Why
Chillon Chateau
is special

It is one of the most photogenic and uniquely designed castles in Europe.

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Chillon Chateau
tips & insights

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Setting

Chillon Chateau theatrically sits on a tiny rock islet connected to the Lake Geneva shore by a short wooden bridge. A small portion of the snowcapped Alps can be seen in the distance.

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What to see
at Chillon Chateau

Visitor favorites: Exterior view (best from a boat)  Main halls  View from top of the keep  Battlements  Chapel  Courtyards  Bernese chamber  Camera domini

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Furnishings

Don't expect wall-to-wall decorative trappings you see in some touristed castles. Chillon Chateau is lightly furnished. The structure itself is the draw.

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Famous "guest"

16th century patriot Francois Bonivard was shackled to a dungeon pillar for five years. Almost three centuries later, Lord Byron wrote the well-known poem "The Prisoner of Chillon", which made Bonivard posthumously famous.

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History in brief

Chillon Chateau's location was strategically on a major trade route linking Italy with northwestern Europe. It was built mainly to collect and enforce taxes on goods shipped through it.

Records prove a tax-collecting stronghold existed in the 11th century, but no one knows for sure when it was originally constructed. Most of what we see today is the renovated 13th century version, which was somewhat modified during a restoration done around the turn of the 20th century.

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When to come

To avoid the tight-space squeeze of summer tour bus crowds, visit Chillon Chateau early or late in the day.

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Photo by prebano66 - CC BY-SA 2.0

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