At the top of the keep
You'll love !
- the view over the old town
- the chain of the Pyrénées
- climbing the steps
- the mediaeval atmosphere
Part of the remains of the Moncade Castle, the keep is 33 metres tall with 141 steps. It offers an exceptional viewing platform over the town of Orthez and its rectilinear traces from the early Middle Ages and its secret gardens.
Along the rue Moncade you can see the Maison Jeanne d'Albret which now houses the Jeanne d'Albret Museum and beyond that the Pont-Vieux tower proudly astride the Gave de Pau.
The Moncade Castle terraces reveal the steep roofs of the town covered with rectangular or fishtail roman tiles. Hipped roofs, decorative friezes below the roofs protecting the walls in the absence of gutters.
Beyond the town the Béarnais countryside stretches far and the Lacq basin can be seen.
In good weather the Pyrénées give the final touch to the landscape.
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Orthez, once capital of Béarn -
The Moncade Castle in Orthez -
The keep of the Moncade Castle, stronghold of Gaston Fébus -
The steep roofs of Orthez
