each entry. We know the hours of 20 châteaux in this list, read from their official website or their business listing, with the date we last checked shown.