Martainville-Épreville: Château and Normandy

Martainville-Épreville combines a clear cultural focus with various ways to plan your visit. The Château de Martainville houses the Musée des Arts et Traditions Normands; the park and Église Notre-Dame de Martainville-Épreville are also nearby. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip, you can plan your visit around your preferred activities: museum collections, architectural history, the garden or a longer tour can take centre stage.

Norman collections at the Château

The Musée des Arts et Traditions Normands displays an exceptional collection of furniture from Haute-Normandie. The pieces illustrate the development of styles from the 15th to the 19th century. Reconstructed interiors offer another perspective: they showcase farmhouses from the Pays de Caux, the Eure department, the Pays de Bray and the Norman coastal region. They are furnished with furniture and everyday objects from the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of the most significant collections of Norman caps, jewellery and traditional costumes is on the top floor. A dedicated room is devoted to instruments used in folk music in Normandy. The museum also presents temporary exhibitions each year on themes related to Normandy. The L'Espace Musical association also presents a new exhibition each year on the history of music in Normandy, linked to the theme of that year's temporary exhibition. Alongside furniture and interiors, clothing, jewellery and music thus offer different perspectives on regional culture.

Castle park and architectural history

The Château de Martainville was probably built for Jacques le Pelletier in the late 15th century. The park includes outbuildings, a coach house and a reconstructed Renaissance-style garden. It is open year-round during the Château's opening hours; check current opening times before your visit.

The Église Notre-Dame de Martainville-Épreville represents a different period. It was consecrated on 1 October 1670 and dedicated under the titles Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix and Saint-Joseph. The church is one of the rare church buildings from the era of Louis XIV to have been preserved almost entirely and as a unified whole. The Château and church therefore provide two different historical points of reference for a visit, and their architectural histories cannot be reduced to the same period.

Visitor options and practical planning

A self-guided visit to the Château can be supplemented with a visit to the Colombiers; check the current access arrangements in advance. Audioguides are available at the Château reception. The museum also offers guided tours with audio description. Check the current booking arrangements for these tours.

During school holidays, the Parc du Château offers holiday activities for individual visitors; dates vary. Guided tours and educational workshops are available for groups by prior arrangement. These offerings may vary by season. The different ways to visit can therefore be considered separately: a self-guided visit, additional activities for individual visitors and group activities arranged in advance.

Getting there and discovery route

Martainville-Épreville is 17 kilometres from Rouen via the RN 31. The route heads towards Darnétal, Gournay-en-Bray and Beauvais. For a longer tour, another point of reference is the 66-kilometre Promenade au pays d'Emma Bovary, which can be travelled by bicycle or car. Its 15th stage leads to the Château de Martainville in Martainville-Épreville. The drive from Rouen and this longer discovery route are different ways to plan your visit. Before setting out, it is worth checking the current route and signage.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Pierre-Le-Vieux, Incheville, Longueville-Sur-Scie, Auzouville-sur-Saâne, Bernières, Veulettes-Sur-Mer, Petiville, Yainville.

For the overview of the wider travel area: Seine-Maritime.