Fort l'Écluse — Attraction in Gex

An interesting building/location and wonderful views across the area - if you’re brave enough to walk up the 850+ steps.

You’re not allowed access to the top fort - I think this is only for people who’ve paid extra (a lot extra!) to do the ‘parcour’ tour, so that was a bit disappointing. There’s so much scope for having in depth exhibitions on the history of the the fort and its military occupants and having an actual museum (which is what I’d expected) but this was minimal - instead there was a small wildlife photography exhibition and an exhibition on global weather systems - which was unexpected and a bit odd!

There were also loads of empty rooms and some covered in graffiti.

The highlight is the view from the top, just below the upper fort and this is what you are essentially paying for. If you don’t want to/or can’t walk up the 850+ steps I would not bother paying for entry as there is not really much else to see or do inside the building - once you’ve looked in one dusty empty room you’ve seen them all - You can take in the grandeur and location of the building without actually going inside.

Be aware the parking area is quite small and if you have an RV or it’s busy you may have to park on one of the lay-bys on the...

Really worth going to for both Walker and climbers. The castle is full of history and there is great scenery from the outside. Also included are a multitude of art gallery and an exhibit about the local bats in the area. All placed carefully into the old castle in interior. The castle is split in two. the lower castle which cover most of the ground floor, exhibits and gallery's and much of the castle. and the castle superior at the top. The castle sections are connected by tunnels that lead up and are alot of steps so be wary of this. From the castle superior you get fantastic views of the valley and well worth the hard walk. much of the castle superior is currently inaccessible though but still worth getting there. There is also something for climbers which I couldn't try at the time but i believe its about climbing on top or towards the top of the castle superior and costs slightly different. For walkers...

The expositions are not as interesting as in other chateaux, they are random (e.g.one was about lightning and storms) and not really related to the purpose/history of the fort. There were however a few info boards aling the way. The climb of 830 steps of stairs is challenging, there's no cheat, if you want to get to the top, the only way is to go up all those stairs. Many, many flights of stairs that will take you almost to the top. The fort has about 1000-smth stairs but beyond 830 they're closed to the public unless you buy some kind of tour which I didn't really understand what it was since the explanation was in French. People also do rock climbing there, maybe they get to the very top. The views are nice, the descend is harsh of you have knee issues. If you climb to the top, take a pic as proof and show it to the staff at the café/boutique, they'll sign you a...