Travel Guides Crafted by Experienced Archaeologists & Historians

Experience Guédelon, Don’t Just Visit

For anyone visiting France for the castles or medieval history, Guédelon is a must. Over 300,000 people visit each year, and for a not insignificant number they have been before – more than once. The castle, strictly speaking a castle fort, even features on niche itineraries that explore castle architecture of the mid 13th century – including the Louvre in Paris. Guédelon clearly keeps good company. But it is not a castle built in the Middle Ages. And it is not a replica of one either. Nonetheless, Guédelon really does have to be experienced, and not just visited. After wanting to visit for a long time, I finally got to see the site for myself in autumn 2019. My plans to visit in May 2023 were thwarted by … yes, you guessed it … hoping to viit in the Spring of 2024 to see the progress after four and a half years. 

VISITING GUÉDELON

Guédelon is near the village of Moutiers-en-Puisaye, Yonne Department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

Opening Hours

Ticket Prices

Adult: €14
Student: €13
Child (5-13 yrs): €11

Facilities

Museum, Gift Shop, Restaurant, Picnic Tables, Parking (also for buses)

Guédelon: a 13th Century Castle Fort

Guedelon Chapel Tower
The chapel tower, to the left, linked to the western flanking tower by a crenellated curtain wall with parapet, which visitors can walk along.

Guédelon is Not a Replica

Guedelon Bed Chamber Wall Painting
Wall paintings in the bed chamber, the imagery from a church in nearby Moutiers-en-Puisaye.

Medieval Building Techniques and Methods

Guedelon Wooden Treadmill
There are no modern mechanical cranes onsite to do the heavy lifting. Only traditional techniques are employed. Here a wooden treadmill is used to lift pieces of stone into place.
Scaffolding At Guedelon
Medieval scaffolding in place at the entrance, between the two towers that make up the castle’s gatehouse.
Guedelon Stonemason
A stonemason using medieval techniques to shape one of the steps for the spiral stone staircase.
Guedelon Medieval Construction
Construction of one of the towers that make up the gatehouse – you can see the spiral staircase towards the back on the left.

Health and Safety at Guédelon

Quarry At Guedelon
A quarryman extracts rock from the quarry on which the castle was founded.

What is There to See at Guédelon?

Guedelon Great Hall
Inside the castle’s great hall.
Guedelon Carpenters
A vast a-frame timber constructions serves as the carpentry workshop.
Guedelon Iron Mongers
Not only are the iron fittings required for the castle made onsite, but so too the iron tools required by the builders.
Guedelon Roof Tiles
The kiln being loaded with unfired roof tiles, that were then to be used on the roof of the chapel tower. The roof was completed in 2019.
Guedelon Basket Maker
All the baskets that are required by the builders, for example for the lifting of ceramic roof tiles, are woven onsite.
Guedelon Pigments
The pigment workshop, where the pigments used onsite, whether in the wall paintings or in the colouring fabric, are made by crushing natural rock ochres found onsite.

When Will Guédelon Castle Be Finished?

Guedelon Model
The finished thing!

Guédelon Castle Progress

What was completed in 2020

Flour Mill Guedelon
A functioning medieval flour mill, built in collaboration with the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research, can be visited in 2020.
Guedelon Southern Wall
The incomplete southern wall of the castle will be extended (from the great tower) in 2020 to create a visitor platform.

What was completed in 2021/2

What was completed in 2023?

In 2023 a documentary by RMC Films was filmed onsite: “Guédelon : comment construire un château fort”. A 45 second trailer can be seen below. The film is available online, but you are required to create an account (no charge): RMC BFM play.

Enjoy a Medieval Meal

Guedelon Gardens
Herbs and vegetables that would have been known and used in the 13th century are grown in the kitchen gardens.
Guedelon Food
A three course meal with dishes typical of the Burgundy region: escargot de Bourgogne, duck breast in a red wine sauce from the Yonne Valley, poached pear.

Guédelon Castle Virtual Tour

Guedelon Google Streetview
A satellite view of Guédelon Castle on Google maps.

Add Guédelon Castle to Your Itinerary & Travel Lists

Guédelon Castle

Neither a replica of a historic castle in Europe, nor a reconstruction of one. Guédelon Castle is a project that brings together a wide range of expertise to build a castle using medieval methods and techniques. In 1998 construction of this castle started in a disused quarry in rural France. Thousands of people come each year to watch the progress. Not only the building of the castle itself, but also the other related crafts. Such as baskets for carrying ceramic tiles, the firing of those tiles. A must for castle lovers.

Archaeology Travel Writer

Thomas Dowson

With a professional background in archaeology and a passion for travel, I founded Archaeology Travel to help more people explore our world’s fascinating pasts. Born in Zambia, I trained as an archaeologist at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) and taught archaeology at the universities of Southampton and Manchester (England). Read More

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