Chateaux Chillon

The Chateaux de Chillon, near Montreaux is, according to their website, the most visited historical monument in Switzerland.

The weather was sadly not great today, cloudy and overcast so the pictures are not as stunning as they could have been. On a clear day there is a fantastic view of the Alps from Chillon, as you can see on the website.

We went with our two children, 8 years and 6 years and I would say that it is a good age for visiting a castle. They were fascinated by the dungeons, the secret passages, the latrines (as only 6 year old boys can be).

I was slightly disappointed that the castle was not more furnished, as I find that very interesting – to see how it would have looked. There was a small cafe in the castle grounds, and the souvenir shop sold good quality, interesting items, not just cheap tat.

Dogs are not allowed in the castle. There is an area outside of the grounds where dogs may be left, but we preferred to leave Daphne in the car for an hour as it was quite cold outside and we are a bit paranoid about her being stolen (we have been warned not to leave her outside of shops as thieves steal small dogs).

We spent just over an hour touring the castle. If we had been there alone then we could easily have spent two or even three hours there wandering around with the iPod tour guide. There is a children’s map and guide, but it was quite rudimentary with not an awful lot of information. There are lots of signs and displays giving information in French, German and English.