Where We Be
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| The castle was never taken in a siege but did change hands through treaties. For four centuries it served as residence (and highly profitable toll station) for the Counts of Savoy. |
| Castle of Chillon -- Montreux, Switzerland |
The Castle of Chillon is, simply put, one of the
best castles we've ever seen. To get there we
took the train from Gruyeres to Montreux,
stored our bags at the station, and walked 45
minutes along a lovely waterfront promenade.
The promenade was a pleasure in its own right,
a manicured path along Lake Geneva filled with
flowers and shade trees. We saw sculptures
and park benches, jetties and circular lookouts,
and cafes with tempting lakeside patios.
The castle rises up like a romantic’s dream of
what a castle should look like. Built on an islet
right next to the mainland, it has a natural moat
around its walls. Heading inside, we followed
the audio tour. The tastefully restored castle
has sentry walks, an impressive castle keep, a
famous dungeon (Bonivard’s prison, subject of
Lord Byron's poem "The Prisoner of Chillon"),
courtyards and banquet rooms aplenty, and
bedrooms fit for the Savoy dukes and Bern
noblemen who once called them home. The
views over the lake from the top of the keep
are beautiful, and hearing the water lapping
softly against the dungeon walls is, in our
opinion, particularly memorable.
best castles we've ever seen. To get there we
took the train from Gruyeres to Montreux,
stored our bags at the station, and walked 45
minutes along a lovely waterfront promenade.
The promenade was a pleasure in its own right,
a manicured path along Lake Geneva filled with
flowers and shade trees. We saw sculptures
and park benches, jetties and circular lookouts,
and cafes with tempting lakeside patios.
The castle rises up like a romantic’s dream of
what a castle should look like. Built on an islet
right next to the mainland, it has a natural moat
around its walls. Heading inside, we followed
the audio tour. The tastefully restored castle
has sentry walks, an impressive castle keep, a
famous dungeon (Bonivard’s prison, subject of
Lord Byron's poem "The Prisoner of Chillon"),
courtyards and banquet rooms aplenty, and
bedrooms fit for the Savoy dukes and Bern
noblemen who once called them home. The
views over the lake from the top of the keep
are beautiful, and hearing the water lapping
softly against the dungeon walls is, in our
opinion, particularly memorable.
| The perfect lakeside setting is what sets the Castle of Chillon apart |
| We saw numerous swans with cygnets |
| The promenade is pleasantly situated far away from car traffic and noise |
| Strolling to the castle along the waterfront promenade is half the fun (the castle is 3 km from Montreux) |
| Francois de Bonivard was imprisoned here for 7 long years (1530-36). Lord Byron's "The Prisoner of Chillon" made the castle famous. |
| The Castle of Chillon is Switzerland's most visited historic monument. We're so glad we didn't miss it! |
| No self-respecting castle should be without a display of medieval weaponry |
| View of Lake Geneva from the top of the castle keep, looking towards Montreux |
| Lord Byron carved his name into one of the pillars in Bonivard's Prison |
| We took this photo before realizing photos weren't permitted inside the main castle. Oops! But look at the size of that fireplace! |
| The one-of-a-kind Castle of Chillon near Montreux |
| The first glimpse of the castle is amazing |
| Natural moat around the castle walls |
| You can hear the water lapping against the dungeon walls |