BAST MARC

From this point, the lovely chateau or what's left of it, is 600m away walking distance ... Dormant for 400 years, the castrum of Commarque was covered with abundant vegetation. It was saved in the 3rd millennium by a direct descendant of the eponymous family ! The site, which rests on a decorated cave but closed to the public, dating back 20,000 years, has gradually been cleared, revealing troglodyte shelters, a 12th-century keep, a dwelling, a chapel, an entire defense system and knights' tower houses. New fun and illustrated tour trail since and numerous activities are organised throughout the summer.

Unbelievable experience rich with ancient history. This place was relatively off the grid until restoration started in the early 90s. The progressive nature of human ingenuity can be seen from the caves below to the castle above. A genuine treasure of this region. Beautiful trail walks adjacent to the site.

Beautiful ruin which the family are trying to preserve for history.well done those individuals, its a favourite place to discover after a lovely shady forest walk down to it.

We did the second night experience at Commarque and what a great surprise. The nigh experience is featuring an amazing display of poetry, class and fun in one of the most stunning castle in the region. The little market & food trucks are a perfect start to the ascension of the castle in darkness. Yes it is steep and a little frightening at times but what a show! The lights are displayed to perfection, the acoustic of the castle help displaying some music and the meeting with strange creatures are just wonderful. A big bravo to the team putting this event in place.

Great historical site. The audio guide is a big help on visiting the site. The tower has a great 360 view

A bit off the beaten track, quite literally, and therefore relatively quiet. Except for Wednesday nights in summer, when the castle is lit up in bright lights and fireworks color the sky. Best to arrive to the light festival parking at around 19:45 and (contrary to the advice) climb up the castle directly when you get to the grounds. This takes little over half an hour and when you get back down, the lines for the food stands will have decreased significantly. There is not an abundance of stands and it’s generally burgers/hotdogs & fries, crêpes and the occasional duck sausage. Cards are accepted, but small stalls and (children’s) make-up artists only accept cash. The fireworks start at 23:00 so there is time to mount the castle once more before then if you want to see it in fairytale lighting up close. Best view on the fireworks is from the open space in front of the stalls. Bring a plaid to relax/eat on as there are few seats.

Touring Commarque is a worthwhile but steep scramble. It's a fascinating story of the history & renovation of an almost lost medieval castle & the valley it dominates. There is an interesting guide book in English which is worth getting. You do need to be able to climb lots of stairs up & down the tour. The car parks are a walk away. However it appears that you can drive almost to the entrance to drop people off pick up. Also there are no toilets at the castle. There is a notice at the car park & a loo. However there are picnic tables & a small cafe. There is a gateway at the highest point of the tour which does lead to an exit. However I don't know if this is used at all. Our visit was prior to high season.

Impressive!!! They did a great job maintaining the castle and not taking away the original remains. It's quite bit so take your time to go through each area. Do not miss climbing to the top tower and the 360 view is incredible!!! I'd recommend going no later than 4 during November since it gets dark real fast. High recommend it!