Inside tip..... try the croissants and pastries from the Bigot Bakery
© CRT Picardie/comdesimages
Sleep like a log up in the trees in Pierrefonds
© CRT Picardie/comdesimages
local expert
Elodie
Familiar to many from the BBC’s Merlin, Château de Pierrefonds is the perfect place to break your journey south – and the surrounding former royal hunting forest a fantastic spot for stretching your legs.
A visit to Camelot
Castles don’t come more fairytale-like than the Château de Pierrefonds, rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc for Napoléon III, with a moat and drawbridge, arrowslits and eight soaring towers, each dedicated to a different knight.
Kids happily scamper around this gorgeous edifice all day long, spotting sculptures of medieval monsters and grimacing gargoyles (come armed with paper, pens and Plasticine) and fighting off imaginary dragons in the grounds, dotted with life-size models of catapults. Fans of Merlin also love identifying rooms where key scenes were filmed. With older kids, the spooky display of old statues in the old dungeons is a must.
Pierrefonds is a classic little French town with swan-shaped pedaloes on its lake, mini-golf and relaxed places to eat as a family. Sample mâchicoulis (caramel with almonds) at the Boulanger Pâtissier Bigot, or grab fresh croissants and baguettes from one of several bakeries for picnics by the lake or in the forest.