The most famous castle in France is Palace of Versailles, ranked #1 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Bastille and Château de Chambord.
The Castlemap atlas charts 193 castles, 62 fortresses, 118 palaces & châteaux and 96 ruins in France. They span more than 21 centuries — from Bibracte (founded 200 BC) to Guédelon Castle (1997). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of France.
Map of castles in France
On the map they cluster thickest around Paris — 70 within a 100 km day trip, then Beauvais (69) and Évreux (65). The northernmost is Fort des Dunes, the southernmost Fort Teremba.
Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Paris · Castles near Strasbourg · Castles near Mulhouse · Castles near Tours · Castles near Beauvais · Castles near Évreux — and 15 more in the city index.
By region: Castles in the Loire Valley · Castles in Alsace · Castles on the Moselle · Castles in the Dordogne · Castles in Cathar Country · Castles in Normandy.
See them on the map →When they were built
Of the 469 landmarks mapped in France, 422 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 13th century — 71 of them. 272 predate 1500 and 69 were built after 1700.
