invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish
Château de Foix — The castle’s three stone towers rise above the rocky hillsidePhoto: Tournasol7 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · edited
Watch · 8

Château de Foix

Castles & palaces ·Foix ·Open now
4.49.4K
#1Things to do in FoixMost reviewed in FoixTravelers' Choice 2026
  • Visit: 3–4 hours

Adulte EUR 13.50 · Enfant EUR 10 · Etudiant (Pour les -26 ans) EUR 11

Tickets from EUR 13.50
Make a plan here
Directions Website Call Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

Is this your place? Get the badge for your website

About

Château de Foix is a medieval fortress on a rocky platform above Foix in Ariège, southern France.

More photos 11

1 / 11
Château de Foix — The castle stands on its rocky hill above Foix Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Château de Foix — The castle stands on its rocky hill above FoixChâteau de Foix — The castle’s towers rise above the town rooftopsChâteau de Foix — The castle seen across rooftops from the townChâteau de Foix — The castle above Foix, with historic buildings in the foregroundChâteau de Foix — A street view framed by houses leading toward the castleChâteau de Foix — The castle on its hill beneath a cloud-covered mountainChâteau de Foix — The castle and surrounding town beneath dark cloudsChâteau de Foix — Stone arches and fortified walls below the castleChâteau de Foix — A rounded stone castle tower with an arched entranceChâteau de Foix — A small doorway set into the castle’s stone wallChâteau de Foix — The castle towers partly screened by trees

Why go

  • A 2,000-square-metre museum about the Counts of Foix at the castle’s foot.
  • Daily workshops at the three towers, led by characters dressed as medieval figures.

Plan your visit

Prices

AdulteEUR 13.50
EnfantEUR 10
Etudiant (Pour les -26 ans)EUR 11
Famille nombreuse (Valable pour 2 adultes et 2 enfants)EUR 43

From the venue's website · checked 20 Oct 2026

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 18:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 18:00
Tuesday10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday10:00 – 18:00
Thursday10:00 – 18:00
Friday10:00 – 18:00
Saturday10:00 – 18:00
Sunday10:00 – 18:00

Don't miss

  • Drum winchClimb into the wheel to help lift stone blocks weighing up to a tonne.Between two castle towers
  • Count’s throneSit on the throne for a photo.Furnished castle rooms
  • Book of the Hunt displayTouch the illuminated pages to bring illustrated animals and birds to life with movement, sound and light.Museum at the foot of the castle
  • Prisoners’ graffitiCarved marks remain visible on cell walls.Dungeon rooms in the round tower

Know before you go

  • Pets are not allowed.

What's inside

  • Explore the ceremonial hall, count’s chamber, armoury, scriptorium and dungeon.
  • The museum explores the county, town and castle, Catharism, medieval daily life, legends and court culture, including the counts and their wives.
  • The departmental collections include prehistoric, Gallo-Roman and medieval objects.
  • The heroism exhibition brings together Hercules, comic-book heroes, Fébus, knights and goddesses.

Tips for your visit

  • Allow three to four hours for the castle and museum.
  • Find the stonecutting demonstration below the round tower, where medieval builders’ tools and techniques are explained.
  • The outdoor machine workshops explain how the siege and construction equipment worked.

With kids

  • Games, videos and interactive exhibits help tell the counts’ stories.
  • The weapons workshop introduces the bow and crossbow used in Fébus’s era.

Interesting facts3

1/3
  1. 2018

    Full-scale machines on the terraces were built on site in summer 2018 using period tools and techniques.

    Château de Foix, visit, prices and tickets - Ariège tourist sites

  2. Custom-made castle furnishings draw on archival research and known medieval collections.

    Château de Foix, Besuch, Preise und Tickets - Sehenswürdigkeiten von Ariège

  3. By the mid-15th century, the round tower or part of it held the county archives.

    Château de Foix - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The fortress helped its rulers control routes into the upper Ariège valley and watch over the lower country. The counts later moved their main residence to Orthez and Pau.

  1. 7th c.The earliest known military remains on the rocky site date to the 7th century.
  2. 987The castle is documented from 987.
  3. 1002Roger I left the fortress to his son Bernard.
  4. 1034Foix became the chief town of the county.
  5. 1211–1212The castle resisted Simon de Montfort’s assaults.
Show all
  1. 1214The castle was handed to the papal legate and opened to Simon de Montfort.
  2. 1218The Count of Foix regained the castle.
  3. 1272Roger Bernard III capitulated after Philip III’s two-day siege; the castle was not taken by force.
  4. 1362Gaston Fébus imprisoned nobles captured at Launac until their ransoms were paid.
  5. 15th c.The castle became the seat of the Governor of the Foix region.
  6. 1486The castle was taken through treachery during a Foix family conflict, its only capture.
  7. 1840The castle became a protected historic monument.
  8. 1862The castle’s use as a prison ended.
  9. 1864The site briefly became a poorhouse.
  10. 1930The castle began housing collections of the Ariège departmental museum.

Tours and audio guides

Self-guided museum audio
French, English, Spanish, Catalan, Dutch and German · free Access the commentary on your smartphone through the museum’s private network and room signs.

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair access The museum is fully wheelchair accessible; Château de Foix is not.
  • Pushchairs Pushchairs cannot pass through Château de Foix; a baby carrier is recommended.

Sources: Château de Foix - Wikipedia · Foix - Wikivoyage (see) · Château de Foix, visit, prices and tickets - Ar… · Château de Foix, Visite, Tarifs et Billets - Si… · Château de Foix, Besuch, Preise und Tickets - S… · Burg Foix - Wikipedia · Château de Foix - Wikipedia · checked 6 Oct 2026

Where
Place du Palais de Justice, Foix, 09000

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Where is the entrance address?

Place du Palais de Justice, 09000 Foix.

Why is one tower called Tour Pointue?

Count Roger II built the second tower, named for its pointed corner turret.

What is the Livre de la Chasse?

Gaston Fébus’s Book of the Hunt reflects his passion for hunting and became part of his legacy.

What period does the museum’s dynasty story cover?

It runs from Bernard around the year 1000 to 1589, when Henri de Navarre became King Henri IV of France.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…