Cliquez pour aller à la version française du site web
Browser fix
Browser fix
Where Nacqueville is (facing the Isle of Wight) in relation to London and Paris

On this page:

Navigation bullet point View - front of chateau
Navigation bullet point The Chateau
Navigation bullet point The Park
Navigation bullet point Opening times
Navigation bullet point Travelling to Nacqueville
Browser fix
Chateau and Park's title block
Browser fix

Overview

The enchanting Chateau and Park of Nacqueville are hidden away in a lush coastal valley 20 minutes from the Channel port of Cherbourg, at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, France.

Front view of the chateau

"... one of the prettiest places in the world"
- Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous 19th century political philosopher.
[Clearer image (in separate window)]

The Chateau

Registered as an historical monument, construction of the Chateau of Nacqueville began in 1510 as a fortified manor. The defensive wall was knocked down around 1700, while the main building was partly rebuilt during the 18th and 19th centuries. With its granite walls and stone roofs, the Chateau is characteristic of the finest manors on the Cotentin peninsula.

The Park

Created in the 1830s by an English landscape gardener, the garden appears as a delightful romantic park. A stream with a series of waterfalls runs down to the lake in which the Chateau is reflected.

Many varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas, as well as ornamental trees, clumps of giant gunnera and palm trees are spread over the lawns. A grotto and cascades add further touches of elegance and fantasy in amongst the banks of rhododendrons on the steeply wooded valley sides.

The garden is classified as “Jardin remarquable” (approximately, “Exceptional garden”), a quality label awarded by the Ministère de la Culture (Ministry of Culture).

Flowers - unusual rhododendrons & azaleas

To find out more:

Body text bullet pointRead more about the Park's creation, and the Chateau's renovation, on the History page.

Body text bullet pointWatch a video tour of the gardens in English.

Opening times…

The Park of the Chateau de Nacqueville is open several days a week during the warmer half of the year. Find opening hours, prices and other visit details on the Visits page.

Travelling to Nacqueville

The Chateau and Park of Nacqueville are 15 minutes by car from Cherbourg (see map), a busy Channel port. Fast ferries operate from both Portsmouth and Poole, taking just over 2 hours (see Getting there).

Esquisse du devant du chateau en tant que logo

© T. & F. d'Harcourt, 2002-24. All rights reserved

Website design by romjon.com

Browser fix
Browser fix