In France for 2 Weeks - Overwhelmed! Interested in all things Medieval - Any Recommendations?
 

Hello,

I will be in France by myself for 2 weeks before heading to Greece. I am a bit overwhelmed by my France Travel Book. A few days in Paris for sure, but then....not sure where to start. I am particularly interested in medieval sites and restored villages with loads of character/architecture. Any suggestions?

Thank you. This forum is awesome and appreciated!

Murphy.

Do you plan on renting a car?? The Dordogne & Lot river area has scads of Medieval architecture

Stu Dudley

Two answers, not evenly vaguely close to each other: Chateau Gaillard above Les Andelys, overlooking the Seine - - and Aigues Mortes in (? near?) the Camargue.

And for pseudo-medieval, Chateau du Haut Koeningbourg above St. Hippolyte in Alsace (actually built in the 1890's, to look medieval).

Others will have comments on Carcassonne (I have never been there) - - always seems to incite a lot of passions about its "authenticity" (not)...

Best wishes,

Rex

Someone will no doubt suggest Beaune, in Burgundy, and assuming you'll have a car, I offer this only in case it particularly interests you, as there are countless other places which will also fit your bill. There's a village we stumbled upon in Burgundy that's in the process of being restored by the government. I don't remember the name, but it's within a few miles of Tazay (sp?), seemed south-southwest of Beaune maybe 30 miles. It had a medieval church (small) with (very) faded frescoes inside. Village was on a hill.

Sarlat-la-Canada in Perigord Noir. A little touristy, but still..."the most perfectly restored Medieval Village in all of France."

Murphy, while in Paris, do try to visit the Musée national du Moyen Âge, where you'll find the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, a stunning exhibit of the heads of the Kings of Judah, and many other spectacular medieval artifacts.

Anselm

tomboy - the village may be Brancion which is close to Macon. There are ruins of a tenth-century feudal castle, a small beautiful church with frescoes, and breathtaking views of the Morvan hills.
We were there in 1998 before any of the restoration had started. We were back last fall (2004) and couldn't believe all the restoration that had taken place. The church is beautifully restored and the grounds around the church (graveyard) as well. The castle (which we walked through in l998) was in process of being restored. Unfortunately we were unable to tour the castle again because of the restoration. This is a beautiful village - only a few people live here. There is a small hotel that serves lunch, and we were able to eat here both visits. Brancion is one of favorite small villages in France.

Also don't miss the basement of the Louvre for the foundations of the original medieval fortress and throughout Paris you can track down and find remnants of the original medieval city walls. google on the internet as there I found for our trip last year explanations of the Louvre and maps to find the wall. The closest part of the wall to where we stayed was in the 4th arrondissement but there are quite a number throughout the city.

For outside Paris, especially if you didn't want to go too far Burgundy has great castles, abbeys etc.

You might also have a look at the appropriate chapter of Ina Caro's book I'm not remembering the name but it is a kind of travel history book that looks at different areas of France in the order of history, for example she starts with the Roman sites in SE France and works her way throught the episodes of history. It is a great book.

hi Murphy, young boys love medieval stuff too, so here's what i did for a trip that my 11 year old son and i would both enjoy:

Sarlat-la-caneda and the Dordogne, in SW France, including Castlenau and Beynac, opposing fortresses from the 100 years war. These have already been mentioned and I agree they are all wonderful. (Way older than medieval, but equally fascinating and more rare, are the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux and Font de gaume, in the same area.) if you won't have a car, i can tell you about the driver/guide we hired for two half-days who was just great.

Carcassonne, in Languedoc, and if you go be sure to spend the night and take the recommended walk out to the bridge after dark, so you can look back and see the walled city lit up and glowing against the night sky. (And try to remember your camera, unlike me.) There are also many bastides in the area.

Bayeux, in Normandy, with one of the most amazing and unique medieval artworks you'll ever see - the Bayeux Tapestry, a 900 year old, 70 meter long, graphic novel (historical fiction genre), depicting the "other" channel crossing when William of Normandy became William the Conqueror and King of England at the Battle of Hastings. The needlework, is gorgeous and the detail is stunning. I could go on and on, but I already have. And there's a lovely cathedral in town, and several abbeys and castles in the area too.

Those were my favorites, but to tell you the truth, i think you can find wonderful medieval architecture and art in any region of France. You could decide how far you want to go, pick a direction, and draw a line on the map. I bet you see a host of symbols representing castles, abbeys or cathedrals somewhere along the way. And when you feel overwhelmed by the choices, just tell yourself you'll see the other places next time.

have fun! -kate

Alsace has a string of villages that feature medieval architecture. Two larger towns that have extensive architecture of this type are Obernai and Colmar. Colmar has the added attraction of having, in its museum, THE great masterwork of medieval art, the Issenheim Altarpiece.

Hi M,

From Carcassone to Perigueux, you will find villages, churches fortresses and castles dating from between the 11th and 16th centuries along with amazing scenery and prehistoric cave art.

You might find my trip report helpful:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

Photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...y&x=0&

((I))

Perhaps it is too obvious to mention, but in Paris the Conciergerie boasts three 14th century halls. Nearby is Sainte Chappelle. They are heaven for a medievalist.

Ira, maybe it's me but your photolink will not work.

While in Paris, you might want to schedule your visit to the Cluny Museum during one of the early music concerts (free with admission). Times and dates are on the museum website (French, but click on "l'heure musicale avec Ultreia" and you can see the dates for the Friday and Saturday concerts):

http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/homes/e...vite_event.htm

While In Paris, go to the Carnalvalet museum as well, its the History of Paris museum; and there is a museum under Notre Dame (the Crypt) where an archiological dig showed ancient Paris...and time-lined it up through the Norse invasion. Nice diorama of history all around. Between Rome and the Norse - isn't that the Midieval times?
Also, I'd try to say in the Latin Quarter or the Marais, where Hausseman didn't rebuild. Just so the get the "feeling"...

Thanks for the heads up, jody.

Try this
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-pla2au

((I))

Talking about Burgundy and Beaune, have a stop in Dijon before!
http://www.raileurope.co.uk/telegrap...ination/dijon/
if you can read French :
http://www.vpah.culture.fr/vpah/bourgo/dijon-si.htm about Dijon
http://www.vpah.culture.fr/vpah/bour...le/i-moyen.htm about Burgundy

La Rochepot and Chateauneuf en Auxois are worth a visit too!
http://tinyurl.com/7723m (engl)
http://www.linternaute.com/sortir/es...teauneuf.shtml
http://www.larochepot.com/ (engl)
my Dijon pictures ((P))http://www.kodakgallery.fr/BrowsePho...id=43499444733
nice photos Ira ((y))

happy travels
:-)corinne

There was an article in the Boston Globe this morning about the medieval town of Provins, about 1 1/2 hrs southeast of Paris. The article called it one of France's best walled cities. I'll put the link below, but I'm not sure how long the Globe will keep it freely available online. (Note that this URL should be all on one line when you put it in your browser; I split it so it wouldn't make the window so wide.)

http://www.boston.com/travel/articles/2005/11/09/ for_medieval_escape_french_town_is_wall_to_wall_fu n/

First, Burgundy: the town of Autun, which has a magnificent Gothic cathedral and intact medieval precincts. As well there is a Roman amphitheater. The village of Pérouges is so typically medieval that it's been used in a number of films. The Abbey of Fontenay is a good example of a medieval monastery, and the Basilica in Vézelay was the site where one of the crusades was preached--and where Thomas Becket proclaimed the excommunication of Henry II. And that's just for starters.

Chartres, of course, will be high on your list: again, a fine cathedral with unique blue glass ("Chartres blue," which has never been duplicated) and fine medieval precincts.

In Paris you will want to see the Cluny Museum.

And put Rouen on your list too--several cathedrals and fine old streets.

In Brittany, the town of Dinan is very interesting, and the castle of Josselyn and the ruins of the medieval castle at Fougère are splendid. Then there's Le Mont St-Michel.

In the Dordogne, the medieval pilgrimmage village of Rocamadour is a must.