Vernon Touring Tips -
What to see and do...

Vernon Touring can be included as part of a day trip from Paris to Giverny or on your way north. For information on how to get there from Paris, go to Giverny touring





For tourists, Vernon is a town reknown more for its proximity to Giverny & Claude Monet's garden , but really has much to offer on its own. Situated between Paris (72km) and Rouen (56km), it is close enough to Paris & easy enough to get to by public transport to be included as a day trip with or without Giverny. If Giverny is not on your agenda, and you are travelling by car to Rouen and/or Mont St Michel , then it is only a 10km detour from the A13 autoroute on your way north from Paris.


Vernon Self Touring

For a self-guided tour concentrating on Vernon's attractions, drop into the Vernon Tourist Office (Office de Tourisme). It's easy enough to find -just next to the church and across the road from the Town Hall (Mairie) - look out for the building that appears slightly skewed (pictured right). The Tourist Office was originally the old Time House. Here you can pick up the brochure "Vernon Guided Tour Town Centre". This handy leaflet maps out the attractions including the Old Mill (Vieux Moulin) & the Chateau des Tourelles across the river Seine.



If you don't have much time, the following sites are a "must do":


Collégiale Notre Dame (Our Lady Collegiate Church)

With its origins in 1072, a mix of Romantic and Gothic façade and restored modern stained glass windows beside the remaining originals which were spared by WWII bombings, this collegiate church still stands resplendent against the blue skies of Vernon.









Inside the church you will find there are 6 bays and a total of 13 side chapels. The modern stained glass windows are by artisans from Chartres (Hermet and Juteau). The ornate organ makes a grand impression set against the backdrop of the rose window.






Rue Potard

Walk past these unique and historic timbered buildings which have remarkably withstood the passage of time since their construction, estimated to have been around the early 12th century.









Tour des Archives - Achive Tower

Not far from the Rue Potard you will see a 22m tower looming over the buildings. This old keep (dungeon) is all that remains of a fortified chateau. In more recent history, this tower was used for safekeeping the towns achives.







AG Poulain Musée (City Museum)

Named after local archaeologist. Originally a private mansion, the museum's collection now includes archaeological artifacts, examples of local history & fine arts: animals subjects and landscapes by artists - principally those of Giverny.








There's even something here for Aussies: the animated "Kangaroo" sculpted by Italian Rembrandt Bugatti and one of Australia's own: John Kelly's - Cow on trestles! The Museum's collections are displayed in rooms accessed by the renovated 16th century staircase (there is a lift for those with limited mobility).







The Seine

Scenic part of the Seine with Ile du Talus (left in picture) & Ile Maurice further downstream. The stone pylons are all that remain of the original timber bridge.


Vieux Moulin - the Old Mill

This picture perfect subject and historic landmark in Vernon is the single remaining mill from a total of five that were built in the 16th century. It still stands on original piers which were part of the old bridge replaced now by Pont Clémenceau further upstream.


It's not possible to access or enter the Old Mill or the Château des Tourelles beside it, although it is possible to park your car &/or walk around the Château grounds and foreshore.

Vernon Touring Tip: Walking away from the Vernon Tourist Office, onward past and behind the town hall (perpendicular to the Tourist Office) you will eventually come across the Vernon Markets which are open every Saturday morning and sell a great variety of stuff. The markets are layed out in roughly 2 sections - one for clothes, shoes, all manor of accessories, books, etc., the other section devoted to food: fruit, veges, ready meals to take away, organic wood-fired breads, cheeses, meats including seafood. If you're in Vernon on a Saturday, venture out and buy some food for a pique-nique then walk across the bridge over the Seine and have a lovely picnic, riverside, at the foot of the Old Mill.

For more information on this town and the L'Eure region, click here for a direct link to Vernon through the French Office de Tourisme.


Travelling on to Claude Monet's Giverny from Vernon Touring? Click here...


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