A Must-Read Guide to Babysitter-Level Tourism in French Castles

May is the official holiday month in France, and for capitalists, it might be the most headache-inducing time of the year! A succession of public holidays, plus some organizations even offer extended breaks, can really bring one to tears 😆😆 This Wednesday is a great day for families to take a holiday together, so we decided to visit the Pierrefonds Castle, a medieval fortress with quite a reputation! After being redesigned and restored by the 19th-century architectural master Viollet le Duc, this ruin has been revitalized. The same master also participated in the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, truly a legendary figure in the art world! The castle tour takes about an hour and a half, smoothly arranged from the various architectural styles of the courtyard to the underground crypts at the end. My favorite part is the Atelier Moduit, which displays samples from the architectural workshop used to decorate important buildings such as the Paris City Hall and the Brussels Courthouse. Interestingly, many of the samples were made after receiving orders, and they made two identical products for each order: one for delivery and one to keep, some even featured in the World Expo! That's why these exhibits have been preserved to this day. Inside, there are P5 lions with wings, P6 archer angels, P8 grumpy swans, P9 lions standing holding pillars, P10 various gargoyles, P11 Statue of Liberty, and so on. The castle's reception hall is also quite beautiful, especially worth mentioning are the wood carvings with surreal monsters that are very interesting to look at 😄😄 After visiting the castle, you can rest your feet at the bar below and have an ice cream or coffee. We bought 1 ice cream, 1 cotton candy, 1 gauffre, and 2 cups of hot chocolate, all for 14.5 euros, which is great value! The town where the castle is located also has a lake, and if the weather is nice, you can go boating or take a walk nearby. All in all, Pierrefonds Castle is a very worthwhile travel experience! The address is Rue Viollet Le Duc, 63050 Pierrefonds, with an adult ticket price of 9 euros, and EU long-term residents under 26 can enter for free. Oh, and if you're driving from near Paris, it takes just over an hour to get there!