Visible from miles around, this 12th-century fortress towers gloriously above Beynac on its clifftop perch. The views from its battlements are a big draw and the interior retains a sparse, medieval feel, with decor limited to carved fireplaces, wooden coffer-trunks and the odd tapestry, helping visitors to imagine how tough life once was even for wealthier knights.
Scenes from Luc Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1998) were shot in the castle.
