Château Gaillard

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 café with the most delicious crepes I have ever had (unfortunately I can’t remember the name and wasn’t able to find them on Unilocal). 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.

Spectacular views of the château, 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 château.
The entrance fee isn’t expensive, but if you’re feeling extra frugal, it is possible to walk around the château 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 château entrance, too, but the place is small enough that if this happened after-​hours (e.g., we went around the outside of the château 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.

We’re Men, We’re Men in TIGHTS tights TIGhts
It’s a bit of a hike to visit the 600 year old ruins of Richard the Lionhearted’s Château, but the gentle king that influenced the fable of Robin Hood certainly had a cool crib. Also the view of the seine is breathtaking!

Attention le château est en travaux et il n’y pas grand intérêt à payer l’entrée. En revanche le site est magnifique et le château superve n’hésitez pas à en faire le tour.

C’est le château de Richard Coeur de Lion au XIIème siècle quand la Normandie était encore anglaise. Maintenant, ce n’est plus qu’une ruine mais surplombe la vallée de Angelys offrant aux visiteurs un panorama d’exception.

lieu intéressant historiquement et pour ceux qui aiment les vieilles pierres et les ruines. La vue est très belle (sur la ville et la Seine). La plupart de la visite est gratuite, il faut payer pour voir la tour intérieure ce qui né vaut pas trop le coup à mon avis. L’ensemble est à voir et à prolonger par une balade dans la forêt (dont parcours de santé) par laquelle on accède en montant derrière le château.

A voir. Beaux panoramas, et château fort qui fait rêver les enfants A recommander

Château-​fort appartenant à Richard Cœur de Lyon.
L’extérieur du château est en visite libre tout au long de l’année, l’intérieur est en visite payante de Mars à Novembre.
On peut admirer les restes du Château et on a une magnifique vue.