Les Andelys France

888 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

AmaWaterways (116 Cruises)

Cruise AMA AmaWaterways AmaDante Exterior Europe

AmaDante

144 Passengers
2850 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaLyra ship

AmaLyra

144 Passengers
2850 tons
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Avalon Waterways (27 Cruises)

CroisiEurope (51 Cruises)

Cruise CE Croisieurope MS Renoir ship

MS Renoir

105 Passengers
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Cruise CE Croisieurope MS Seine Princess ship

MS Seine Princess

136 Passengers
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Emerald Waterways (41 Cruises)

Emerald Lumi.

Emerald Lumi

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Riviera Travel (20 Cruises)

Scenic Cruises (175 Cruises)

Scenic Azure.

Scenic Azure

96 Passengers
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Scenic Gem.

Scenic Gem

128 Passengers
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8 May 13 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
8 May 12 days Round-trip Normandy Gems of the Seine with Highlights of Paris
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10 May 11 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
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10 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Porto-Leixoes
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10 May 10 days Round-trip Normandy Gems of the Seine
450-628-6241 Call us
10 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Porto-Leixoes
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10 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Lyon
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10 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Bordeaux
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10 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Lyon
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10 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Bordeaux
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18 May 15 days One-way from Paris City to Villefranche-sur-Mer
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18 May 23 days One-way from land tour to Paris City
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18 May 13 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
18 May 12 days Round-trip Normandy Gems of the Seine with Highlights of Paris
450-628-6241 Call us
18 May 14 days One-way from Engelberg to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
18 May 16 days One-way from Paris City to Villefranche-sur-Mer
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20 May 10 days Round-trip Normandy Gems of the Seine
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Lyon
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Bordeaux
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 11 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Porto-Leixoes
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 13 days One-way from Paris City to Villefranche-sur-Mer
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Porto-Leixoes
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 14 days One-way from Paris City to Villefranche-sur-Mer
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Lyon
450-628-6241 Call us
20 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Bordeaux
450-628-6241 Call us
28 May 13 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
28 May 15 days One-way from Paris City to London-Greenwich
450-628-6241 Call us
28 May 16 days One-way from Paris City to London-Greenwich
450-628-6241 Call us
28 May 12 days Round-trip Normandy Gems of the Seine with Highlights of Paris
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Lyon
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 21 days One-way from Paris City to Bordeaux
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 13 days One-way from Paris City to London-Greenwich
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Lyon
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 14 days One-way from Paris City to London-Greenwich
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 11 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 10 days Round-trip Normandy Gems of the Seine
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 20 days One-way from Paris City to Bordeaux
450-628-6241 Call us

Tauck Cruises (65 Cruises)

MS Reverie

MS Reverie

124 Passengers
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ms serene.

MS Serene

124 Passengers
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Viking River Cruises (393 Cruises)

Viking Fjorgyn.

Viking Fjorgyn

214 Passengers
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Viking Kari.

Viking Kari

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Viking Longships Heimdal.

Viking Longships Heimdal

243 Passengers
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Viking Longships Lofn.

Viking Longships Lofn

240 Passengers
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Les Andelys France | Seine River Cruise & Normandy Guide

The Seine hesitates, traces one of its widest meanders, and atop the chalk cliff looms a formidable ruin: Château Gaillard, the fortress Richard the Lionheart had built in a single year. Les Andelys, in the Eure department, about forty kilometres from Rouen, owe their reputation as the river's most beautiful Norman loop to this face-off between water and keep. Cruise boats dock on the right bank, at Le Petit Andely, barely a hundred metres from the historic centre: rarely has a river port of call put history so close to the gangway.

Le Petit Andely, a Riverside Village

Your first steps naturally lead to the streets of Le Petit Andely, nestled between the cliff and the bank. Half-timbered houses tilted by the centuries, flint and chalk façades, tree-lined quays where swans patrol in squadrons: the town has kept the look of an old boatmen's village, and Sunday painters happily set up their easels here. The patios facing the water invite you to enjoy a coffee while watching convoys of barges loaded with grain or aggregates go by, while the lanes hold shops, flower gardens and old market halls for those who take the time to wander without a set route.

The Climb to Château Gaillard

A trail then climbs to the fortress, a fifteen-minute brisk walk from the riverbank. Pace yourself: climb steadily, turning around often, as the view unfolds along the way over the village's slate roofs, the wooded island below and the majestic curve of the current flowing toward the sea. At the top, among the gutted walls where jackdaws nest, the remains of the keep and enclosures tell of a masterpiece of military architecture built at astonishing speed, from 1197 to 1198, to lock down the valley against the King of France. Before the completed work, Richard the Lionheart is said to have exclaimed: "How beautiful she is, my one-year-old daughter!"

A Lock Fallen, a Kingdom Tipped

What followed belongs among the great stories of French history. On March 6, 1204, five years after Richard's death, King Philip Augustus's men took the stronghold by trickery after a long siege. The fall of the valley's lock hastened that of Rouen and, with it, the reconquest of Normandy by the French crown. Walking along the ditches carved into the chalk, you grasp what was at stake: whoever held this rock held the passage, and whoever held the passage held the road to Paris. Interpretive panels help reconstruct the vanished defences, but the place speaks for itself, with the wind as its only commentary.

Extending the Walk

Back down by the river, there's still time for the other half of town, Le Grand Andely, its shops and religious heritage, or simply for the riverbanks and their benches facing the current. The path along the water offers changing views of the cliff and the citadel, much prized by photographers; late in the day, the white chalk blazes and the keep seems to stand guard for eternity, as if the sentries had only just left their posts.

Following the Seine again toward Rouen or Paris, you long keep in mind that ruined silhouette above the meander. Eight centuries have passed, kingdoms have changed hands, and Richard's one-year-old daughter still watches over her valley. Les Andelys offer a rarity: a page of history you can climb on foot, one morning in port, with the whole valley as your reward.

Frequently Asked Questions

On the right bank at Petit Andely, barely a hundred metres from the historic centre. Few river calls place history so close to the gangway.
It is the fortress Richard the Lionheart built atop the chalk cliff between 1197 and 1198, to lock the Seine valley against the king of France. An astonishing pace of construction for the period.
About fifteen minutes of steady walking from the riverbank. Go slowly and turn around often: the view opens out as you rise, over the slate roofs, the wooded island and the curve of the river.
No. The path climbs sharply and the ground up top is uneven, between ditches cut into the chalk and broken walls. Those who stay below still get the riverbanks and the view of the cliff, which is just as fine.
On 6 March 1204, five years after Richard's death, the men of King Philip Augustus took the stronghold by a ruse after a long siege. The fall of the lock hastened that of Rouen and the French crown's reconquest of Normandy.
The lanes of Petit Andely first thing, the climb to Château Gaillard, then the riverbanks on the way back. Adding Grand Andely to the same call makes the day too tight.
Like the old boatmen's village it was: half-timbered houses leaning with age, façades of flint and chalk, tree-lined quays patrolled by swans. Terraces facing the water watch the barge convoys go by.
Yes, the other half of the town: Grand Andely, its shops and its churches. The riverbanks and their benches facing the current are enough to fill the end of a day too.
About forty kilometres, in the Eure, on one of the widest meanders of the Seine. It is this face-off between water and keep that made the site famous.
Late in the day, when the white chalk catches fire and the keep seems to stand guard over the meander. The riverside path holds the viewpoints photographers prize most.