# Château de Castelnaud — tickets, opening hours, the medieval-warfare museum, the trebuchet demonstrations, and what can actually be booked around the castle

> The Château de Castelnaud is a medieval fortress and museum above the Dordogne at Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, in the Périgord Noir, about 9 km from Sarlat-la-Canéda. It is open every day of the year, visited unguided in about an hour, and holds the Musée de la guerre au Moyen Âge. Its entry ticket is sold at the castle and on castelnaud.com and is NOT sold on GetYourGuide, so this site compares the six GetYourGuide listings that work around the castle instead: two canoe routes that pass beneath the walls, a balloon flight over the valley, a half-day guided tour and a private tour from Sarlat, and the entry ticket for Beynac, the rival castle on the far bank.

Site: https://chateaudecastelnaud.com
Language: en. Currency: EUR. Country: France.

This file is the complete version of the site. The HTML pages carry the same facts with more
explanation and photographs; nothing material is on the site that is not here.

## Verified facts

The facts below come from the castle's own site (castelnaud.com, 2026 tariff, the tour, the activities and the access pages), the Kléber Rossillon group, the Dordogne-Périgord and Sarlat tourist offices, French and English Wikipedia for the history, and the six listings' own inclusion lists, read 16 September 2026.

- Address: 24250 Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, Dordogne, France, about 9 km from Sarlat-la-Canéda. Phone
  +33 5 53 31 30 00, chateau@castelnaud.com.
- Open every day of the year. Last admission one hour before closing. Over the Christmas period
  10:00-17:00, except 25 December, 14:00-17:00.
- 2026 tariff at the castle: adult 13.60 euros; 10-17 years 6.80 euros; under 10 free. A combined
  ticket with the Jardins de Marqueyssac, 7 February to 11 November 2026, is 24.50 euros for an
  adult and 12.30 for a 10-17. An 'Amis de Castelnaud' annual pass is 30 euros.
- The castle's own entry ticket is not sold on GetYourGuide: the listing was delisted and the
  platform's Castelnaud page now returns canoe rentals only. Entry is bought at the castle or on
  castelnaud.com.
- The visit is unguided and the castle gives it as about one hour. There is no audio guide: a
  printed tour booklet is free at the entrance, in 12 languages and in Braille, and a children's
  games booklet is free for ages 7-12 while stocks last.
- The Musée de la guerre au Moyen Âge holds more than 250 authentic weapons and pieces of armour
  from across Europe; French Wikipedia puts it at about 300 pieces from the 13th to the 17th century
  and calls it the second collection of its kind in France after the Musée de l'Armée.
- Full-scale reconstructed war machines stand in attack positions along the bastion. The trebuchet
  used in the firing demonstration is a separate machine at 1/3 scale, fired several times a day
  from April to November; the demonstration lasts about ten minutes.
- Also in the castle: six videos on construction, siege warfare, equipment and the restoration; a
  sound-and-light model of the 1442 siege; the keep, curtain wall, artillery tower, barbican,
  bastion, upper and lower baileys, medieval garden, weapons room, kitchen and forge; a wall
  painting of the Nine Worthies in the living quarters.
- Family activities by season: a knights' school for ages 5-14 in the spring and autumn holidays,
  costume try-ons from October to March for ages 5 and over, a summer show with sword combat in July
  and August, a blacksmith at work daily in season, and a year-round treasure hunt booklet at 2.90
  euros.
- Parking: the municipal car park above the castle is paid and a 3-minute walk from the gate; the
  car park along the Dordogne is free and a 15-minute walk. Motorway exits: Souillac on the A20,
  Sarlat-la-Canéda on the A89. A summer bus, line 338 Sarlat-Castelnaud, runs in July and August.
- Accessibility: the castle states that its layout and many narrow staircases make the museum
  difficult for visitors with reduced mobility, though the viewpoint and the barbican are
  accessible; a free 360-degree virtual visit is offered instead. Pushchairs are very difficult
  inside and should be left at the entrance or at the foot of the artillery tower. Dogs on a lead
  are allowed in the grounds.
- History: founded in the 12th century, held by the Cathar lord Bernard de Casnac, seized by Simon
  de Montfort in 1214 and burned in 1215; rebuilt in the mid-13th century; English-aligned in the
  Hundred Years War against French-held Beynac across the river; besieged in 1442 on the order of
  Charles VII and surrendered after three weeks for 400 gold coins; held by the Caumont family, who
  built the Château des Milandes in 1489 and moved there; sold in 1789 and quarried for stone;
  listed a monument historique in 1966; bought and restored by the Rossillon family from the 1960s
  and opened to the public in 1985; run today by the Kléber Rossillon group, with about 230,000 to
  245,000 visitors a year.

## What can and cannot be booked

Entry to Castelnaud cannot be booked on GetYourGuide at all: the castle sells it at the gate and on its own site, every day of the year, with no timed slot. What the platform sells is the day around it. Two canoe routes from Vitrac pass directly beneath the walls, the cheaper one naming Castelnaud in its own route description. A balloon from Cénac flies over the whole valley, with French-language briefings. A half-day tour from Sarlat walks Beynac village, rides a gabarre and spends the afternoon in Domme, and does not visit Castelnaud. A private tour from Sarlat includes a guided hour inside a castle, at Beynac in most of the year and at Castelnaud from January to mid-February when Beynac is closed. And the Beynac entry ticket is the one castle interior in this valley anyone can book ahead.

## Bookable tours listed on this site

All booking links are GetYourGuide affiliate links (partner ID 7GG5I5H). The site earns a commission
at no extra cost to the reader, and says so on every page and at https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/affiliate-disclosure/.
No listing on the platform includes admission to the Château de Castelnaud. The canoes and the balloon pass or overfly it, the half-day tour does not go there, the private tour substitutes it for Beynac only from January to mid-February, and the sixth listing is the entry ticket for Beynac, a different castle.
Prices are approximate per-person figures in EUR; the live price is on each listing.

- Château de Beynac: Entry Ticket to the Castle — around seventeen euros per person, rated 4.4 from 13 reviews (Across the river). GetYourGuide activity ID 1198774.
- Vitrac: Canoe/Kayak Dordogne Châteaux Route (15 km) — around twenty-eight euros per person, rated 4.7 from 10 reviews (15 km route). GetYourGuide activity ID 1215119.
- From Vitrac: Dordogne River Canoe Rental — around twenty-nine euros per person, rated 4.7 from 274 reviews (Most reviews). GetYourGuide activity ID 431922.
- From Sarlat: Beynac & Domme Tour & Dordogne Boat Ride — around a hundred and ten euros per person, rated 4.6 from 162 reviews (Half day). GetYourGuide activity ID 3327.
- Sarlat: Private Tour to the Dordogne Valley — around a hundred and sixty-three euros per person, rated 5.0 from 33 reviews (Private guide). GetYourGuide activity ID 305873.
- Dordogne: Hot Air Balloon Flight in the Valley of the Châteaux — around two hundred and sixty euros per person, rated 4.9 from 17 reviews (Over the valley). GetYourGuide activity ID 1314660.

## Every page on this site

- [Château de Castelnaud: Tickets, Hours and Tours](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/): Château de Castelnaud, the medieval-warfare museum above the Dordogne: the hours, the trebuchet season, the two car parks and the six tours around the castle.
- [About | Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/about/): An independent guide to visiting the Château de Castelnaud: the sources it reads, when it read them, what it will not print, and how it is paid for.
- [Affiliate Disclosure | Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/affiliate-disclosure/): How this site earns through the GetYourGuide affiliate programme, why the castle's own ticket earns it nothing, and what the commission cannot change.
- [Château de Castelnaud Tours: Six Listings Compared](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/all-tours/): Six Château de Castelnaud listings compared: the canoe under the walls, the balloon, the guided days from Sarlat and the rival castle across the river.
- [Dordogne Hot Air Balloon Flight Review (4.9)](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/balloon-flight-review/): An hour over the river and the castles from Cénac, reviewed: what the three hours cover, who cannot fly, and why the briefing is worth knowing about.
- [Hot Air Balloon Over the Dordogne Châteaux](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/balloon-flight/): The balloon flight over the valley of the châteaux: the launch field at Cénac, what you see, the French-language briefing and who cannot fly.
- [Best Time to Visit the Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/best-time-to-visit/): April to June and September are the best months; July and August buy a 09:00 to 20:00 day and the crowds; winter is quiet on an afternoon-only opening.
- [Château de Beynac Entry Ticket Review (4.4)](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/beynac-ticket-review/): The rival castle across the river, reviewed: what the hour inside covers, the long view back at Castelnaud, and a thin base of only thirteen ratings.
- [Canoeing the Dordogne Under Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/canoe-dordogne/): Two self-guided canoe routes from Vitrac that pass under the walls of Castelnaud: what is included, the age and swimming rules, and the shuttle back.
- [Dordogne Canoe Rental Review (4.7, 274 Ratings)](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/canoe-under-the-castle-review/): Three hours from Vitrac directly beneath the walls of Castelnaud, reviewed: the shuttle, the swimming rule, and the deepest rating base in the valley.
- [Visiting the Château de Castelnaud: Full Guide](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/castelnaud-guide/): What a first visit needs: the two car parks, the climb, what the ticket covers, the hour inside room by room, the bastion, and which day to book.
- [Castelnaud or Beynac: Which Castle to Visit](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/castelnaud-or-beynac/): A restored ruin with a warfare museum and siege engines against a preserved, furnished fortress. And why the two-garrisons-trading-fire story is legend.
- [15 km Dordogne Châteaux Canoe Route Review](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/chateaux-route-review/): Fifteen kilometres past La Malartrie, Castelnaud and Fayrac, reviewed: the bus transfer, the beach stops, the thin briefing and a base of ten ratings.
- [Contact | Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/contact/): Corrections and questions for this site, and the Château de Castelnaud's own telephone number and e-mail for anything only the castle itself can answer.
- [Guided Dordogne Valley Tours from Sarlat](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/guided-tours-from-sarlat/): The two guided tours from Sarlat: the four-hour Beynac, gabarre and Domme trip, and the private valley tour with its guided castle hour and winter window.
- [History of the Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/history/): From Bernard de Casnac and the Albigensian Crusade to the English frontier, the Caumonts, the Revolution quarry and the restoration that reopened in 1985.
- [How Long Do You Need at Castelnaud?](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/how-long/): About an hour inside, ten minutes for a trebuchet firing and roughly two hours from the car park, plus what the museum does to that figure if you read it.
- [How to Get to the Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/how-to-get-there/): About 9 km from Sarlat: the A20 and A89 exits, the Transperigord buses, the July and August line 338, the GR 64 footpath and the guided runs from Sarlat.
- [Is the Château de Castelnaud Worth Visiting? Yes](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/is-it-worth-it/): What the hour inside buys: a weapons collection ranked second in France, siege engines on the bastion and a fired trebuchet. And who finds the stairs hard.
- [Marqueyssac and Les Milandes from Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/marqueyssac-and-milandes/): The Jardins de Marqueyssac share a combined ticket with the castle from February to November. Les Milandes, built by the same family in 1489, does not.
- [Château de Castelnaud Opening Hours 2026](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/opening-hours/): The castle opens every day of the year, with last admission an hour before closing: the tourist board's seasonal grid, and the Christmas hours in full.
- [Parking at the Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/parking/): A paid car park three minutes above the castle, a free one fifteen minutes below by the river, and what the village adds: the choice, and how to make it.
- [Privacy | Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/privacy/): A static site with no cookies of its own: what the GetYourGuide booking widgets and the web font do, and what this site does not collect about you.
- [Sarlat Private Dordogne Valley Tour Review (5.0)](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/private-valley-tour-review/): The highest-rated listing here, reviewed: the three pickup towns, the guided castle hour, and the winter window the operator substitutes Castelnaud in.
- [Dordogne Valley Tour Reviews: All Six Listings](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/reviews/): Six GetYourGuide listings around the Château de Castelnaud, reviewed: which pass under the walls, which fly over, and which is a different castle.
- [Sarlat Half-Day Tour Review: Beynac and Domme](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/sarlat-day-tour-review/): The four-hour guided half day out of Sarlat, reviewed: the Beynac village walk, the gabarre, the block at Domme, and why Castelnaud is not on it.
- [Sitemap | Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/sitemap/): Every page on this site: the tickets, the hours, the parking, the museum, the trebuchet, and the six listings that work around the castle, reviewed.
- [The Siege of Castelnaud, 1442](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/the-1442-siege/): Charles VII ordered it, an English-held garrison endured three weeks, and the fortress changed hands for 400 gold coins. What the sources do and do not say.
- [The Museum of Medieval Warfare at Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/the-museum/): More than 250 authentic weapons and pieces of armour, full-size siege engines on the bastion, models at 1:10 and 1:20, six videos and the 1442 siege model.
- [Château de Castelnaud Tickets and 2026 Prices](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/tickets/): Château de Castelnaud tickets for 2026: the castle's own tariff, the Marqueyssac combined ticket, what the visit covers and what to book around it.
- [Trebuchet Demonstrations at Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/trebuchet-demonstrations/): Fired several times a day from April to November, about ten minutes each: why the machine that throws is the one-third-scale trebuchet, not the bastion's.
- [What to See at the Château de Castelnaud](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/what-to-see/): The barbican, the baileys, the bastion and its siege engines, the Nine Worthies painting, the weapons room, the forge, the keep and the medieval garden.
- [Where Is the Château de Castelnaud?](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/where-is-castelnaud/): In France: above 24250 Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, in the Dordogne and the Perigord Noir, about 9 km from Sarlat, with Beynac facing it across the river.
- [The Château de Castelnaud with Kids](https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/with-kids/): Siege engines, a trebuchet fired daily in season, a blacksmith and a treasure hunt, with under-10s free. Plus the knights' school and the river afterwards.

## Corrections to claims found elsewhere

- The Castelnaud entry ticket is not available on GetYourGuide. Pages that still show one are
  describing a delisted product; the castle sells entry itself.
- There is no audio guide at Castelnaud. The tour booklet is printed, free, and in 12 languages and
  Braille.
- The trebuchet fired in the daily demonstration is a 1/3-scale machine. The full-size engines are
  the ones standing on the bastion.
- The signposted visit is about one hour, which is shorter than most visitors expect for a site of
  this size.
- The nearest car park is paid; the free one is a 15-minute walk below.
- Castelnaud and Beynac faced each other across the Dordogne on opposite sides of the Hundred Years
  War, but no battle between the two castles is documented. The 1442 siege was ordered by Charles
  VII and ended in a negotiated surrender, not an assault by Beynac.
- The castle's own English homepage still carries an obsolete line about a health pass. It is stale
  content, not a current rule.

## Author and provenance

Château de Castelnaud, Independent guide to visiting the Château de Castelnaud and the Dordogne valley around it, based in . Reads the castle's own opening, tariff and activity notices before each season, the commune's parking pages, and every listing's inclusion and exclusion lists off the booking platform, so a visit can be planned from one page.
Author page: https://chateaudecastelnaud.com/about/

## If you are citing this site

Cite the specific page, not this file. Prices and opening hours change; verify
close to your visit.