Vernon travel guide

Visit Vernon (, France)

Vernon is on the banks of the River Seine in the Eure department. The chances are you are near Vernon because you are visiting the fabulous Giverny gardens a few kilometers away. However whilst you are here Vernon has a few interesting sights to see and is a pleasant place to stop off.

Explore Vernon

Start your trip with a visit to the Tourist Office as they can give you a map with a walk round the town taking in the major sights. If you are visiting Giverny gardens - and you absolutely definitely should do - then it is a good idea to buy your tickets here as there can be long queues at Giverny. I was very glad I did this on my trip!

Vernon tourist office is near the large church - the Collegiale Notre-Dame. The collegiale Notre Dame was built between the 11th and 16th centuries largely in the Gothic style. It has a flamboyant gothic syle rose window and various contemporary stained-glass windows, the originals having had to be replaced after 2nd World War bombing raids.

Around the church are streets with lovely half-timber houses. These largely originate from the 16th century though the Tourist Office is housed in one of the oldest house in Vernon, dating back to the 15th century. The Rue du Chapitre also has some particularly good examples. A little further down, towards the river there is a 17th century salt cellar.

The river here is the River Seine and Vernon is a key port for river cruises and you will usually see at least one river cruise boat docked during your visit. You also get good views across the river to the Chateau des Tourelles and an old water mill on the opposite bank of the river. If you get a chance go for a closer view of the mill as it is a lovely half-timber building set up high, straddling part of the river.

Back up into the town the Town Hall is a grand 19th century building. Inside there is a lovely room decorated with frescoes and used for marriage ceremonies in Vernon.

Nearby the Tour des Archives is a round tower which is the only remaining part of the ancient Chateau-fort of Vernon. The tower is 22 meters high and was built in the 12th century. In the 18th century it was used for the town archives - hence its name! The Rue Potard, across from the tower is the oldest street in the town, dating back to the 12th century, possibly earlier. This street is a beautiful street of half-timber houses.

Last but not least, head towards the Musée Alphonse-Georges Poulain where you can see art works by Monet. Indeed this is the only place in the area you can see any of his original works, only copies remain at Giverny.

Places to Visit Nearby

Of course if you are here you must visit Monet's gardens at Giverny. Even if you are not a gardener you will be delighted by the beauty of these gardens. As a keen gardener I was worried the gardens may not live up to their hype but my worries are groundless. Monet's gardens is definitely one of my favourites amongst the many gardens I have visited in both France and the UK.

Close to Vernon the Chateau de Bizy is an attractive castle with pleasant grounds containing many fountains. The salons contain furnishings from the 1st Empire and the stables were modelled on those of the Palace of Versailles.

Vernon is also 12 kilometres from the 'most beautiful village' of La-Roche-Guyon.

You can find more travel ideas in the Eure guide and the Haute-Normandie guide.