Château du Roi René

The Château du Roi René, King emblematic of the Middle Ages and the Hundred Years War, is the main monument of the town of Tarascon, in the Bouches-du-Rhone department. Located on the banks of the Rhone on a limestone rock, it is certainly one of the most beautiful and best preserved castles in France. The construction of this imposing castle dates from the Middle Ages, in 1400, following the wish of the king René, son of Louis II d'Anjou. He wanted to transform the original castle into a palace.

Thus, visitors can observe the mixture of a magnificent style between Gothic and Renaissance style of this gem. Note that the Château du Roi René also served as a prison until the nineteenth century. To get inside of this impregnable fortress with thick walls and surrounded by moats, visitors must pass through an old drawbridge, which has three arches across a moat, and arrive in the magnificent courtyard with its beautiful arches and busts of King René and Jeanne de Laval. The castle has beautiful decors including unique series of tapestries of the seventeenth century, which trace the life of Scipion.