The gardens of the Chateau de Boutemont in the North West of France

Visit Le Chateau de Boutemont

The Chateau de Boutemont is a beautiful chateau in the style of a large medieval manor house. It is surrounded by pretty gardens in a mix of French and Italian garden styles. The visit is not so much for the beauty of the planting as the beauty of the chateau in a pretty garden setting.

The gardens have been awarded "Remarkable Garden" status and in 2016 won the EBTS (European Boxwood and Topiary Society) "most beautiful garden in Europe" prize.

Explore the Chateau de Boutemont gardens

The entrance to the Chateau de Boutemont is along a long alley borded with a clipped box hedge including various topiaries and interspersed with beauiful white roses. Behing these are large trees giving the entrance a lovley restful green and white theme. At the end of the alley you can see the beautiful clock tower and entrance gate to the chateau.

Once through into the courtyard you will be amazed by the beauty of this gorgeous chateau which has the style of a large medieval manor house. The mix of stone, brick and a half timbered upper storey is very picturesque.

The chateau is built round three sides of a courtyard and the open side looks out over a large formal pond and the rest of the gardens. Walk to the other end of the pond for the best views of the chateau seen across the water.

In the main the gardens are laid out in French style with a few modern touches such as a "wave" of box hedging. There is also an Italian style border and an orangery and a potager. On the whole the gardens are very green with lots of toipiarys and it is the verdancy of the gardens along with the beauty of the buildings that is the attraction.

There are however a few areas of flowering plants to admire and one area especially designed to attract butterflies and so be sure to sit here a while and watch the butterflies flutter from flower to flower.

The Chateau de Boutemont garden visit

The chateau de Boutemont gardens are open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to November. In July and August the gardens are open every day. The chateau itself is not open for visits.

Opening hours are 10.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00

Prices are 8 euros for over 12 year olds and 3 euros for 3-12s

Address: Chateau de Boutemont, 14100 Ouilly-Le-Vicomte, Calvados, France.

Gardens to visit nearby

The pretty Jardins du Pays d'Auge are situated nearby to the west of Lisieux and south of Lisieux you can visit the splendid gardens of the Chateau de Vendeuvre.

You can find more local travel ideas in the North West France guide,