The castles of King Arthur and Brocéliande
7 châteaux listed
7 castles in Brittany and Auvergne that the Arthurian legend took as its setting, with admission prices and opening seasons.
The forest of Brocéliande appears in the 12th century in Wace and then in Chrétien de Troyes, with its spring of Barenton. Tradition identifies it with the forest of Paimpont, west of Rennes. The romances of the Round Table give no map: it is the places that recognised themselves in the legend.
On the edge of the forest, the Château de Comper faces the lake that legend gives to the fairy Viviane, who raised Lancelot. It houses the Centre de l’imaginaire arthurien. Trécesson, Boutavent and the Château de Brocéliande stand in the same woodland, a few kilometres away.
Elsewhere in Brittany, tradition sees Lancelot’s castle in the remains of Joyous Gard, at La Forest-Landerneau, and the Château de Kerduel, near Lannion, keeps a room known as King Arthur’s in its square tower. In Auvergne, the great hall of Saint-Floret preserves wall paintings of the legend of Tristan and Iseult; the prose romances made Tristan a knight of the Round Table.
This page lists all 7, with the adult admission price where we know it, the opening season and a map.
The places, one by one
From the best known to the most discreet. Prices are for one adult; the season comes from the opening periods each place publishes.
Château de Comper (Comper Castle)
Concoret, Morbihan
Facing the lake of the fairy Viviane, it houses the Centre de l’imaginaire arthurien, with exhibitions and shows in season.
Open April to October
Hours to be confirmed
Château de Joyeuse Garde (Joyeuse Garde Castle)
La Forest-Landerneau, Finistère
Tradition sees it as the castle of Lancelot du Lac, renamed in the legend from Dolorous Gard to Joyous Gard.
Season not published
Château de Kerduel (Kerduel Castle)
Pleumeur-Bodou, Côtes-d'Armor
Its great 13th-century square tower holds the room known as King Arthur’s.
Season not published
Château de Trécesson (Trécesson Castle)
Campénéac, Morbihan
A moated 15th-century château at the gates of the forest of Brocéliande, where the legend of the White Lady is told.
Open July to August
Hours to be confirmed
Castle of Boutavent
Iffendic, Ille-et-Vilaine
Ruins of a fortress of the lords of Montfort, in the heart of the Paimpont forest, beside the pond of the same name.
Open all year
Château de Brocéliande (Brocéliande Castle)
Paimpont, Ille-et-Vilaine
A hunting residence built from 1910 to 1914 beside a pond at Paimpont; it is a venue and guesthouse rather than a monument to visit.
Season not published
Château de Saint-Floret (Saint-Floret Castle)
Saint-Floret, Puy-de-Dôme
Its great vaulted hall keeps remains of wall paintings telling the legend of Tristan and Iseult.
Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
The map
The 7 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.
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The route
The Paimpont forest can be crossed in a day, some thirty kilometres in all: the ruins of Boutavent, the Château de Brocéliande at Paimpont, Comper four kilometres away, then Trécesson at the southern end of the woodland.
| Stop | From the previous stop |
|---|---|
| 1.Castle of Boutavent · Iffendic | |
| 2.Château de Brocéliande (Brocéliande Castle) · Paimpont | 8 km |
| 3.Château de Comper (Comper Castle) · Concoret | 4 km |
| 4.Château de Trécesson (Trécesson Castle) · Campénéac | 13 km |
25 km in a straight line overall
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the castle of the fairy Viviane?
- Legend places it at Comper, in Concoret, on the edge of the Paimpont forest: the château faces Viviane’s lake and houses the Centre de l’imaginaire arthurien.
- King Arthur castles: which ones are open all year?
- 1 are listed as open all year: Castle of Boutavent. The others open in season, and winter hours are often shorter.