Château Dreaming

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Dordogne, France

Château de Beynac

One of the four great baronies of Périgord, planted on a sheer cliff 150 metres above the Dordogne. Richard the Lionheart briefly held it; through the Hundred Years' War it stared down English-held Castelnaud directly across the river — two fortresses locked in a century of glaring.

Château de Beynac
Photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

At a glance

Built
12th century onwards
Style
Medieval clifftop fortress
Commissioned by
Barons of Beynac
Signature feature
Sheer clifftop keep 150 m above the Dordogne
Rivalry
Faced English-held Castelnaud across the river through the Hundred Years' War
Baronial rank
One of the four baronies of Périgord
On screen
A favourite of filmmakers, from Les Visiteurs to Chocolat
Visiting
Open to visitors (seasonal calendar)