Take the slow train 20 minutes from busy Nantes, southward to where several rivers intersect, each with a lush hiking trail beside it. Here, you’ll find Clisson – a town of about 6,000 sprawling across the riverbanks and up the hill around a Medieval castle, preserved in ruins and not nearly as well known as many of its Loire Valley neighbors.
If you’ve come to France for castles, here’s an off-the-beaten-track one worth exploring.
Even better, its historic occupants included a French noblewoman named Jeanne de Clisson. Her claim to fame is that when the French king unjustly executed her husband, she traded this very castle in for a pirate fleet and terrorized France for something like 10 years.
In case legendary lady pirates and ancient ruins are your thing, welcome to Clisson.
![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/899/28939922838_86ea08cc46.jpg)
![](https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1750/41912905795_cb5e465657.jpg)
![wall](https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1729/41001306470_012369abc0_c.jpg)
![castle interior](https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1737/42095707504_feed3ceb21.jpg)
![](https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1722/42096064194_a979dbedc4.jpg)
![](https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1747/42762919712_4cba1cb0f2_c.jpg)
![silo](https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1750/41002429040_827002d80b.jpg)
![windows and doors](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/875/41002633390_5df1866055.jpg)
![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/891/28939993848_08c68b55af_c.jpg)
(Psst, this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something through one of my links, I get a commission at no extra cost to you.)
All photos taken with my Sony a6000.
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4 comments
thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it.
The windows! Someone is caring for this building? Thanks for the tour!
Yeah! There was actually a restoration going on in part of the facility. Part of it is a ruin (though kept up) and part is a bit more modern and still has interiors.