Aigle Castle

Aigle castle was built by the Savoyards in the thirteenth century, taken by Bern in 1475 and used as a bailiff's residence for three hundred years, which is why its silhouette of round towers and steep tiled roofs looks military while its interiors are administrative. It stands surrounded by vines - the Chablais is one of the main wine districts of Vaud - and the museum inside is about that: the Musee de la Vigne et du Vin covers viticulture, cooperage and cellar work, and the neighbouring Maison de la Dime holds an international collection of wine labels running to tens of thousands. The result is a castle whose subject is farming rather than warfare, which is a more honest fit for the region.

Highlights

• A castle inside vineyards - the Chablais vines running to the walls.
• A wine and vine museum - viticulture, cooperage and cellar work.
• Tens of thousands of labels - the collection in the Maison de la Dime.
• Savoyard towers, Bernese use - military form, administrative history.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Good to know

Winter opening is reduced and the museum closes on some weekdays. Displays are largely in French. The castle interiors are modest - the collections are the point. Aigle town is workaday.

Nearby

Leysin and Les Diablerets are above; Lake Geneva is north-west.

Key facts