• About
  • Just Bee’s Resource Library
  • Contact
  • Work With Me
  • My YouTube Channel
  • Categories
    • Home Sweet Home
      • Clean + Organize
      • DIY + Decor
    • Marriage
    • Motherhood
    • Food + Drink
    • Travel
      • International
      • United States

Just Bee

Intentional living, motherhood, + home

Chateau de Pierrefonds: a French Castle

October 20, 2016 |

There has been a bit of an impromptu break from our Europe posts lately, but I’m jumping back in today with one of our favorite excursions towards the end of the trip…visiting a castle!!

RELATED: OUR 2 WEEK EUROPE TRIP ITINERARY

We left the charming town of Albert in the early morning and drove south for an hour towards the area around Compiegne, France (not all that far from Paris, where we would later be flying home from).

img_0231

I had first come across Chateau de Pierrefonds while planning our Europe trip and searching for some neat sights or castles near Compiegne, France. This castle was created in the 15th century, torn down, and then rebuilt at the order of Napoleon III.

Pierrefonds was one of those jaw-dropping, massive stone structures that you usually think of when you think of a castle! I was just amazed when we parked and began to walk up this steep hill, catching the first glimpse of one of the towers!

img_0210

The castle perched at the top of a hill overlooking the quiet little town of Pierrefonds. We were there in the morning on the weekend, and despite the sleepy-feel of the town, we later saw people beginning to open and congregate at tiny local cafes.

img_0227

img_0369

img_0381

One of the most charming parts of standing outside the castle was the fact that the church bells began to ring out around the town. I felt like I was in “The Sound of Music!” 🙂 I captured a little part of it with this video:

http://www.justbeeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Church-bells-at-Pierrefonds-2.mp4

Let’s jump into what the actual castle looked like!

img_0237

img_0256

img_0220

img_0216

img_0254

img_0266

Pierrefonds had a beautiful chapel, large inner courtyard, and stunning rooms. I loved seeing some of that Flemish-style architecture in some rooms of the castle! There was also a dark, dimly-lit basement (not sure I would actually call it a dungeon) with memorials throughout the huge rooms.

img_0273

img_0274

img_0302

img_0304

img_0307

img_0334

It definitely had that dark, cool, stony castle feeling that you would expect. I think we sometimes forget that life in a castle didn’t always mean amazing natural light or warmth (other than fireplaces!). 🙂

 

img_0313

img_0331

img_0316

img_0321

img_0362

I really loved this gorgeous hall / ballroom, though. The sunlight pouring in through the stained glass windows really blew me away.

img_0378

All in all, it was a fun morning spent touring Pierrefonds on our own! We’re glad we worked a couple different chateaus/castles into the end of our Europe trip!

You can catch up on the rest of our Europe posts by clicking here!

signature

Share this post:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
«
»

Filed Under: International, Travel | Tagged With: castle, Compiegne, Europe, France, Pierrefonds, travel

Comments

  1. Elyse @ Just Murrayed says

    October 20, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    SO pretty! I’m also blown away by all the cute little streets nearby.

  2. Ingrid says

    October 21, 2016 at 8:11 am

    Love living vicariously through your photos! Not sure if you’re a fan of BBC’s Merlin (it’s on Netflix!), but the Camelot scenes were filmed at Pierrefonds!

  3. Elle says

    November 9, 2016 at 10:07 am

    HEART eyes!! So beautiful! And yessss, that video and the photos make it look straight out of The Sound of Music. Beautiful pics!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Welcome to Just Bee! I’m Hannah – wife to Bjorn and mama to Sophie and Soren, soaking up our life in rural Minnesota. Just Bee is my happy place – it’s where I write about intentional living, motherhood, and creating a peaceful home. I hope you feel instantly at home here and that you’re blessed by these posts.

Join other women who are after a life of intention and joy! You'll get housekeeping checklists and much more!

* indicates required

Search this blog

Hannah is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Home
About
Work With Me
Join the Email List

Disclaimer

Just Bee is a for-profit blog. All images and content are copyright of Just Bee unless otherwise noted. Some posts are sponsored or include affiliate links. As always, we only feature companies or products that match the personality and values of this blog. Thank you for supporting Just Bee!

Copyright © 2021 · Simply Charming theme by Restored 316

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.