Which château should you visit in Auvergne? It depends on what you're after. Children to keep busy during the Toussaint holidays (the autumn school holidays): Murol, with its equestrian show included in the ticket, from 18 to 30 October except Saturdays. A free ruin above a river: Château-Rocher or Alleuze. A keep and 800 m of ramparts: Polignac. A furnished interior on a rainy day: Effiat or Ravel, at weekends. For each château, the 2026 opening hours and prices when they are published, with an eye on Toussaint: school holidays from Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 in all three school zones, back to school on Monday 2 November. Fourteen châteaux in detail, ten others in one line, four départements, sorted by purpose.
The answer in 30 seconds
| You want | Go to | At Toussaint 2026 | Allow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep children busy | Murol (63), Val (15) | Murol every day, Val until 1 Nov. | 1 hr to 3 hrs at Murol |
| A free ruin | Château-Rocher (63), Alleuze (15) | All year, esplanade only at Château-Rocher | 1 hr |
| A proper keep | Polignac (43), Anjony (15), Bourbon (03) | Polignac every day, Anjony except Tuesday, Bourbon Tuesday to Saturday | 1 hr 30 |
| A furnished interior | Effiat (63), Ravel (63), Chavaniac (43) | Effiat and Ravel at weekends, Chavaniac except Tuesday | 1 hr 15 |
| Stay the night | Codignat (63) | Château guesthouse, booking required | One night |
All the listings on this theme are on our châteaux and heritage page. This guide sorts through them: the ones you can actually visit, and the ones that have already closed.
With children: the ones where nobody gets bored
Murol, the fort on its volcano, entertainment included
One of the most visited châteaux in Auvergne, and that's no accident: a fortress on its volcanic mound facing the Sancy, which plunges you into 1426 at the court of Guillaume de Murol. The château can be visited every day, all year. The entertainment, though, follows the calendar: in October 2026, guided tours in costume until Sunday 4, self-guided visit only from Monday 5 to Friday 16, then the holiday programme.
For Toussaint 2026: costumed guided tours every day from 17 October to 1 November, the equestrian show “Le Duel des Frères” (The Brothers' Duel) from 18 to 30 October except Saturday (11:00, 14:45 and 16:00, weather permitting), and “La Fête des Morts” (The Feast of the Dead), legends told by Père Géraud, from 18 October to 1 November except Saturday. Everything is included in the ticket, no booking needed.
Open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 from October to mid-November, last admission one hour before. In school holidays: €12.50 per adult, €7.30 for ages 10 to 17, free under 10. Allow 1 hour to 2 hours 30 depending on the programme. Access details are on our page for the Château de Murol.
Val, the château right on the lake
Val sits on a rock at Lanobre, on the edge of the Bort-les-Orgues reservoir. Since the dam was filled it has been almost surrounded by water, and with its pepper-pot towers, it's the one that looks most like a child's drawing. Inside, furnished rooms and painting exhibitions.
Open every day from 1 September to 1 November 2026, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00. Check the end date: it closes on the evening of 1 November, the day before school goes back. 2026 prices: €8 per adult, €5 for ages 8 to 14, free under 8, exteriors only €3. The visit is not accessible to pushchairs or wheelchairs, and dogs are not allowed.
Open-access, free ruins
Château-Rocher, the balcony over the Sioule gorges
At Saint-Rémy-de-Blot, Château-Rocher has guarded the border between Auvergne and the Bourbonnais since 1078. What people come for is the sheer drop: the fortress clings above the Sioule gorges, facing the Rochocol meander. On an October morning with mist in the valley, it's the finest balcony in the Combrailles.
The site is open access and free all year, but read this before you go up: the château itself is closed to the public because of its condition, only the grassy esplanade remains accessible, and the consolidation works run over several years. Listing and map on our page for Château-Rocher.
Alleuze, the fortress above the Truyère
South of Saint-Flour, Alleuze is a silhouette: a square keep flanked by four round towers, set on a rocky peak hemmed in by the meanders of the Truyère. It belonged to the bishops of Clermont when Bernard de Garlan, leader of a band of plunderers, seized it in 1383, in the middle of the Hundred Years' War. The band only left in 1391, in return for a ransom. Open access and free all year, but the inside of the ruins is not made safe: keep children close. You park at the foot of the site, or come down from La Barge. Allow an hour.
The big ones: fortresses with keeps
Polignac, 800 m of ramparts on a volcanic rock
Ten minutes from Le Puy-en-Velay, the fortress occupies a volcanic platform of almost 3 hectares: 800 m of ramparts, a medieval-inspired garden created in 2014, three seigneurial residences and the climb to the top of the 32 m keep, with the view over the Le Puy basin.
2026 prices: €6 per adult, €4 concessions, free under 6. Open every day except 25 December and 1 January: until 24 October 2026 from 9:30 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 18:00, then until 3 January 2027 closing at 17:00, last entry one hour before. Allow 1 hour 30. The Polignac fortress stays open throughout Toussaint: it's the safe bet of the bunch.
Tournoël, the fortress that dominates Volvic
Perched at 600 m altitude above Volvic, Tournoël is everything you picture a fortified castle to be: a square keep, a round tower from the 14th century, a wall walk, a staircase tower with Flamboyant Gothic decoration carved in Volvic stone. Its owners have been restoring it since the early 2000s.
A word of warning on this one: the château announces visits on autumn and winter weekends, but no dates are published for 2026. It emails them to anyone who asks, at contact@tournoel.com: write before you go up. Groups are welcome all year, by appointment only. Access details are on our page for the Château de Tournoël.
Bourbon-l'Archambault, the cradle of the House of Bourbon
Three towers above the spa town: this is what remains of the fortress where the House of Bourbon began, the one that gave France its kings from Henri IV to Louis-Philippe. Alongside, the Quiquengrogne tower can be visited with the canon's house, guided tours only.
From 1 October to 7 November 2026, it is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00. Closed on Sunday and Monday, except Sunday 1 November: open from 14:00, with two guided tours of the château, at 14:00 and 16:00. Guided tours on Saturday (château at 14:00, Quiquengrogne at 16:00). 2026 prices: €7 entry, €2.50 extra for the guided tour, €8 for Quiquengrogne. Everything is on our page for the Château de Bourbon-l'Archambault.
Anjony, the same family since 1435
At Tournemire, Anjony is a trachyte keep from the 1430s flanked by four towers, built by Louis d'Anjony, a companion of Joan of Arc, and lived in by the same family ever since. Inside, the 16th-century frescoes of the Nine Worthies, furnished rooms, four stacked levels: you quickly understand how people lived in a keep.
Guided tour compulsory. From 1 September to 15 November 2026, every day except Tuesday, departures at 14:15, 15:30 and 16:45: two Tuesdays fall in the holidays, 20 and 27 October. 2026 prices: €10 per adult, €6 per child, free under 6. Allow a 15-minute walk from the car park, cars are not allowed in the village, and there are four levels of stairs. The village is worth the stop, see our page on Tournemire.
17th and 18th centuries: the ones you visit for the interior
Parentignat, the furnished 18th-century house you'll miss in October
Near Issoire, an 18th-century house spared by the Revolution: furnished salons, picture collections, a 3-hectare English-style park extended by a 15-hectare meadow. The 2026 season ended on 30 September, so it is closed at Toussaint. The 2026 prices, for reference: €12 per adult, €8 for ages 7 to 17, and a joint ticket at €14 with Villeneuve-Lembron instead of €19. Our page on the Château de Parentignat is there for next time.
Effiat, the château of the Marshal and of Cinq-Mars
North of Riom, Effiat is a 17th-century château built by Marshal d'Effiat. His son, the Marquis de Cinq-Mars, was born there; he ended up beheaded for conspiring against Richelieu. Guided tour compulsory: painted panelling, 17th- and 18th-century furniture, French formal gardens designed by Mollet.
From 3 October to 15 November 2026, open on Saturdays and Sundays, departures at 14:30, 16:00 and 17:30: within the holidays, that means 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 October and 1 November. 2026 prices: €11 per adult, €9 for ages 12 to 18, free under 12.
Ravel, the terrace and the painted decoration
Between Thiers and Clermont, people visit Ravel for its medieval painted decoration, wall frescoes and a ceiling with multifoil medallions, its 15th-century furniture and its terrace above the Limagne. Guided tour without booking, 1 hour 15.
In autumn and winter, open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, departures at 14:00, 15:30 and 17:00, with a minimum of two adults. 2026 prices: €12 over 20, €8 for ages 7 to 20, family ticket at €32. Bring cash or a chequebook, bank cards are not accepted.
Cordès, the gardens attributed to Le Nôtre
At Orcival, Cordès isn't visited from the inside: it's the gardens people come to see, awarded the Jardin remarquable (Remarkable Garden) label, attributed to André Le Nôtre around 1695 for Yves d'Allègre, hornbeam hedges clipped dead straight facing the puys. But not in October: in 2026 they open for just four windows, the last from 17 to 23 September, €5, free under 6. Our page on the Château de Cordès is one to schedule for spring.
Chavaniac-Lafayette, La Fayette's birthplace
In Haute-Loire, the fortified house where the Marquis de La Fayette was born is now a château-museum: his birth room, the salons, a park that can be visited on its own. The self-guided visit comes with an audio guide included in the ticket. The guided tour costs extra and can be booked for six people or more.
In 2026 the season ends on 1 November at 18:00. Until then, open every day except Tuesday, from 14:00 to 18:00: 20 and 27 October are closed. On Saturday 31 October, for Halloween, a puzzle trail awaits children from age 3, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00. 2026 prices: €8 per adult, €4 for ages 11 to 18, free under 11, €4 for the park only.
Sleeping in a château
At Bort-l'Étang, near Lezoux, Codignat is a medieval château that became a hotel in 1970. Closed in 2021, bought in 2024, it is now a charming château hotel: 16 rooms, including a chalet, a 15-hectare park, an outdoor pool and a gourmet restaurant in vaulted rooms. Open all year in 2026, every day. Our page on the Château de Codignat has the access details.
The others, in one line
- Arlempdes (43): the Château d'Arlempdes and its Romanesque chapel on a rock above the infant Loire; from 21 March to mid-October 2026 except Monday, so closed at Toussaint; €6, free under 12, tickets at the village bar, cash or cheque.
- Montluçon (03): reopened in November 2025, the château of the dukes of Bourbon is a museum of the town and its history, separate from the MuPop; since September 2026, Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00; €6.50, free under 6; exhibition “Quoi de neuf au Moyen Âge ?” (What's new in the Middle Ages?) until 7 November 2026.
- Pesteils, Polminhac (15): medieval keep and painted ceilings, with princess or knight costumes hired at €4.50 and €7; €11 per adult, €7.50 from age 5; since 1 September 2026, open 14:00 to 18:00 every day except Saturday, no closing date announced.
- Busséol (63): fortress of 1170 on its volcanic dyke; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 14:30 to 18:00, until 11 November 2026; €10 adult, €4 child, no bank cards.
- Saint-Vidal (43): fortress near Le Puy; “La Mémoire d'un Peuple” (The Memory of a People) ran from 7 July to 30 August 2026 (€15, €9 for ages 7 to 12), and “La Brasserie d'Antan” (The Old-Time Brasserie) is a live show, not somewhere to eat; nothing published for the autumn.
- Chouvigny (03): private residence above the Sioule gorges, open from 15 July to 23 August 2026; otherwise, you look at it from the road. Our page on the Château de Chouvigny.
- Hérisson (03): ruins of the fortress of the dukes of Bourbon, in mainly pink sandstone; open access and free all year, but in 2026 only the lower courtyard is open, as the upper courtyard is undergoing works.
- La Roche, Chaptuzat (63): the château where Chancellor Michel de L'Hospital was born, private property, no published visiting hours.
- Lespinasse, Saint-Beauzire (43): from 10 July to 31 August 2026, except Saturday, at 15:00 and 17:00, booking strongly recommended, ten people maximum; €8 adult, €5 child; the rest of the year, groups of at least ten people are received by reservation.
- Le Sailhant, Andelat (15): furniture sold off at auction in July 2025, it no longer receives visitors.
Rain, Toussaint, family: how to fit it all in
A château is plan B when the weather turns, provided it has a roof: Murol, Ravel, Effiat, Chavaniac or the Montluçon exhibitions; keep the ruins for a dry day. More fallbacks are in what to do in Auvergne when it rains. Almost everything closes around 17:00 or 18:00: set off early. The holiday dates are in what to do in Auvergne at Toussaint, places to go with children in Auvergne with the family.
Frequently asked questions
The FAQ
Which châteaux are open during the Toussaint 2026 holidays?
Every day: Murol and Polignac, and Val until 1 November. Except Tuesday: Anjony, and Chavaniac until 1 November. Tuesday to Saturday: Montluçon and Bourbon-l'Archambault, which also opens on Sunday afternoon, 1 November. At weekends: Effiat, Ravel, Busséol. Open access: Alleuze, the esplanade at Château-Rocher, the lower courtyard at Hérisson. Closed: Parentignat, Cordès, Arlempdes, Chouvigny, Lespinasse.
What is the most beautiful château in Auvergne?
Overall, Murol: the silhouette on its volcano, the Sancy behind, the entertainment that brings the walls to life. For emotion, Val, almost surrounded by the Bort-les-Orgues reservoir. For the fortress in its purest form, Polignac and its 800 m of ramparts.
Which Auvergne châteaux should you visit with children?
Murol first, with its costumed troupe and its equestrian show included in the ticket, free under 10. Pesteils hires out knight or princess costumes. Val appeals with its lake. The open-access ruins work too, as long as you keep an eye on the little ones.
Which Auvergne châteaux are free?
Three ruins with no ticket office, open access all year: Alleuze, above the Truyère; Château-Rocher, above the Sioule, where only the esplanade is open, the château itself remaining closed to the public; the fortress of Hérisson, in the Allier, where only the lower courtyard is open in 2026, as the upper courtyard is undergoing works.
