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Aerial Views of Our World
Country France Palaces Castles Europe

Palaces Castles in France

Palaces open outward and castles close inward, and the aerial view is where that difference becomes obvious: formal gardens and long axial courts on one side, concentric walls and a keep on the hardest rock on the other.

Each palace and castle here comes with its aerial view, photographs, video and a full written guide — who built it, how the plan changed, what survives inside, and what visiting involves.

12 Palaces Castles in France, each with aerial views, photos, videos and an in-depth guide.

Aerial view of The If Castle, France

The If Castle

Château d'If, Marseille's sea fortress, pairs real prison history with Monte Cristo legend on a stark island guarding the Mediterranean

Combourg Castle

Aerial view of Combourg Castle, France

Château de Combourg turns Breton stone into literary myth, where Chateaubriand's childhood, lake shadows and French Romanticism still linger.

Château Gaillard

Aerial view of Château Gaillard, France

Discover the history and current affairs of Château Gaillard, Richard the Lionheart's fortress in Normandy: its construction, sieges, fall and herita…

Castle of Fougères-sur-Bièvre

Aerial view of Castle of Fougères-sur-Bièvre, France

Visit Inveraray Castle in Argyll, the Gothic Revival seat of the Dukes of Argyll and Clan Campbell on Loch Fyne, featured in Downton Abbey.

Places — Palaces Castles in France

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