Les Andelys

Les Andelys occupies one of the most dramatic bends of the Seine, dominated by the haunting ruins of Château Gaillard — the "Saucy Castle" built by Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy, in a single year between 1196 and 1198. Richard reportedly declared upon seeing the finished fortress, "How beautiful she is, my one-year-old daughter!" Perched three hundred feet above the river on a chalk cliff, the castle's concentric walls and innovative design made it the most advanced military fortification of its age. Its fall to Philip II of France in 1204, after a grueling eight-month siege, marked the end of Norman independence and the absorption of Normandy into the French crown.

The twin villages of Grand Andely and Petit Andely unfold below the castle ruins in a scene that could have been composed by a landscape painter — and indeed was, repeatedly, by Claude Monet and the Impressionists who found the Seine valley's shifting light irresistible. The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in Grand Andely, a Gothic masterpiece begun in the thirteenth century, contains magnificent Renaissance stained-glass windows. The riverside at Petit Andely, where weeping willows trail into the water and half-timbered Norman houses cluster around a small harbor, embodies the pastoral ideal of the French countryside at its most serene.

Norman cuisine, rich with dairy and orchard products, finds full expression along this stretch of the Seine. Camembert, Pont-l'Évêque, and Livarot — the holy trinity of Norman cheeses — appear on every restaurant's cheese board. Duck is prepared in countless ways: confit, rillettes, and the celebrated canard à la rouennaise, in which the carcass is pressed at the table to extract its juices. Tarte Tatin aux pommes, the upside-down caramelized apple tart, owes its existence to Norman orchards, as does calvados, the apple brandy that locals sip as a "trou normand" (digestive pause) between courses. Cider, both brut and doux, accompanies virtually every meal.

From Les Andelys, the riches of Normandy unfold. Giverny, where Monet's house and gardens — complete with the water-lily pond that inspired his greatest paintings — welcome visitors, is just twenty minutes downstream. Rouen, the ancient capital of Normandy where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 and whose Gothic cathedral was painted by Monet thirty times at different hours of the day, is forty minutes by road. The D-Day beaches of Normandy — Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold, and Sword — lie roughly two hours northwest, a profoundly moving pilgrimage.

Seine river cruises make Les Andelys a marquee stop for its castle views and Norman charm. AmaWaterways, Scenic River Cruises, and Tauck offer luxury itineraries with château excursions and gastronomic experiences. Avalon Waterways and Viking provide panoramic-suite comfort, while CroisiEurope brings French river expertise. Emerald Cruises, Riviera Travel, A-ROSA, and VIVA Cruises round out the options. The Seine cruising season runs April through October, with May and June offering the loveliest combination of blooming gardens, mild temperatures, and long golden evenings.