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The 10 most beautiful castles in Vienne
10 châteaux
Chosen among 249 recorded castles
What to see in Vienne 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 attendance, from the number of Google reviews. “Beautiful” is your word; what we measure is what visitors choose.
No. 1
Château d'Angles-sur-l'Anglin (Angles-sur-l'Anglin Castle)
Angles-sur-l'Anglin
Perched on a rocky spur above the Anglin river, this fortified castle stands in ruins overlooking the village. Built from the 11th century onward by the barons of Angles, it later passed to the bishops of Poitiers, who carried out major alterations in the 15th century before abandoning it.
Adult €7.50Hours, prices and access
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No. 2
Château de Dissay (Dissay Castle)
Dissay
Dissay castle, in the Vienne department, was built at the end of the 15th century by Pierre d'Amboise, bishop of Poitiers, who made it his residence and that of his successors until the Revolution.
No. 3
Château de Fougeret (Fougeret Castle)
Queaux
Standing atop a thirty-eight-metre cliff above the Vienne river at Queaux, Fougeret Castle combines a medieval core dating from the 15th century with a neo-Gothic makeover carried out by its owners under the Second Empire.
No. 4
Château de Fougeret (Fougeret Castle)
Queaux
Set atop a thirty-eight-metre cliff above the Vienne river, the Château de Fougeret combines a fifteenth-century feudal origin with a neo-gothic, troubadour-style makeover carried out by its nineteenth-century owners.
No. 5
Château de Monthoiron (Monthoiron Castle)
Monthoiron
In the village of Monthoiron, in the Vienne department, two towers remain from a larger castle destroyed by fire in 1857. The Fortress Tower, also known as the Powder Tower or the Architect's Tower, stands out for an unusual reason: its design has been attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, a theory confirmed by researchers…
Adult €12.90Hours, prices and access
No. 6
Château de Monts-sur-Guesnes (Monts-sur-Guesnes Castle)
Monts-sur-Guesnes
The château of Monts-sur-Guesnes, in the Vienne department, combines 14th-century fortified buildings with a fully digital visit centred on Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Hundred Years' War. The site spans two wings of the château plus the former stables, linked by a passage running beneath the road.
No. 7
Château d'Avanton (Avanton Castle)
Avanton
In Avanton, in the Vienne department, this château combines an early-16th-century Renaissance core with two pavilions added at the end of the 17th century. The square central block stands out for its tall towers resting on recessed corbels.
No. 8
Château de Bourg-Archambault (Bourg-Archambault Castle)
Bourg-Archambault
In Bourg-Archambault, in the Vienne department, this castle preserves an almost intact example of 15th-century military architecture, surrounded by broad water-filled moats.
No. 9
Château de Clairvaux (Clairvaux Castle)
Scorbé-Clairvaux
In Scorbé-Clairvaux, in the Vienne department, this castle combines Renaissance remains with alterations made over later centuries, set around a courtyard bordered by moats.
Free entryHours, prices and access
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No. 10
Haut-Clairvaux Castle
Scorbé-Clairvaux
Standing on a hill above the Envigne valley, the ruins of the Haut-Clairvaux castle recall a medieval stronghold begun in the 11th century and reinforced at the end of the 12th century on the orders of Richard the Lionheart.
Free entryHours, prices and access
Every castle in Vienne (249)Which ones open this weekend?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most beautiful castle in Vienne?
- The most visited in Vienne is Château d'Angles-sur-l'Anglin, 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; 2 of these castles are free.
- How is this selection made?
- Among the 249 castles recorded in Vienne, we keep those open to the public with a photo, then rank by number of Google reviews. No castle pays to appear.