Étampes: Discover cultural history and walking routes

Étampes combines historic buildings with designated walking routes and a cycling route. If you’re looking for a hotel in Étampes, these destinations can help you plan your stay: you can set aside time for cultural attractions or compare the different routes by length and duration.

A keep and several historic highlights

The Tour de Guinette is the keep of the former royal castle of Étampes, which no longer exists, and dates from the 12th century. Its ground plan has the rare shape of a four-leaf clover. The outdoor area is freely accessible every day throughout the year, and admission is free. If you plan your visit in advance, check the latest visitor information.

Étampes has held the “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” designation since January 2006 and has 26 listed buildings. The Musée d’Étampes was founded in 1875. It displays 260 paintings, 358 sculptures and 3,000 prehistoric objects—so its stated collection areas include both works of art and prehistoric objects.

The churches also tell different parts of the town’s history. The Eglise Saint-Basile was built around 1020 at the behest of Robert II, as a complement to the Collégiale Notre-Dame-du-Fort, to serve the local population. The first Eglise Saint-Gilles was built in 1123, when the square was laid out alongside the wheat market established by Louis VI the Fat.

A distinctive feature of the Collégiale Notre-Dame-du-Fort is its stained-glass window of the Sibyls, depicting twelve pagan prophetesses from antiquity. The leaning tower of the Eglise Saint-Martin, shaped like a comma, is another striking feature. It was built on marshy ground and consequently subsided. The historic sights here therefore range from the keep’s architecture to a striking window and a leaning tower.

The Hôtel Anne-de-Pisseleu now houses the Étampes tourist office. The building was constructed in the 16th century for tax official Jean Lamoureux. If you’re looking for information there, check the latest details about the tourist office in advance.

Compare walking routes by time and distance

The “Circuit randonnée - Ville d'Art et d'Histoire” circular walking route starts and ends at Étampes station. It is 7 km long and takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. The “Circuit randonnée PR 27 - Sentier du Temple” circular walking route starts and ends at the Tour de Guinette. This yellow-marked route is listed as 9.5 km long and taking 3 hours.

This makes it easy to compare the time required: the PR 27 is 2.5 km longer and takes 45 minutes more than the route from the station. Both are circular routes, but they have different starting and ending points. The yellow markings are an additional route detail for the PR 27. Choose your route based on the stated distance and duration, without treating the two starting points as the same.

There is also a 5 km cycling route. It starts in the Saint-Martin district on Rue de Chauffour and heads towards Saint-Hilaire. These details identify the starting point and direction, distinguishing the cycling route from the two circular walking routes described above.

Plan another activity

The Poney Club at the Île de Loisirs d’Étampes welcomes visitors year-round for horse riding. It offers 30-minute pony rides, which can be booked in advance. If you’d like to plan this activity, check the latest booking arrangements in advance.

Discover more destinations: Villiers-sur-Orge, Sermaise, Guillerval, Courances, Grigny, Paray-Vieille-Poste, Étréchy, Forges-les-Bains

For the broader travel overview: Essonne.