The Château des Allymes is composed of two distinct parts: a courtyard surrounded by four curtain walls, joining the keep (square tower) to a round tower; and the remains of a former village (outside the present castle), of which the great fortification wall and a small watch tower, both in ruins, can still be seen.
A self-guided tour is done in around one hour (look up the “fares” section on this website), a guided tour lasts around an hour and a half.
In order to complete your tour, we advise you to walk the path around the castle and get a closer look on the fortifications and the watch tower.
An educational booklet is on sale at the reception (in French).
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Permanent exhibitions
A few years ago, the castle could seem empty, because the entire space was dedicated to art exhibitions. That is no longer the case.
Visitors begin their tour on the ground floor of the keep, the former cellar. In this room are presented since June 2016 a number of detailed models, featuring the local castles and keeps.
The first floor is allocated to the art exhibitions.
On the topmost floor, visitors find the René de Lucinge room. The room is furnished with Louis 13th style furniture and features an exhibition about the famous owner of the Château des Allymes.
Since 2015 you can also discover an armoury, on the topmost floor of the round tower. There, are presented high quality replicas of 14th century weapons, used around the time of the building of the castle (between 1312 and 1321).
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Temporary exhibitions :
Since 1964, the Château des Allymes is an exhibition venue : 3 to 4 art exhibitions are organized each year, on the first floors of the keep and of the dwelling house.