The castle of Pierrefonds in the Oise | Visit, price, getting there

A medieval castle built by the architect Viollet-le-Duc

I buy my tickets for the Château de Pierrefonds
(free for under 18s and under 26s EU residents)

The castle of Pierrefonds

It was built at the end of the fourteenth century by Duke Louis of Orléans, then dismantled in the seventeenth. All that remained were the ramparts. Napoleon 1st bought it back. And it was Napoleon III who entrusted the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc with the reconstruction of this ruined castle. It is a castle reinvented by Viollet-le-Duc, in a Gothic style, which will make it an ideal castle as it would have existed in the Middle Ages.

The visit of the Château de Pierrefonds:

This castle is a castle-museum. This was the wish of Napoleon III
It is a polychrome castle, the colour is still very present (friezes, ornamental details, frescoes…)
Outside the castle : double ramparts, loopholes, machicolations, watchtowers (stone sentry box at the corners of the castles, bastions, to keep an eye on), the keep and the eight towers of the castle
Inside the castle : painted and sculpted decorations, gargoyles, a walkway, the basement which houses tombs, furniture, armory…
In the keep, you will see furniture designed by Viollet-le-Duc
Be careful: it takes about 20 minutes to walk to reach the entrance of the castle

The visit with children:

Children love the Middle Ages and the stories of knights and princesses… The Château de Pierrefonds will please them!
Remember to download the children’s booklet before your visit

Free for EU residents under 18 and under 26

How to get to the Château de Pierrefonds?

– From Paris : Take the A1, exit 9, then the D 200 towards Compiègne and then the D 973
– From Lille : take the A1, exit 11, then the D 935 to Compiègne and the D 973
– From Reims : take the N 31 towards Compiègne then the D 335
– From Rouen : take the N 31 to Compiègne, then the D 973
– Free parking on rue Sabatier, 10 minutes from the castle
– Drop-off on the esplanade for people with reduced mobility (2 parking spaces for people with reduced mobility on the esplanade)

What films were shot at the Château de Pierrefonds?

Many films have been shot in Pierrefonds: “Joan of Arc” by Luc Besson, “The Visitors 2” with Christian Clavier, the successful English series “Merlin” by the BBC, “The Man in the Iron Mask” with Leonardo di Caprio. Also the film “Donkey Skin” in 1970 or “Grandpa Makes Resistance”, a film by Jean Poiré