Chateau de Puivert, Puivert

The castle itself is nice and well worth a visit. It is small, but with the exception of part of the wall well preserved. The young lady playing a rendition of medieval music was a nice touch. The plastic boards in some windows, the car and horse in the courtyard a bit less. The first being in the way of good pictures and the second rather overly friendly. The young teen boy claiming to be the owner and therefore entitled to go outside the fences a weird touch. I somehow don't think that that would protect him from sliding down a steep hill. In short: nice place, easy access and giving a good impression of what a castle was.

I wasted 7euros on this ruin, there are 4 chambers you can visit but nothing special to see. Only pleasant aspect was a lady always and a guy playing some type of old instruments in one of the chambers, still not worth the money. And you can't climb on the roof for the best view. Of course you won't get a receipt and you can only pay cash.

The weather during our visit was very changeable. The heavy drizzle in between created a suitable atmosphere, because life was certainly not comfortable back then. Luckily the castle is not only made of old stones - although it already looks very dilapidated - it also offers a kind of museum on four floors in one of the big towers. That way we stayed dry and were able to familiarize ourselves even better with life back then. Knight's hall, music hall and a chapel with many original props. Don't forget your flashlight at your smart phone! Just as the driveway to the parking lot with a 12% gradient and a one-lane road is not for everyone, the castle and the stairs to the floors are guaranteed not to be barrier-free. But the view and the atmosphere were unique and fortunately there weren't that many other tourists there in this weather. The 7€ entrance fee per person is justified, because such a castle cannot survive without support.

Really quite an amazing place. The owner was very engaging and talked with my friends for an hour about the historical context. It was obviously a defensive structure, but also played a role in the culture of the roaming poets and singers known as troubadours. It would still make a fantastic venue for concerts, as inside the walls is enough space for a soccer match. The château existed in the early 12th century when Eleanor of Aquitaine visited, but must be much older. Highly recommend.

Quite an interesting visit. The castle (the parts you can visit) is not very big but you get to see some nice, rather well-preserved rooms (meeting hall, chapel, etc.).