This forbidding medieval castle, once home to the counts and dukes of Savoy, now houses the Préfecture and Conseil Général of the Savoie département . The gardens and the Cour d'Honneur (courtyard) are open free-of-charge, but to see the 14th- and 15th-century Tour Trésorerie (Treasury Tower) and the stained glass inside the Ste-Chapelle , built in the 15th century to house the Shroud of Turin, you have to take a tour.
Guided tours begin at the château's Acceuil des Guides office in July and August and at the old town's Hôtel de Condon , around the corner from the cathedral, the rest of the year.
In the small exhibition, scale models, engravings and paintings present the history and architecture of the château.
The chapel's 70-bell Grand Carillon (1993), one of the largest ensembles of bells in the world, peals in concert on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month at 5.30pm (more frequently in summer).
