Parking at the Château de Castelnaud

The two the castle names

The castle’s own access page gives visitors exactly two options, and describes them in a single line each. The municipal car park above the castle is paid, and from it the gate is three minutes on foot. The car park along the Dordogne is free, and from it the gate is fifteen minutes on foot, through the village and uphill. No source gives a gradient or a step count for that climb, so this site gives neither: a short climb from the upper car park, a longer one from the river, is as far as the evidence goes.

What the village adds

The commune’s own pages list more capacity than the castle mentions. The Parking du Pont carries roughly 220 spaces and is charged from April to October, free for the rest of the year; the Parking de la Plage is free. Those figures come from the village site rather than from the castle, and the tariff quoted there dates from 2024, so it is not reproduced on this page — read the sign on the machine, which is the only version that is current.

Which one to take

In July and August the upper car park is the one that fills, and it fills in the morning, which is an argument for the 09:00 opening rather than for circling. Out of season it is rarely a problem and the three minutes are worth the coins for anyone carrying a small child or short of time — a pushchair is a particular problem here, since the castle states that a pram is very difficult to use inside and should be left at the entrance or at the foot of the artillery tower. Castelnaud with children.

The version of this day with no car park in it

The castle is open every day of the year and sells its own entry at the gate, so parking is genuinely the hardest logistics in a Castelnaud visit. Everything else in the valley is booked rather than parked: a private vehicle that collects you in Sarlat, Les Eyzies or Saint-Cyprien takes the problem away entirely, and its guided castle hour runs at Beynac for most of the year. The operator’s own note says that from January to mid-February, when Beynac is closed, it substitutes Castelnaud — that is the operator speaking, not a guarantee in the inclusions. What each guided option includes.

Be dropped at the gate instead

Three and a half to four hours in a private vehicle with pickup in Sarlat, Les Eyzies or Saint-Cyprien, admissions included at the rates the listing quotes, and one guide who comes up again and again in the reviews by name. From around a hundred and sixty-three euros, free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Frequently asked questions