Reopening on 27 March 2027Book

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OUILLY LE VICOMTE - PAYS D'AUGE - CALVADOS

Château & Gardens of BOUTEMONT

Welcome!

Between Pont-L’Évêque and Lisieux, 25 minutes from Deauville, come and discover Normandy’s hidden treasure: remarkable gardens with fountains, topiary and flower gardens surrounding a château steeped in history, a meditation labyrinth, activities for children, and a charming crêperie-restaurant amid the flowers.

“An enchanted interlude in a wonderful place”

remarkable

the gardens

Achille Duchêne “The prince of gardeners, the gardener of princes” designed the reflecting pool and the main gardens in the 1920s.
Over time, other gardens were created, forming today an ensemble that is both formal, with its topiary, and freer, with its flower gardens.
The Boutemont gardens received the EBTS Grand Prix for topiary art and hold the “Jardin Remarquable” label.

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The Cedar Avenue

THE White Garden

THE PURPLE GARDEN

THE GARDEN OF LOVE

THE GINKGO GARDEN

The reflecting pool

THE ITALIAN GARDEN

THE ZEN GARDEN

THE VIEWING CONE

THE BOXWOOD WAVES

THE FLOWERING APPLE TREE AVENUE

THE ROSE BENCH

A witness to Normandy’s history

The château

For nearly a thousand years, Boutemont has watched over the Touques Valley.
First a medieval fortress, it gradually became an elegant country residence. The Crusades, the Renaissance, the Revolution, the Roaring Twenties and the 1944 D-Day landings have all shaped its history.

The three historic rooms are open to visitors, as is the chapel. The rest of the château is lived in.

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The postern gate and drawbridge

the towers and façades

the Gothic drawing room

the lodge

the historic gallery

the château chapel

The feudal motte

THE MEDITATION LABYRINTH GARDEN

Unique in France

Created in 2026, this labyrinth has a single path: you don’t get lost, you find yourself! You move slowly toward the center along a route conducive to meditation. Oriented to the East, it is part of a thousand-year tradition, from Scandinavia to Chartres Cathedral.
For younger visitors, the layout includes 16 letters discreetly engraved along the route: by spotting them one by one, children can piece together the name of the great spiral star cluster visible at night above the estate at the September equinox.

area

300 m^m2

path length

~290 m

a break at the Orangerie

Crêperie — tearoom

Reserved for visitors

True table service, continuously from lunch to afternoon tea.
Crêpes, buckwheat galettes, gourmet salads, sharing boards, croque-monsieur, homemade pastries, ice cream. The natural complement to your garden visit.

We welcome visitors to the Château and Gardens of Boutemont from April 4 to September 30, 2026, Tuesday to Sunday and on public-holiday Mondays, from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

We do not take individual reservations — except for groups of 15 or more — but many tables are available on two terraces.

On busy days, if there is a wait, continue your visit and come back a little later: service is continuous

BOOKING REQUIRED

Booking for groups only (15+ people).

COME WHENEVER YOU LIKE

Come whenever you like to the crêperie by purchasing the seasonal pass for Boutemont

THE CHILDREN’S KINGDOM!

At Boutemont, the gardens offer children aged 3 to 12 a wonderful place to explore, where they can observe, solve riddles, dream, and let off steam. A large playground, with its fortress inspired by a medieval castle, invites them to climb, explore, and invent their own adventures.

NEW 2027 - THE CHILDREN’S CASTLE – PLAYGROUND

Make way for adventure in a large playground dominated by a fortress inspired by a medieval castle. Children can climb, explore, storm the ramparts, and transform the place—guided by their imagination—into a secret palace or enchanted kingdom.
Ages 3 to 11. Adult supervision is required in the playground.

the little gardener elf booklet

A fun, educational trail takes children on a journey of discovery through the gardens. Riddles, clue hunts, and observation games turn the visit into a real adventure. Ages 7 to 12.

The activity booklet is free and available in French and English.

the elf’s cabin

Nestled in the heart of the garden, this little cabin reveals a wonderful world filled with charming details. Every detail fuels the imagination and invites young and old alike to invent stories about its mysterious inhabitant

The feudal motte

Children will love climbing this motte dating back to the year 1000.

The Octopus Topiary

In the gardens of the Château de Boutemont, children can set off to discover an octopus-shaped topiary.

With its fun and surprising shape, it adds a touch of whimsy to the visit and invites families to see the gardens differently.

A little playful moment to share as a family, along the walk.

Koi carp

Children can feed the large koi carp; pellets for them are available at the reception desk.

Picnic table

For a family break, nine picnic tables are available free of charge during opening hours: five in the flowering apple tree meadow, and four at the foot of the feudal motte. They are freely accessible, with no reservation required. To help preserve the gardens, please picnic only at these tables.

So much to see – 1.5 to 2 hours’ visit

THE ESTATE MAP

THE SHOP

At the château reception, the bookshop and gift shop invites you to extend the moment: local products, books, decorative items, gift ideas, and Boutemont souvenirs sit side by side.
Whether you are looking for a book to leaf through once you are back home, a thoughtful gift, or simply a memento of your day, take the time to stop by before you leave.

The shop · bookshop

Elisabeth’s recommendations

Elisabeth Quin, a Norman at heart, shares her literary favourites on nature and the living world. From the art of gardens to the beauty of the wild world, from watching birds to the great founding texts of ecology, her selection invites us to look differently at what surrounds us, to marvel, to reflect and to rethink our place in nature.