"A Castle with an Intact "Murder Hole" & More" Vitré by hquittner

We stopped in Vitre (15K pop) enroute to Mont-St.-Michel. We had a 10 yr old grandson in tow on his first trip abroad, and thought a real castle would be better to visit than another cathedral and would prepare the way for the Mont. It was raining intensely on and off , making it hard to take pictures due to rain and darkness. It also compromised walking on ramparts and town streets. On crossing the drawbridge we entered the "murder-hole"under the gate towers, which he was prepared to recognize and the rest easily followed. The primitiveness of the "good-life" in a military castle began to sink in. We did not see much of the old town but took refuge from yet another deluge in the Church of Notre Dame

Old Houses (from Church Doorway)

The Courtyard is large with a prominent supply well near its center. The castle museum is mostly in one of the towers designed for living quarters, all the way to the domed roof.

The Castle Well (from a Tower)

The Old Town should be visited. The T.O. provides a handy guide. We think that Vitre is as good a visit as Fougeres, even though we were limited by the rain.

• Pros:An Old Intact Fortress Castle
• Cons:Rain interferes with being a tourist
• In a nutshell:We managed to have fun anyway; well worth a detour.