The medieval city of Provins is the perfect day journey for households. It’s solely an hour and half from Paris by practice or practice and bus, it’s extremely inexpensive with most sights costing a couple of euros and plenty of free, and it’s immersive. If you wish to step again into the French Center Ages, that is one of the best ways to do it.
Provins was the ultimate day of our first journey to Paris with youngsters, and I’m so glad we obtained the possibility to point out them one thing past the large metropolis. Right here’s one of the best ways to go to this UNESCO World Heritage Web site boasting over 50 historic monuments.
What To See in Provins for Households
Tour César towering over Provins / photograph credit score: JF Bénard
Because you’re in a walled metropolis, you naturally wish to discover town partitions. Even higher, in Provins, you’ll be able to stroll on them! They’re over 80 toes excessive and over a mile lengthy, providing views of town and an up-close have a look at the ramparts themselves.
The 5 prime historic sights, moreover the ramparts, are the Tour César, the Tithe Barn, the Provins Museum, the Underground Galleries, and the Saint-Ayoul Priory. Every is positioned inside a medieval constructing, so the setting is simply as a lot part of the expertise because the reveals. The Caesar’s Preserve was my favourite, but when you are able to do all 5, you completely ought to.
Grange aux Dimes exhibit in Provins / photograph credit score: JF Bénard
Listed here are the monuments on the cross. We had been in a position to simply barely squeeze in 4 of the 5 together with two reveals, however we didn’t spend as lengthy on the Tithe Barn as we wished.
- Tour César: This tower gives every part from a dungeon as much as panoramic views of the city. Climbing throughout this tower (as I reminded everybody to carry on alongside the curving, stone steps) was one of many highlights of our journey.
- Tithe Barn: Known as the Grange aux Dîmes in French, this lined market as soon as housed the Commerce Festivals of Champagne that made Provins one of many busiest cities in Europe 9 centuries in the past. You possibly can see full-size replicas of sellers and their wares as you comply with alongside along with your audio information in English.
- Underground Galleries: Solely a part of “Les souterrains de Provins” are open to the general public, and you have to go along with a information. They’ve one English tour throughout the day, however even on our 45-minute French tour, we had been delighted to discover these subterranean tunnels as soon as used as a quarry, storerooms, a hideout for refugees, and gathering place for freemasons.
- Saint-Ayoul Priory: The oldest components of this priory date again earlier than the 12 months 1000. The positioning options marvelous frescoes, stained glass, a cloister, cultural reveals, and extra with an audio information in English that can assist you uncover all its secrets and techniques.
- Provins Museum: Artifacts and art work from prehistoric occasions to the nineteenth century are on show on a number of flooring inside this outdated stone constructing.
Get the Provins Move, which incorporates all 5 monuments above, plus discounted tickets for different experiences on the town, together with the open-air reveals I point out beneath. It’s at the moment €15 per grownup or €10 for teenagers ages 4-12. When you have two or extra youngsters, get the household cross for €45, overlaying two adults and as much as 5 youngsters.
Underground galleries / photograph credit score: JF Bénard
Banquet des Troubadours Dinner Present
By far probably the most distinctive expertise of our go to to Provins was the three-hour Banquet des Troubadours. To dine, we descended right into a vaulted room courting to the Twelfth-century, the place we had been invited to decorate up in interval robes and hats if we selected.
An genuine Twelfth-century room for the feast / photograph credit score: Banquet des Troubadours
The house is intimate, and also you’re near the leisure, a troupe of troubadours who play music, juggle, stroll on stilts, do magic, act out skits, and extra between the 5 programs of the meal. The present is in French, so a couple of of the puns will likely be missed in case you solely communicate English, however you’ll be able to comply with together with a lot of it via their intelligent pantomimes and bodily gags.
And lots of the tips, akin to their feats with the diabolo, want no translation. Most gorgeous of all is the fire-breathing finale. The youngsters had been duly impressed and had been nonetheless speaking about it after we left the tavern.
Fiery acrobatics for the finale / photograph credit score: Banquet des Troubadours
The meal itself is pleasantly spaced out. You’re consuming meals that might have been served throughout the Center Ages, so no tomatoes, because the troubadours will let you know, since these haven’t been found but. It begins with vegetable soup. Then you definately’re served a scrumptious pork puff pastry, our favourite, earlier than the heartiest entree: a stew full of hen, beef, vegies, and lentils. To wrap it up, there’s brie after which a dessert plate that allows you to pattern a number of candy treats, together with pear with rose and a slice of gingerbread.
Even choosy eaters will discover one thing they like among the many many choices. For those who don’t eat pork, you’ll be able to request a honeyed vegetable puff pastry prematurely. The youngsters appeared to love the dessert greatest, however the hen legs in the primary dish had been additionally a success. They usually ate the brie!
In true dinner theater model, the troubadours name for viewers participation. All of the visitors stood up and did a easy dance in a circle the troubadours taught us. At one level, the jester referenced “les Américains” — that was us — since America hadn’t been found but. (For those who don’t communicate French and don’t wish to take part, you’ll be able to at all times say that. They know sufficient English that they’ll perceive you.)
I like to recommend going for lunch since dinner on Saturday would get you again to Paris fairly late. E-book forward on-line to avoid wasting your seat.
E-book Your Keep in Provins
Extra Household-Pleasant Leisure
The princess and knight at La Legende des Chevaliers present in Provins / photograph credit score: Equestrio
Whether or not you see the dinner present with the troubadours or not, it’s best to see one of many open-air medieval performances that sometimes run from late March to early November. These embrace:
- The Legends of the Knights, that includes jousting, dressage, and a narrative with a cheerful ending
- The Eagles of the Ramparts, a show of horseback falconry with eagles, hawks, vultures, and extra
- Fireplace Horses, a nighttime present a part of the Provins by Candlelight pageant the primary Saturday of July and August
We noticed the primary of those talked about above: La Légende des Chevaliers. The story was in French, however that didn’t matter because it was principally concerning the acrobatics, horsemanship, the catapult, and jousting. It’s simple to know that there’s a monster attacking town, and that the “good guys” win the day. Afterward, we purchased some souvenirs on the store for the children.
When To Go to Provins
The Rose Backyard of Provins in bloom / photograph credit score: Roseraie de Provins
Summer season is the busiest time to go to, however it’s additionally when probably the most is occurring. The Provins Rose Backyard erupts into bloom with the nice and cozy climate. That is the place the well-known Rose of Provins comes from.
Test the agenda on-line to see what’s scheduled earlier than you go. The Medieval Competition of Provin takes place each June and attracts huge crowds as all the city is immersed even deeper within the Center Ages with road performers, particular occasions, and festivities. The Harvest Competition in August is one other historic occasion that focuses on bygone days with lots for households to get pleasure from.
You possibly can go on the shoulder seasons in spring or fall, and lots of the seasonal reveals are nonetheless taking place, however crowds are a lot lighter. We went on the primary day of their vacationer season, the ultimate Saturday in March, and it was a bit chilly however not crowded in any respect, so we had been in a position to benefit from the quiet cobblestone streets virtually to ourselves at occasions.
Christmas is one other wonderful time to go to for his or her annual yuletide market.
Attending to Provins
Saint-Ayoul Church lit up at night time / photograph credit score: JF Bénard
Provins is straightforward to achieve from Paris. Take the direct practice from Gare de l’Est, leaving each hour, or, if it’s not operating, you’ll must take a practice after which a bus. That is what we did, and it didn’t add on a lot time and was fairly simple to navigate with Google Maps.
Prepare and bus fare are low cost, however we’d bought a Navigo cross for every of the 4 of us, so transportation was lined with the cross. Listed here are some extra instructions on attending to Provins.
You’ll be dropped off proper by the tourism workplace. They’ve restrooms, maps, individuals who communicate English, and even a present store. We picked up a memento right here as effectively to recollect our go to. I solely hope we are able to return sometime as a result of we weren’t fairly in a position to match all of it in inside 9 hours.
We completely loved our adventure-filled household day journey from Paris.
Concerning the Creator
Cheryl Rodewig is storyteller, marketer, and award-winning characteristic author specializing in journey. Her Venn diagram consists of minimalism, waterfalls, French, and the em sprint. Discover her at cherylrodewig.com or on Twitter at @cherylrodewig.
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