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Other Places to see in the Neighbourhood
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Château
de la Madeleine
La Madeleine Mansion is set in a romantic park full of rock-work and
basins that stretch down to the Seine.
A priory used to rise there : it had been built by Saint Adjutor around
1130 and was dedicated to Saint Madeleine. Later it was replaced by
various other constructions. In the 19 th century,
Baroness Thénard had the place embellished with a colonnade,
turrets, a tower and mosaics.
The mansion, which belonged to Casimir Delavigne, a late19th c. poet
and playwright, welcomed famous guests among whom were Clemenceau and
Monet.
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Château de la
Madeleine
27510 Pressagny l'Orgueilleux
Phone : 06 60 47 67 88
Fax : 01 44 63 08 89
http://www.chateau-+madeleine.com/
Visits in July
and August : 10 - 12h and 14 - 18h, except Mondays.
Groups all the year round.
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How to go there : From Vernon, cross the Seine, and turn left
at the roundabout towards Beauvais / Gisors. (From Giverny, drive back
to Vernon, which takes you to the roundabout) At the next traffic lights
( 300 / 400 m farther) turn left towards Les Andelys. The mansion is
4 km away, just before driving into Pressagny l'Orgueilleux.
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Park
of Château de Saint-Just
A garden around
a manor house already existed in 1696. Château de Saint-Just was
later a home for old people where the Duke of Penthièvre used
to lodge his old servants at the end of the 18th century. Later still
, La Horie, one of Napoleon's generals lived there with Sophie Trébuchet,
better known as madame Hugo, the great writer's mother. La Horie is
also notorious for taking part in Mallet's conspiration against Napoloen
: many royalist meetings with the envoys of the exiled Princes and of
general Moreau took place there.
The park - by
Coutant d'Ivry, the architect of Château de Bizy - is structured
by several terraces allowing different viewpoints, particularly over
the Seine valley. The three water alleys make up the most interesting
part of the visit with water cascading down the hill, each alley exhibiting
different patterns. They alleys lead to a waterfall and a large lake
that mirrors an enormous copper beech, more than 9 metres in circumference
In the English
park planted with beautiful trees a number of ornamental buildings are
scattered here and there (dairy house, ice-house, Renaissance tomb,
etc…). One also visits the kitchen garden with its rows of lavender.
The park of
the château is one of those places that definitely deserve to
be better known.
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Opening dates
: June 2nd - July 31st, 15h- 18h every day. Groups only by appointment
from May to September.
Phone : 01 47 27 73
60 and 02 32 52 21 52
Château
de Saint Just, 100 years ago... and today
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How to go
there : from Vernon take the direction of Rouen over the main road
(green signs) not over the motorway (blue signs) Two kilometres after
being out of Vernon, turn left into a tree-lined avenue leading straight
up to the chateau. (It is theoretically forbidden to turn left at this
very place…. You may drive somewhat farther to make a half turn
and come back to the avenue - on your right , this time.)
Château
de la Roche-Guyon
Château de la
Roche-Guyon More than one thousand years elapsed between the first castle
dug into the cliff and the mansion we can see today. A 12th century
keep, overlooking the valley and linked to the lower part by a secret
underground passage, large drawing rooms adorned with tapestries, smaller
rooms, an orangery dug into the cliff, a grand entrance, large stables
and so many other things among which Rommels's bunkers during World
War II, a recently-restored vegetable garden, visits at night during
which, dressed as in the past, the people who made the history of the
place are back to welcome you…
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Open
every day from mid April to mid November from 10 to 18h ( 19h
on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays) Low season: open every
day from 10 to 16h (17h on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays)
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How
to go there: From Vernon, cross the river and run right towards
Giverny Magny en Vexin at the roundabout. Continue on D5. When
driving around Gasny, leave the road to Magny en Vexin on the
left and continue straight ahead (small road with La Roche Guyon
signpost) Drive up a small hill at the top of which it is highly
recommended to stop a few minutes to have a look at a grand panorama
over the Seine valley (photo) before you drive down to la Roche
Guyon
Careful: very steep hill - Car parks at the entrance of the village
just before the mansion. (11 km from Vernon)
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Les Andelys
Even without the famous ruins of Château Gaillard, this small town is
worth a visit.
Of course, visitors drive up to Château Gaillard to evoke its historic
role but also to discover the spectacular panorama over the Seine
valley. (Stop at the first car park, just beyond the forest) ( By foot:
if you decide to walk up to the castle, do not hesitate to go on walking
up to the upper car park where the view is even more exceptional than
from the castle)
At the foot of the castle, Le Petit Andely deserves a short visit (half-timbered
houses, interesting early 13th c. church) but do not miss a stroll along
the Seine embankment lined with nice houses. In Le Grand Andely (the
main part of the town, 1 km away) also visit Our Lady collegiate church,
a beautiful mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles.
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Les Andelys Tourist Office
Rue Philippe Auguste - Phone / Fax 02 32 54 41 93
How to get there
from Vernon: cross the Seine and turn left at the roundabout
(towards Beauvais). Turn left at the next traffic lights about
300/400m farther. Les Andelys is about 30 km away.
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Gisors
Two main sites
attract visitors to this history-laden medieval city:
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The castle,
a rare example of medieval military architecture that has remained
in a wonderful state of repair : powerful high-rising walls, a keep
standing on a mound ( free access to the top), several towers which
can be visited (guided tour) to walk down into dark cells and dungeons,
some of them adorned with mysterious graffiti. The castle is certainly
the right place to evoke the Knights Templar and their mysterious
treasure or the wars between Richard Lionhearted of England and
Philippe Auguste of France.
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Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais
church is almost as large as a cathedral with parts dating from the
13th and 15th centuries and a magnificent Renaissance facade. The church
also preserves interesting artefacts (statues, stained glass, etc),
Tourist Office 4 rue du Général de Gaulle
Tél : 02 32 27 60 63 - Fax : 02 32 27 60 75
http://www.villegisors.com
Direct acces
fromVernon is over the river bridge and left at the roundabout (direction
of Beauvais / Gisors.) Gisors is 35 km away on D 181. However there
exists a longer route (both in kilometres, 40 km instead of 35, and
in time, 1h30 instead of 45mn) but it is also much nicer. (Recommended
- see below)
Gisors via
the Epte valley
In Vernon, cross
the Seine. At the roundabout turn right towards Giverny / Magny en Vexin.
Drive past Giverny, around Gasny, still towards Magny en Vexin on D5
( becoming soon D37), on a little road following the Epte valley.
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About 1 km after Amenucourt,
turn left towards Fourges: a few hundred metres farther there
is an old mill in a romantic setting ( an excellent restaurant
too, by the way) Come back to the Magny en Vexin road and 3 or
4 km farther, after an important crossroad towards Chaussy / Villarceaux
(on the right) et Bray-Lu ( on the left), leave the Magny en Vexin
road and bear left (still on D 37) towards Montreuil sur Epte
/ Saint Clair sur Epte.
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While driving through
Montreuil sur Epte, notice the church (on the right hand side)
picturesquely built at the top of a flight of steps. When nearing
Saint Clair sur Epte, one can see the ruins of a 12th c. castle
on the other side of the valley.
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Drive into Saint Clair
sur Epte whose Romanesque church (in a small square on the right)
deserves a few minutes' stop. About 100 m after the church, bear
left towards Gisors (still on D37). The road follows the Epte
river before running through the plain and arriving in Gisors
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