Fougeres Castle

Fougeres inverts the usual arrangement: the castle sits at the bottom, on a rock in a loop of the Nancon marsh, while the town stands on the plateau above and looks down into it, which means you see the whole plan of the fortress laid out from the public garden before you enter. It covers around two hectares within thirteen towers and walls built between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, on the Breton frontier facing France. The medieval quarter below, around the Place du Marchix, kept its timber-framed houses. Victor Hugo and Balzac both used the town, and Balzac's novel Les Chouans is set here.

What you actually see

• The fortress plan from above - the whole castle seen from the town garden.
• The thirteen towers - curtain walls and towers of several periods.
• The Marchix quarter - timber-framed houses below the castle.
• The ramparts walk - a circuit of the walls with river below.

When to go

April to October; the castle opens year-round but with shorter winter hours. Summer brings sound and light events. The walk down and back up from the town is steep.

Honest expectations

The interior is largely empty walls and towers with a multimedia route rather than furnished rooms. The climb between town and castle is steep. Some towers close in bad weather.

Nearby

Vitre lies south; Mont-Saint-Michel is northeast.