Travel Guide Gisors

Once a border town between the kingdoms of France and England, Gisors has become a city of trade and commerce. The gateway to Normandy, the capital of the Vexin Normand, and a stopover on various tourist routes, it lies between Picardy and the Île-de-France region, and offers the attractions of a well-preserved heritage (its medieval castle is famous, not least for the legend of the Knights Templar, but also for its medieval half-timbered houses, its remarkable Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais church, its moats, its cabinet of greenery and its statue of the Golden Virgin) and an active commercial city. The town's character as a Normandy town is enhanced by its natural setting, which opens onto large agricultural areas, forests and the verdant Epte valley, offering a variety of colors and landscapes that have seduced famous painters. Impressionists Monet, Pissarro and Sisley found inspiration here. But Picasso also lived in Gisors, in the hamlet of Boisgeloup, as did Dado, whose fresco can be admired in the recently restored chapel of the Léproserie. In the Rue de Vienne, you'll have the chance to stroll among the old half-timbered houses typical of the region, and admire the Gisors wash-house on the banks of the Epte, recognizable by its particularly well-preserved wooden framework. The town is also famous for its "Gisors la Légendaire", a series of sound and light shows with different themes held every year. It's a fascinating medieval town, waiting to reveal all its secrets!