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Chateaupedia

Free châteaux: free entry all year round, not only on Heritage Days

143 châteaux listed · verified entries first, then the most searched-for; alphabetical index at the bottom of the page

Free admission all year, verified on the official site. The grounds are sometimes free when the interior is not: the entry says so.

We record 143 castles, manor houses and strongholds with free entry, spread across 134 towns and villages. The ones with the most visitor reviews are Château de la Madeleine (Madeleine Castle) (open to visitors) and Hohnstein Castle (12th century).

132 of them receive visitors, according to their official website or their business listing. We have checked the opening hours of 81 and the prices of 143 of them, and each entry shows the date of that check. 33 of them are listed historic monuments, the highest level of protection in French heritage law. The dominant period is the Middle Ages, with 62 buildings. Each entry says what we could verify and what still needs confirming: enough to plan a day that holds together.

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Every entry, A to Z

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

Frequently asked

How many châteaux with free entry can you visit?
We record 143 châteaux with free entry, across 134 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 with free entry?
Burg Altena, in Altena, with — visitor reviews. Actual footfall is the measure, not an editorial ranking.
How many châteaux with free entry are listed historic monuments?
33 out of 143. 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 81 châteaux in this list, read from their official website or their business listing, with the date we last checked shown.

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