KARTAL SUKRU

We visited La Tour de Crest on a rainy day and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our stay in the Drôme. Since most of the visit is indoors, it is a perfect activity when the weather is not ideal. The history of the tower is fascinating. Learning how this impressive medieval fortress later became a state prison gave the visit a completely different dimension. The stories about the prisoners and the preserved traces of their lives made the experience very interesting and surprisingly moving. The tower itself, at 52 metres high and the highest keep in France, is an impressive piece of architecture with nearly 900 years of history. The exhibitions and explanations are well done, and even on a rainy day there was plenty to discover. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history, medieval architecture, or simply looking for something worthwhile to do around Crest.

Amazing place. Better than expected! Of course the view from the top terrace is stunning, but getting up there is a total exploratory adventure in itself. The kid in all of us will be VERY satisfied here!

Facinating 11th century Fort and prison, on top of steeped mountain

We didn't plan on visiting as we were just passoing through Crest, but this tower is amazing. A must-do for the architecture, views and guided tour with audiophone and scenography. Bucolic walk up through cobbled alleys and a wide staircase carved into the rock.

Very good surprise. A very pleasant visit for the whole family. Don't hesitate to wait for the guided tours. A travel into the history of the valley. And a very good view on it if you go to the top.

A short sharp hike up to a lovely place with a great audio guide over for €10

Beautiful castle!! The little boy (4) was very impressed by it. Even more when out of nowhere a pirate showed up

We parked at the bottom of the old village and miandered all the way up the cobblestoned alleyways and paths, through tunnels and past cats warming themselves in sunfilled window ledges. Clearly marked from most avenues, we easily found Tour de Crest and continued up the steep incline to the tower gates. With every step we took, there was another incredible gate, intricate wooden door, spectacular view, and room after room that evoked attempts at imagining the lives of those who inhabited these spaces. We climbed the secret staircase in the Lord's bedroom all the way up to a now, covered terraced/courtyard used for catching rain and feeding it directly into the well (cistern) in the entrance level of the tower. It used to be open, but after the seams began to take water the concave V shaped roof was added to collect rainwater but protect the tower from water damage. From this magical room, we continued upward through another whimsical, narrow staircase to the summit of the tower with a view that summons our inner, open-armed spin, mostly known to occur in open fields in the Swiss alps. I will leave you here, to descend the tower and discover the magic within these walls. An excellent feature of the visit was the addition of an app called IZI which allowed us to tour the castle with an English virtual tour guide, explaining each feature from doors you may not have noticed, carvings, drawing by prisoners etched I to the walls etc. Excellent addition.