MALARDEL SERGE

Grand chateau with an interesting contemporary history. Used as a set for several major films. Grounds are very nicely maintained and suitable for walking and picnics. Fine little cafe serves local specialties.

So well kept and the feel of it's heyday portrayed well. Very beautiful, entertaining, and informative. And lunch in the cafe was great.

Impressive Chateau - Park, Garden, Museum & all installations. Interesting and dramatic history of this place and also a good example of people solidarity and passion to keep your heritage alive. Highly recommended to visit a local brasserie. Easy to find a parking spot. Suggest to spend at least half a day, including outdoor premises.

Our last full day in France gave us the gift we had been waiting for… a beautiful sunny day with blue skies and one final castle. But not just any castle… it feels like we saved the most fabulous one for last. • Today we visited Château de Hautefort, a stunning 17th-century castle full of history, charm, and resilience. After a devastating fire in 1968, parts of the château were meticulously restored. It has been a true labor of love that continues today, as some rooms are still being carefully brought back to life by experts. • Between the elegant architecture, the dreamy French gardens, and the perfect weather, it felt like the cherry on top of our southern France adventure. We truly could not have asked for a better way to close this chapter!

Château Hautefort struts on its hill, all elegance and attitude. Perfect gardens, grand views — it knows it’s magnificent, and it is.

Very nicely presented chateau with access to a lot of rooms, including one the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother stayed in. Fascinating view of the roof structure inside the turrets, a short video of how the chateau burnt down shortly after it was restored in the 1960s and even a film set where you can dress up as Louis XIV. (A film about his death was being made here in 2015 the last time we visited. Ever After starring Drew Barrymore was also filmed here.) The gardens and setting are lovely too, although we didn't get chance to explore as the weather was so awful. Takes about 2 hours to see the inside of the chateau if you dawdle.The lady in the ticket office spoke French, English and Spanish and was extremely nice and helpful.

We really enjoyed our day at Chateau Hautefort. We received a warm welcome from the lady in the ticket office and then walked through to the impeccable courtyard where even the gravel had been raked! Lots of information available about the restoration and fire (the film was particularly informative) and a room dedicated to all the films that have been made there. We had lunch in the restaurant which was good value for money but presumably you could take a picnic into the grounds where there are lots of tables and chairs. The French formal garden was so pretty with a pink and purple colour scheme, topiary and box hedging. We then walked through the English style park where we felt lucky to see carpets of cyclamen under the trees.

Beautiful chateau and garden, not huge we spend about an hour and then got some drink. They are very considerate for people with some walking limit and allow driving to the gate to drop them.