Forte di Fenestrelle
Forte di Fenestrelle
5
Monday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
The Fortress of Fenestrelle is the longest military fortification in Europe; nowadays thanks to Associazione San Carlo's volunteers is open to visit.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles1,566 reviews
Excellent
1,345
Very good
184
Average
25
Poor
6
Terrible
6

MichaL M
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
Absolutely fantastic place. Fortress is really magnificent. After seeing it, probably any castle in the world will be able to impress me so much. Fortress is around 80km from turin and trust me it is really worth to rent the car and drive there. The only thing worth noting is that to truly see the fortress it is necessarry to participate in guided tour which starts around 9 a.m. or 3 p.m. Guided tour lasts 3 hours or 7 hours (only starting on the morning) and trust me it is worth every $ (especially when it is so cheap compared to much inferior and more popular places)
Fortress was so fantastic that we joined guided tour in italian language (we don't speak nor understand italian :) ) just to explore it. Through 3 hours with our guide Gian (i hope i remembered correctly :D ) we were able to explore around the 30-40% of whole fortress. Even though tour was in italian Gian did great job in explaining and describing some things in english and thanks to him it was really fascinating experience :)
I recommend visiting the fortress very much. Only thing that I regret is that I did not know about the tours before coming there and I have missed the opportunity of seeing the top fort of the fortress, However thanks to that I have a reason to come back there in future which i ceirtanly will :)
Also restaurant in the fortress have nice selection of very tasty piemont most traditional dishes.
And all of this.... without enormous crowds of tourists from all over europe like in most popular italian cities. During our visit through whole day maybe we seen 50 people max....all of them from Italy :)
lier
I have been in Italy before and to this time it is the best thing i have seen there :)
Written October 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alberto Bonamico
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023
Had a great time visiting (3 hours tour) led by Gian who shared a lot of history and little stories with us. Nice exercise too climbing half the way up the fort. Highly recommended.
Written April 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

A Wandering Web Travels
Calgary, Canada178 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2018 • Business
We took the self-guided tour of the fort as there were no guided tours in English available. Tours are in Italian, German or French. We could have joined the guided tour in a foreign language that had already started but we opted not to. Instead, we took an English paper guide and walked around the fort on our own. I would have preferred a tour in English to get more out of the visit but the fort is still very impressive. It is the second longest fortification in the world next to the Great Wall of China. The stairs cannot be climbed without a guide so we went up as far as we were allowed. There is a restaurant on-site but it is not open until later in the afternoon. There are bathrooms onsite; however, I did not use them. My husband used the men's toilet and he said it was not very good. Views of the mountains are fantastic. If you want a guided tour, I suggest contacting the fort to see what tours are available and in what language.
Written April 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sue C
Totnes, UK40 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2017
We checked the website before we travelled to make sure the fort was open. Unfortunately when we got there the gates were shut and locked despite the sign saying the opening hours, which coincided with us being there. I assume it was shut because the previous day was Easter Monday and therefore a holiday, but NOWHERE did it state that it would not be open. I could've organised our trip differently, so that we could have seen the inside of the fort. My partner is ex-millitary and was very disappointed at not being able to go inside and look around and climb the 3996 steps from the bottom to the top!!!!
Written April 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kiob
Leini, Italy626 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2012 • Family
It's an amazing fortification.
starts from the bottom of the valley, where the main fort lies, and arrives at the top of the mountain.
To complete the full tour, which requires the full day, you must climb 4000 steps, so be prepared to fatigue.
the medium tour requires only 1500 steps....

unique construction that offers fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.
those who can not bring himself to face the full tour can choose the shortest route.
in any case, you can linger in the cafeteria after the visit. simple but fantastic food after the experience just made.
Written October 31, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HoustonBrad
Houston19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Fenestrelle fortresses: We took the 3 hour tour which ended up
being a 4 1/2 hour adventure. We pre-booked via email in English [--]. Reservations are required as they are not open every day, even when posted. Our tour was in Italian, but the guide was British and filled us in as we walked from point to point. Much is inside in cool stairwells, but a substantial part of the climb is outside. "Romeo", the museum
director's little spaniel led the way through out the tour! Fenestrelle is about 20 minutes from Sestriere on the road to Pinereolo.

If you aren't able to take the Fenestrelle tour, try Fort Exilles near Susa, which was a smaller companion fortress.
Written August 24, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

manux77
Brussels, Belgium44 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Family
This one-of-a-kind fortress sprawls over 3 levels connected by staircases over 600 metres of altitude, about an hour away from turin. Guided tours are available for a fraction of the price of what they would cost abroad and are run by amazing volunteer guides - ours (Michele) besides being very knowledgeable was clearly passionate about the fortress and knew plenty of interesting anecdotes to keep everyone interested. We did the 7-hour tour with our kids (aged 6 and 8) - as there are plenty of stops, they managed very well (there are plenty of stops en route, you won’t be actually walking for 7 hours). This is a gem of a place, i would love to return to see it with snow as well as to attend one of theatre shows / re-enactments that that place every few weeks. Thanks for a great day to Michele from his “bodyguards” (our kids were given the title for the day) from Belgium, we wish you all the best for the renovations of the fortress and hope that it will get the recognition (and the funding) it deserves.
Written August 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Deybi W
Alessandria, Italy315 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Couples
This place with bus from Turin it's about 2 hours, when we are come the tour for tourists close (tour for fortress) but there is one restaurant there so we spend time for gelato 🤗
Written May 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Richard A
UK46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018 • Family
Steeped in history, the fortress of Fenestrelle - sometimes called the 'Great Wall of Europe' - is a hugely impressive structure whether viewed from a distance or close up, and can be visited on a pre-booked guided tour (although usually in Italian only). The normal 'short' version takes 3+ hours, and is fantastic value for money at just 10 Euros, and a longer (7 hour) expedition is also available by arrangement. You need to be fit to tackle the climb up and down, but some parts of the main fort can also be accessed on certain days of the week if you have a mobility impairment or very young children. Thoroughly recommended.
Written April 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

nieke h
4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Couples
We went there yesterday. Travelled one houre to see the fortress. There was No english guide in the low-season. A big disappointment for us, because the selfguided tour is very Basic. It seems like there is still a lot of work in progress to make this fort Ready for welcomming many tourists. The fort looks wonderfull but i would say only worth visiting with a guide. We walked up the Hill now (sweatty!!!!) And could Have a good View from there.
Written September 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Forte di Fenestrelle - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Forte di Fenestrelle

Forte di Fenestrelle is open:
  • Thu - Mon 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Thu - Mon 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM


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