An imposing curtain wall punctuated by towers encloses this glorious medieval fortress, which is still home to an army garrison. The square keep was begun by Philippe VI and completed in the 14th century by Charles V, who added the curtain wall.
Henry V died here in 1422, and Louis XIII used the château for hunting expeditions and had the Pavillon du Roi and Pavillon de la Reine built by Louis Le Vau.
After years of renovations, the château has finally re-opened to reveal Europe's tallest dungeon tower. Although much of the fine detail has been lost, you still get a haunting sense of what life might have been like for Charles V who lived in the tower's upper floors. The castle's 14th-century chapel, the "Sainte-Chapelle" is stunningly beautiful - a flamboyant structure built by Charles V (although he died before it was finished leaving it to be inaugurated by Henri II in 1552) intended to house the relics of the Passion and thus turn Vincennes into the second capital of the kingdom.