Lyons-la-Forêt (Eure, Normandy): one of the most beautiful villages in France
We continue our exploration of Normandy aboard our small car rented for the occasion. First stop today: Lyons-la-Forêt, one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Diary
Lyons-la-Forêt is, as its name suggests, surrounded by forests. There are several hiking trails for trek lovers. I absolutely did not dig this track because I have no desire to trek. The only significant trek I did was in Colombia, and only because we took the wrong path ahahah. The second must-see is the Château de Fleury la Forêt, a XVIIth century castle, transformed into a guest house, but it can be visited. Because of our time constraint, we couldn’t visit it either.
JB, seeing the beautiful road we took to get here, tells me to open my eyes wide in case a doe crosses our path. Since the confinement, wild animals have taken over, and it’s not surprising to see some around here.
This small village is charming, with a fountain in the middle of the central square and a building with an atypical roof (17th century covered market). The restaurants have just been allowed to reopen, everyone is busy to welcome future tourists, between restaurateurs, gardeners, employees of the town hall or the tourist office …
Maurice Ravel lived in the pretty house below, there is a plaque that indicates it.
But what marks me most are the absolutely beautiful roses in front of each house. I have taken a lot of pictures that will serve as models for my paper flowers.
We have lunch at the Café du Commerce, it’s their first opening day since the end of the lockdown, we feel that everyone is happy to go to the restaurant, and the restaurateur is happy to welcome us too. The meal is delicious, it looks homemade and at a small price too. I highly recommend it!
A few minutes from the central square is this haven of peace, ideal for a picnic for a romantic date. There is a stream, a cute little bridge full of flowers. Search for Square des trois moulins on Google Maps
You know what I like too much? The aquatic plants that you can see even from the bridge, so transparent is the water. The current is quite strong, maybe that’s why there were 3 mills right next to the stone bridge?
The atmosphere is peaceful, there is absolutely no one around. In spite of the small rain, we feel so good.
What a pleasure it is to travel again! Plus, in a beautiful country like France.
Part 2: Practical Tips
- This village is one of the +800 tourist places in France that we recommend. To access the Google Maps map of the 800 places in question, click here
- Car rental: we compared the offers and that day, the cheapest was 24€/day with Enterprise. To compare the rental offers, you can look on Lastminute(link)
- Accommodation : Hôtel de Maître (link Booking)
- Restaurant / Bistro : Café du Commerce
