Medieval festival of Pierrefonds
 

Pierrefonds is mentioned here from time to time since it boasts one of the most spectacular castles in France, even though people who don't care for the work of Viollet-le-Duc tend to dismiss it along with Carcassonne and quite a few other places where he chose "reinterpretation" over "restoration." Frankly, I quite like what he did in most places, but I have a particular fondness for Pierrefonds where he understand exactly what a fortified castle should look like even if the original one wasn't quite the same.

I will say immediately that Pierrefonds is not for everyone, if only because it is very inconvenient for people who don't want to rent a car, even though it is only 100 kilometers from Paris. The nearest train station is in Compiègne, which is still 15 kilometers away from Pierrefonds. And that is the principal reason why it is not much higher on the list of things to see near Paris.

This was my 5th visit to Pierrefonds in about as many years, and I never tire of the château or the town that surrounds it. However, this weekend I stumbled across the medieval festival without knowing anything about it. Okay, you will never get me to a costume party, but it both amuses and interests me to see hundreds of people dressed up in weird costumes, whether we are talking about ComicCon, Japan Expo or... <i>Les Médiévales de Pierrefonds</i>.

This is the report about my visit to Pierrefonds yesterday: http://tinyurl.com/medieval-pierrefonds

Since I know that a lot of people here plan their trips a year or more in advance, you can now start planning. Keep in mind that the festival lasts just two days in mid-August.

I've been living in Paris for about a year now, and I have been all over France, but I love learning about these hidden gems. Thanks for the rec! And it's so close to Paris. It would be a great day trip.

Thanks for all the photos. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

Once again K, you've really done the event proud!

I'm much affeared my days of travel to France have come to an end, so thank you so much for bringing a slice of your world into mine, Di

Good report as usual.

The early bird gets the best photos.

Thanks everyone. If you look at my earlier report (which I linked at the end of this one), you will see that autumn is also a fantastic time to go, and the fall colors can almost rival with New England or Canada if you hit the perfect time. (My first report was done in late October 2011.)

So beautiful. Thank you for sharing your experience and talents.

We have a Medieval Festival each year in a town about an hour away. It is only held on the weekends late Augusts thru mid October. Not nearly the scale of your visit. Some people go every weekend and dress up. It is crazy.