Selection of five castles in Seine-Maritime (Dieppe, Arques-la-Bataille, Miromesnil, Eu, Cany) to pair with the 56th Herring Fair and the scallop season
Dieppe Herring Fair 2026: five castles to visit between the Alabaster Coast and the Arques Valley
On 14 and 15 November 2026, Dieppe celebrates herring and scallops on Quai Henri-IV. Five castles to extend the weekend: the château-musuem and its ivories, Arques, Miromesnil, Eu and Cany.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
Week-end en Seine-Maritime
In mid-November, as trawlers return laden with herring and scallop season reaches its peak, Dieppe sets up its fair on Quai Henri-IV. The 56th edition takes place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026. Visitors come for the grilled fish, but the town and its hinterland also tell another story—one of a disputed border between the Dukes of Normandy, Kings of France and Kings of England, and later a coastline chosen by princes. Here are five castles within an hour of the port, each offering what is realistically feasible to see in November.
The Dieppe Château-Museum
Two façades, two reigns
At Miromesnil, take a full tour of the house. On the south side, the so-called Henri IV façade remains almost bare, faithful to the rapid reconstruction of the 1590s. On the courtyard side, the decoration added around 1640 is rich with stone faces and carved garlands: barely fifty years separate the two faces, and here you can see taste evolve from civil war to restored peace.
Those who shaped these castles
Henri IV
1553 - 1610
Having become King of France following the assassination of Henri III in August 1589, he then controlled only part of the kingdom in the face of the Catholic League. Retreating towards Dieppe, he relied on Arques Castle and its artillery to defeat the army of the Duke of Mayenne on 21 September 1589—a victory that gave Arques-la-Bataille its name.
Guy de Maupassant
1850 - 1893
Born on 5 August 1850 at Miromesnil Château, he grew up between Étretat and Rouen, drawing much of his settings from the Pays de Caux: farms, ports, provincial notables. A disciple of Flaubert, he became one of the masters of the French short story within a decade.
Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orléans, la Grande Mademoiselle
1627 - 1693
First cousin to Louis XIV and one of the wealthiest heiresses in the kingdom, she acquired the County of Eu and completed the château begun by the Guise. In 1681, she ceded Eu to the Duke of Maine, son of Louis XIV, as part of negotiations that secured Lauzun’s release.
Louis-Philippe Ier
1773 - 1850
King of the French from 1830 to 1848, he made Eu Château—inherited from his family—his summer residence. It was here that he received Queen Victoria in 1843 and 1845, visits often seen as the first steps towards the Entente Cordiale. The museum now installed in the château bears his name.
To extend your travels in Normandy
Three-day road trip in Normandy: from Balleroy to the Pays d'Auge via Caen
Historical portrait of William the Conqueror through seven castles in Normandy and England, to coincide with the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at theWilliam the Conqueror in seven castles: from Brionne to the Tower of London, while the Bayeux Tapestry is in London
Historical portrait of Henry IV through seven castles, from Béarn to Île-de-France, marking his birthday (13 December) and the exhibition "The Flair of theHenry IV in seven castles: from the cradle of Pau to the Grand Canal of Fontainebleau
Two-day itinerary through the Somme’s fortified castles around the Amiens Christmas Market 2026 (20 November – 30 December)Amiens Christmas Market: Two days among the Somme fortresses, from Picquigny to Ham
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