Forte di Bard
Forte di Bard
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
Fortress of Bard complex is the protagonist of a wide project aimed at the creation of a cultural pole in the Western Alps of Italy. From impregnable defence for the valley the Fortress has been transformed into a gateway to the Alps’ culture and traditions, with a museum centre in the forefront of the international scenery dedicated to the mountain. Nowadays the Fortress offers only a part of the several activities planned by the project, whose purpose is to bring together innovative cultural spaces, services and accommodation in one single structure. To complete the project, in addition to the Museum of the Alps, The Children’s Alps, and the space for temporary exhibitions, Fortress of Bard will host two other museums (Frontiers Museum; Fortress Museum), an info-point to promote the cultural artistic heritage of Valle d’Aosta Region (already working); a school area provided with a lecture room for lessons, meetings and film projections; two conference rooms; a media centre; historical and thematic paths; a small refined hotel, a restaurant and a café (already working).
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles2,853 reviews
Excellent
1,465
Very good
1,003
Average
254
Poor
88
Terrible
43

Micky981
Bristol, UK328 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2012 • Friends
The Bastion of Bart is something of huge:

the location creates something of Majestic around this massive architecture.
It's extremely fascinating, but the interior is modern: the bastion is used like art gallery, not always related to the castle life. Be always careful in case of congress.

It's just my point of view, but it's a shame that the interior have been modernized.
Written November 23, 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.

Melanie D
Harrogate, England, United Kingdom61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2012 • Friends
This is a museum of all aspects of Alpine life, which has been created with the most wonderful technology. Glass lifts take you up to the museum, with spectacular views, and once there you can immerse yourself in the Alps - "fly" over the pastures, see the wildlife, how people lived, the history of mountaineering etc. You must not miss the opportunity to visit.
Written July 3, 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.

phat_dawg_21
Alpharetta, GA13,464 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2011 • Couples
We were driving up from the Barolo wine region and our plan was to stop at some of the castles before we reached Aosta. I had researched several and the first one we came to was Forte di Bard.
From our research on the internet, it looked like the museum was not that exciting so we passed on that but we did ride the series of lifts (free) up to the fortress at the top, and then we walked down through the various levels which constituted its defenses.
You could not pick a better place to build a fortress. The mountain sides fall steeply to form the narrow gorge where a small river flows. At the widest part of this valley sits a huge “rock” which effectively chokes down the already narrow space available for the movement of goods or armies. The village formed along the river and a series of fortresses were built on top if this rock.

This has been a strong point of defense since at least Roman times because it sits on the major route between the Roman world and Celtic Gaul. The first fortifications that exist today date from the 6th century. Additional fortifications were added in the late 10th century. There are documents from 1034 referencing it which makes it one of the oldest references to a castle in the Aosta valley.

Today the fortress at the top and the buildings rising up the “rock” are in very good condition. Since 2006, the fortress has been used as a convention and meeting center and an exhibit hall.

The medieval village below the fortress was more interesting than the fortress. It is easy to see that this was once a very wealthy town. Because it sat on one of the principal trade routes between southern and northern Europe, the noblemen who owned the castle controlled the flow of traffic through the valley, and allowed passage only after the payment of tariffs and tolls.
Many of the buildings at this end of the village date from the 16th century.
Written October 25, 2011
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.

Belatu
Newcastle, Australia74 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
This is a truly impressive fortress that has been made easily accessible with lifts etc But if you are interested in Castles or fortification or military history you will be disappointed as most of this site has become the museum of the alps and little of the fortress is accessible without visiting the museum. Worth the visit though
Written July 31, 2011
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.

Naiara2013
Criciuma, SC32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020 • Solo
I visited this Forte and was an incredible history and view from there. I absolutely recommend visiting it.
Written August 16, 2020
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.

Trvlr_USUK
London, UK162 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019
A great place to visit while touring the Aosta Valley as there are 3 separate attractions to visit in the same place. First is the actual fortress with pretty surrounding views, next is the science-friendly Museum of the Alps that interested both the kids and the adults.
However the most enjoyable one with my family was 'The Ferdinando'. This museum covers military history of the Western Alp frontiers going all the way back to Roman times. We easily spent 3 hours here.
Written November 11, 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.

Sean F
Limerick, Ireland350 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Couples
We visited here on our way down from the mountains.
It is one of the few castles in the area that you can visit without going on a guided tour.
You can go from the village to the top of the fort by taking three funicular carriages.
These are free and the views are amazing.
The fort itself is very impressive and interesting.
If you have time go for a stroll around Bard village.
Written July 28, 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.

travellingsloths
Seattle, WA310 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Couples
This very well renovated fort can be visited without a ticket but you would miss out a lot! You must go view the Museum of fortification to understand the importance of the fort and the castle in the valley.
We stayed in the hotel of the officiers of Cavour, which included the ticket to the exhibits and must have spent 3 hours in the Alps and in the Fortification museums.
Written April 14, 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.

Liz O
Orinda, CA151 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019 • Family
This is a fine stop if you are driving by, but I would not go out of your way. The fort is interesting to view, but there is very little information provided about the fort itself so we didn't learn much. It was just a nice walk to the top. The space seems to be used mostly for exhibits, which we didn't pay to view.
Written January 6, 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.

jerseyjazz
New Jersey705 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2018 • Friends
Plan to spend a few hours. It is great fun to take the funiculars from level to level, then walk all the way down from the top. These things are free; the exhibits cost extra. Views are spectacular! Be sure also to walk through the borgo. There is a serviceable snack bar/cafeteria. During the week you may be able to park in the small parking structure underneath, but beware that the ramps are very narrow. It it easier to park along the road and walk a half-mile or so.
Written August 11, 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.

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