The Eure, a department in Upper Normandy, stretches across the plateaus of the Normandy Vexin, the Pays d’Ouche and the Roumois, criss-crossed by the Seine, the Eure and the Risle. This landscape of steep-sided valleys and agricultural plateaus has encouraged the establishment of a large number of manor houses and castles, often unassuming, which bear witness to the history of ducal and royal Normandy.
Gaillon is home to the remains of France’s first Renaissance château, built by Cardinal d’Amboise in the early 16th century and currently undergoing restoration. Beaumesnil, a masterpiece of the Louis XIII Baroque style surrounded by a moat, is one of the most beautiful châteaux in Normandy. The Château d’Harcourt, with its forest and arboretum, belongs to the French Academy of Agriculture. Anet, on the border with Eure-et-Loir, completes this picture with its exceptional Renaissance gateway.
The Eure is also the land of the Impressionists: Giverny, where Monet laid out his famous gardens, attracts visitors from all over the world, and the bends of the Seine have inspired many painters who stayed in the inns and houses of the riverside villages.