Our river cruise ship docked in the town of Les Andelys and we were given the opportunity to visit the remains of Château Gaillard. This was an impressive medieval castle built by the English, led by Richard the Lionheart, in 1198 and overtaken by the French in a siege in 1204. The 30 minute hike up the hill to the strategic as well as scenic overlook was a great way to get some countryside fresh air as well as your fitness steps for the day. The state of the art castle was built in only 2 years. There's a lot of medieval history to be taken in here, and we were nicely treated to a 45 minute video documentary on the place before our arrival and that certainly enhanced the visit. read more

Château Gaillard - Enjoying the views from the castle elevation. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

This little town was a stop on our river cruise. It was an overcast day, and my daughter and I had enough of looking at old ruins so we headed into town to go shopping, while my fiancé and son chose to go explore the ruin. There is a very scenic riverwalk along the one side of the town, which we strolled down at the start of our shopping adventure. We did experience a quick downpour, so we ran into the town church to get out of the rain. It's a beautiful, beautiful, quaint little church, with nice stained glass windows. Would highly recommend a peek inside if you're at that end of the town. The town itself is very small, but it had several very unique antique shops, and various boutiques where I picked up scarves and purses, and other mementos. One in particular, right near the hotel, virtually everything was hand sewn by the owner. Lots of great linens and other items to choose from. I bought several gifts for friends back home, along with sachets and other items. This was probably my most favorite little shopping adventure on our entire river cruise. My fiancé and son trooped all the way up to the ruin in the pouring rain, but they thought it was a great opportunity to see the views and do some exploring. We really enjoyed our afternoon in this little town and would highly recommend it! read more

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While my husband and I were in France a couple months ago, we spent one afternoon exploring the old part of Les Andelys. This is a very charming town with a handful of shops and a cafe with the most delicious crepes I have ever had (unfortunately I can't remember the name and wasn't able to find them on Yelp). Even though we were sleepy after our shopping and eating, of course we had to haul ourselves up the big hill to see the famous castle of the English King Richard. It is quite a steep climb and we definitely got our cardio for the day but we are not in the best shape so if we could make it then anyone can. At the top I was surprised to find the castle was completely in ruins. From down below near the river it looks intact. It was still pretty neat to see it and the amazing views made the climb well worth it. You could see the whole Seine River valley. Everything from farms to vacation houses to riparian wild lands were visible. The countryside was quintessentially French and breathtakingly beautiful. I highly recommend a stop here if you are in the area and have the time for a hike. read more

We walked up to the castle ruins - beautiful views of Les Andelys and the Seine river. It was quite a hike uphill, but well worth the effort. Our tour guide told us all about the history of the castle. After seeing the castle, you can walk down to Les Andelys and have a treat from the Patisserie! read more

Spectacular views of the chateau, Seine River, and village on the way up. There's not much shade, but if you're not afraid of the sun and heat, it's a great spot for a picnic either before or after visiting the chateau. The entrance fee isn't expensive, but if you're feeling extra frugal, it is possible to walk around the chateau via trails running along the exterior. Considering that it's free, you do get to see a fair bit up close. If you're willing to pay, you get to see a bit more. However, realize that it is a pretty small site so unless you want to sit in the shade of the windows to take in the views for a while (recommended, we got a really cool and refreshing breeze), it will still probably be a short visit... We came here after spending the morning in Giverny at Monet's gardens and didn't feel rushed. If not for the fact that we had to file a police report (see last paragraph), it would have been a very leisurely day for us, even with having to drive back to Paris that night. The English brochure isn't terribly helpful or engaging; it read like a bulletpoint list, so I suggest reading up beforehand or consulting Google if you have cellular data. I do NOT suggest parking in the smaller, closer lot. It's sheltered by trees and feels more secluded. Perhaps that is why someone felt safe to break our car window to steal our stuff, even though we kept our things hidden in the trunk. The burglar seemed a bit more sophisticated; it was a smash-and-grab, but they broke through the small window that some cars have before the front passenger window so that it was less obvious, and bent the frame there to gain access. They also only took our electronics. Ours appears to have been the only car broken into, as I didn't see shattered glass anywhere else. This marred our experience quite a bit. We were lucky that someone else came by so we could borrow their cellphone (ours didn't work because we were visiting from a foreign country) to call the police. We could probably have backtracked to the chateau entrance, too, but the place is small enough that if this happened after-hours (e.g., we went around the outside of the chateau after it closed before coming back to the parking lo), I would bet that the employees would have left and we'd be out of luck. read more