Other places to see in the neighbourhood

 

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.

Château de la Madeleine 27510 Pressagny l'Orgueilleux Phone : 06 60 47 67 88 Fax : 01 44 63 08 89 www.chateaudelamadeleine.com Visits in July and August : 10 - 12h and 14 - 18h, except Mondays. Groups all the year round.

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.

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

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…

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)

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)

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.

Les Andelys Tourist Office - Rue Philippe Auguste - Tél / 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.

Gisors

Two main sites attract visitors to this history-laden medieval city:

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.

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.

	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.
	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.
	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