What else to do in Pierrefonds...

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

So at some stage, when you are done ogling the pretties and roaming the castle, you may find yourself wondering… what else is there to do in Pierrefonds?

Pierrefonds

The Chateau is obviously the most important thing to do in Pierrefonds. A very close second, though, is the patisserie Vanille et Chocolat to be found on Rue Saint Louis. Get yourself there and munch on an eclair café - I can promise you won't regret it.

Otherwise, there is the charming lake, with a few eateries around it. And the Chateau. Did I mention the Chateau…?

Also, Pierrefonds is situated on the edge of the lovely Forest de Compiegne, which has plenty of walking and cycling trails. A pleasant way to stretch one's legs!

Compiegne

I haven't done much in the way of touristing in the area (beyond the obvious) but my Lonely Planet guide suggests the Chateau de Compiegne, which (like our own Chateau) we owe to Napoleon III. There are parks around it, which then lead into the forest.

This is the largest town near Pierrefonds, and appears to have a pleasant historical town centre. This is probably where you need to be for any variety in terms of eating, shopping, hotels, and so on.

hotels

The one hotel within Pierrefonds I have seen recommended is the Hotel Beaudon (10 Rue Du Beaudon, website here). However, they always seem to be fully booked whenever I have visited, so I can't speak from direct experience! (I am beginning to take this situation personally.)

Some friends and I stayed in the nearby village of St Jean Aux Bois, at a hotel called Auberge a la Bonne Idée (3 Rue des Meuniers, website here alas with cheesy music). The name translates as 'the good idea'! This was very nice, though the beds were a tad uncomfortable and the restaurant was a bit expensive. But they have free wifi, it's tucked away within the beautiful forest, and is a lovely building set in gardens, with a working vegetable garden. The village is only a five minute drive away from Pierrefonds. There is a lovely church there, with a castellated gate.

Mr Leary and I stayed at the Ibis Styles (formerly All Seasons) Compiegne (Place Jacques Tati, website here) in the nearby town of Compiegne. It's a nice modern hotel, with all the requirements, including lots of purple in the decor and (yes!) free wifi. It is in a very new part of town, near a cinema and various reasonably priced eateries. The town is a fifteen or twenty minute drive from Pierrefonds.

And for those of you who are a bit more... youthful than me... there's a campsite in Pierrefonds! You can find details of the Camping Municipal on the Pierrefonds Office de Tourisme website here. The site is located on the Rue de l'Armistice, and provides a low cost way of staying close to the heart of our favourite French village.

update: OK, that link doesn't seem to work at the moment. As far as I'm aware, the details are:

• Camp Municipal de Batigny


• Rue de l'Armistice, RD 973
  60350 Pierrefonds


• Phone: +33 (0) 3 44 42 80 83

A rather remarkable alternative for accommodation - or at least for those who are mobile - is le Nid dans l'arbre which Locations Geek Arie tells me means 'the nest in the tree'. Yes, we're talking tree houses in an oak wood near Pierrefonds! You can find their website here. It assures me, via Google Translate, that you can forget in complete safety the laws of gravity. Hurrah! Oh, and Google Maps places them here. Apparently that is the offices, and the actual tree houses can be found at La Folie 60350 Pierrefonds.

Another tip we've had from the lovely claddagh_girl is for La Croix du Vieux Pont, a 4-star campsite with gites, which is a half-hour drive from Pierrefonds.

Within the village, there is also the Aux Blés d'Or, at 8 rue Jules Michelet, 60350 Pierrefonds. They come recommended, and have free wi-fi, so what's not to like? I have eaten at the restuarant, and the food was really good. I didn't have much luck with their own website, but you can find them via sites such as booking.com.

We have also received a recommendation for the Etap Hotel in Compiegne. It's central, convenient for the train station, and a good choice for those on a budget.

getting there

ETA: From the Gare du Nord in Paris you can catch a direct train to Compiegne - the journey takes about forty minutes. Be sure to catch the direct train rather than the 'all stops' one!

However, you then need to find your way to Pierrefonds. There is a bus service - the number 27 bus from near the Compiegne train station to Pierrefonds - but it's not exactly frequent. The alternative is a taxi, which can be expensive.

If you can afford or manage it, bringing your own car or hiring one seem to be the best options for travel within the area.

• For more information on trains, visit the French National Railways (SNCF) website.
• If you are in the UK, visit the Rail Europe website. Rail Europe is the official UK representative of the SNCF.
• You can find the bus timetable for the Compiegne-Pierrefonds route here: live schedule; PDF Compiegne to Pierrefonds; and PDF Pierrefonds to Compiegne.

To get to Paris or Lille from the UK, you can catch the Eurostar. Paris is about an hour's drive south of Pierrefonds. Lille is a bit less than two hours' drive to the north, almost all on a very easy-driving freeway. Mr Leary and I have done the latter, as you can get cheap tickets on the Eurostar to Lille!

From further afield, of course, you can fly to Paris, and then catch the train and/or drive.

further recommendations or suggestions welcome!

If anyone would like to share their experiences, recommendations or suggestions relating to visiting Pierrefonds, please feel free to comment! Depending on what sort of input we receive, I may update this main entry so all the info is in one place.

I am giving the whole notion of visiting Pierrefonds a rating of five pointy hats, cos it's so beautiful and interesting in itself, and it's fascinating to see behind the scenes if they're filming. Plus, to misquote slightly, 'France is always a good idea.'

do not feed the lions

Happy hunting of the pretties! But of course be careful when approaching them in their natural habitat, never bother them once they've gone to ground, and always treat them with respect. All of which I implicitly trust my fellow Merlin fans to do, cos we are obviously people of great taste and discernment!

Comments

[ravilievna.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for this information, as I'm currently considering making a trip to Pierrefonds next year around July time so this has come in very hand use! I just need someone to come with me!

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

I'm glad this is useful! I will try to add a bit more detail to it over coming months. I wish you happy hunting - but I think our mutual friend gealach_ros has advised elsewhere that July might not be a good time for Pierrefonds...? I hope that it all works out for you. ♥

[singlenightster.livejournal.com]

Me too. I will definitely go there in either July or August, yet I am not sure whether to fly to Paris, take the TGV or drive with my own car.

But I doubt that the driving skills of the french people have improved since I last visited Paris, therefore I'd rather not take my own car :p

You're information was very helpful, thanks. You could add that if you plan staying in Compiegne for the nights, bus 27 will take you to Pierrefonds. You can take it near Compiegne train station.

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

I wish you well with your trip to Pierrefonds!

Thank you for the extra information about the bus, which I will add to the post. I really appreciate that!

more to do

[lilithilien.livejournal.com]

If you have any interest in *real* history, the Armistice Clearing (http://www.picardy.org/Armisticeclearing.cfm) is just a short drive away (on the way to Compiégne from Pierrefonds). It's a very moving place.

I can vouch for the Hotel Beaudon. Ils sont magnifiques!

Re: more to do

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the input! I do indeed have an interest in real history, and was probably being a bit too tongue-in-cheek about our Chateau - I find the history of that fascinating in its own right, quite apart from how its history makes it so very servicable for the BBC's purposes. It's also interesting to me that we don't have an equivalent in the UK - or not that I know of, and certainly not that was available to the BBC - despite the fact that the Victorians were just as in love with medievalism as were Napoleon III and Viollet-le-Duc.

In any case, this is a fascinating area for all kinds of reasons! When I update the entry, I will include your point about the Armistice Clearing.

Good to hear about the Hotel Beaudon. One day I will manage to get a room there myself! I am quite determined!

Thank you again for commenting. ♥

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the info. I'm hoping to go there next year if (when) they film the next season.

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Let's say when they film the next season... {touch wood} :-D

I wish you a fun journey and happy hunting!

[kathyh]

Thanks very much for this. It will be very useful if I ever manage to casually say to my husband that I've always wanted to visit the area round Compiegne *g*.

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it useful. The north of France has so much to recommend it, so I'm sure you can back up any such casual mention with plenty of hard facts. Are you into champagne, for instance? I pretty much don't drink at all these days, but several friends here were salivating about the vineyards I would be (wrong-headedly) passing by on my last trip.

Anyway, good luck! I hope your husband sees the attraction of Compiegne! ♥

[kathyh]

Are you into champagne, for instance?

Unfortunately not as it gives me a headache but French vineyards would be a very useful persuasion tool for my husband. Thanks for the tip *g*.

[osolone.livejournal.com]

when you are done ogling the pretties

You mean there is ever such a thing as "enough" ogling?

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

No, my sweet, there is not! But eventually they escape you, and there is a general need for sustenance - or at least an eclair cafe or two - and one must look for other diversions. Until the pretties show themselves once more. *happy sighs*

[osolone.livejournal.com]

And then its back to TEH PRETTIES y/y??

I know, they do have this really awful habit of escaping, like to go and do some work or whatever. Its really annoying.

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Yes! The pretties! Oh, the pretties! (One has to have one's priorities right, after all...)

I know, right?! It's almost as if they have lives of their own, or something. Like, it's not all about us! How weird and misguided is that???

[osolone.livejournal.com]

Well when I was at Caerphilly Castle, Santiago actually came outside and talked to us! So he has his priorities right - meet and be fawned over by fangirls FIRST, work second. . . what a man!!!

However, Bradley and Colin were more "OMG fangirls must escape, have work to do". Damn . . .

[babydracky.livejournal.com]

;););)
Yupe! I kind of remember someone loving her éclairs au café! ;pp

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Ahem! In my defence, I must say we didn't end up eating all the ones we bought... But OMG I do love them to bits! :-D

[babydracky.livejournal.com]

xDxD
By the way, those were "religieuses au café"^^
I'll know what to feed you with when you come back xD

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

We stayed in Compiegne. Got the train from Paris (Gard du Nord where the Eurostar drops you off) and it was a pretty easy ride to Compiegne. The town itself is lovely, very old in places and worth a couple of hours walking around. I didn't get to the castle there but perhaps next time....

Getting to Pierrefonds was difficult. The bus wasn't running (it was a holiday) and then the schedule was not good for getting to Pierrefonds early on the next day. So one day we ended up taking a minibus (9 of us) and it costs 110 euros round trip; the second day, there were 6 of us and it cost us 60 euros round trip. Not too bad if you aren't alone. I don't know how much a taxi for one person is, though.

Pierrefonds is a sweet little town even without the castle. Very pretty.

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Hello! I'm delighted that the community has been of use to you in planning your trip. :-)

However, I'm afraid I can only help with some of your queries, having never actually used the bus myself. If you'd like, you can do a separate post to the community asking for help, and I'm sure someone with more direct knowledge than me will help you.

What I can help with is the following:

I don't know exactly which stop you'll need in Pierrefonds, but I can assure you it will be really really obvious. Once you see the Chateau looming ahead of you over the small village square, you'll know you're in the right place. You honestly can't miss it.

Apparently the tourist office at the railway station is very friendly and helpful. They will see you right.

You're right about the initials standing for the days of the week:
Monday = Lundi
Tuesday = Mardi
Wednesday = Mercredi
Thursday = Jeudi
Friday = Vendredi
Saturday = Samedi
Sunday = Dimanche

And the return bus trip will cost you 4 Euros. (Or it would have recently. But you know what prices are like!)

I hope that helps a little. Please feel free to post to the community if you need anything more. ♥

[nenimefish.livejournal.com]

Hey hun, just thought I'd give you the heads up and let you know that the link for the bus timetable doesn't work any more. It says "404 page not found" (only in French XD).

[merlocmod.livejournal.com]

Thank you, snugglebunch! I really appreciate the heads-up.

I've just put out a plea for help, given that I have little French beyond Voila! XD ♥

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Glad to see you got the answers you need, hon. :-)