Château de Castelnaud opening hours
Making a day of it?The castle's own ticket is bought at the gate, so what is worth booking ahead is the rest of the day: the river under the walls, the valley from the air, a guided run out from Sarlat, or the rival castle across the water. Every option cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Check availabilityThe seasonal grid, and whose grid it is
- 2–31 January: 14:00–17:00.
- February and March: 10:00–18:00.
- April to June: 10:00–19:00.
- July and August: 09:00–20:00.
- September: 10:00–19:00.
- 1 October to 11 November: 10:00–18:00.
- 12 November to the end of January: 14:00–17:00.
That grid is not the castle’s own wording. The castle publishes its hours as images rather than as text, so this site takes the bands from two independent secondary sources that agree with each other — the departmental tourist board and an official brochure PDF — and names them. They were read on 16 September 2026. For the date you are actually travelling, open castelnaud.com and read the hours off the castle’s own page.
The bands matter more here than at most castles, because the deep-winter one opens at two in the afternoon. A January visitor who drives over from Sarlat for eleven o’clock arrives at a locked gate; the same drive at half past one works. Which month and which hour to pick.
Christmas, which the castle does state itself
One period is published by the castle in plain text rather than as an image, and it overrides the winter afternoon band: over the Christmas period the castle opens 10:00–17:00, except on 25 December, when it is 14:00–17:00. That is the one week of deep winter with a full morning in it. The rest of January and the back half of November and December run on the afternoon band.
What last admission actually leaves you
Admission closes an hour before the gate does, and the signposted visit is given by the castle as about an hour, so arriving on the last-admission hour is enough for the route and not enough for a firing demonstration or a long stop in the museum. On the short winter band that hour is the difference between a walk-through and a visit. How long a visit really takes, car park to car park.
The demonstrations run to their own seasonal programme rather than to the opening bands: the trebuchet is fired several times a day from April to November, and the day’s times are posted at the entrance. What is fired, and when.
Buying the ticket, and what it does not cover
Entry is sold by the castle itself, at the gate and on castelnaud.com, every day it is open and with no slot to reserve, so the hours above are the only thing to plan around. What is worth fixing in advance is the rest of the day, because the river trips, the balloon and the guided runs out of Sarlat all have finite boats, baskets and seats. What the castle’s ticket covers, and the 2026 tariff in full.
Book the part of the day that does sell out
Three hours on the Dordogne from Vitrac, passing directly beneath the walls: canoe or kayak, paddles, life jackets, the shuttle back to base and dogs welcome on board. Starts run from 09:30 to 14:00, from around twenty-nine euros, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Château de Castelnaud open all year?
Yes — every day of the year, including Christmas week, with no closed season and no timed slot. Only the hours move, from 14:00–17:00 in deep winter to 09:00–20:00 in July and August. Season by season.
What time does the Château de Castelnaud open?
At 10:00 for most of the year, 09:00 in July and August, and only at 14:00 in the deep-winter band from mid-November to the end of January. Those hours are the tourist board’s; the castle’s own page is the one to check on the day.
What time is last entry at Castelnaud?
One hour before closing, every day. The signposted visit takes about that hour, so a last-admission arrival covers the route rather than the museum and a demonstration. How long to allow.
Do you need to book a time slot for the Château de Castelnaud?
Booking ahead in this valley buys the things with finite places — a canoe, a balloon basket, a seat out of Sarlat, the castle interior at Beynac. The castle’s own entry is sold by the castle, every day, with no slot to hold. The six listings compared.