Chinon

The royal fortress of Chinon runs four hundred metres along the ridge above the Vienne, in three linked castles divided by dry moats. Henry II of England, who ruled from here as much as anywhere, died at Chinon in 1189. In 1429 Joan of Arc arrived to meet the uncrowned Charles VII and, by the tradition, identified him although he had hidden himself among his courtiers; the great hall where this happened survives only as a gable and a fireplace on the wall. Templars were imprisoned in the Coudray tower and left graffiti carved in the stone. The town below is medieval and gives its name to a Cabernet Franc red.

What you actually see

• The three-part fortress - four hundred metres of walls in linked enclosures.
• The Coudray tower graffiti - carvings left by imprisoned Templars.
• The great hall wall - the fragment of the room where Joan met the dauphin.
• The medieval town - timber-framed streets and wine cellars below.

When to go

April to October; the fortress opens year-round with reduced winter hours. A medieval market fills the town in August. Wine cellars in the town run tastings.

Honest expectations

Much of the fortress is ruin with modern interpretation screens rather than rooms. The climb from town is steep, though a lift runs from the centre. The Joan of Arc story is tradition and the hall is largely gone.

Nearby

Fontevraud lies west; Usse is northeast.