Eu, in Seine-Maritime, counted 6,499 residents in the commune in 2023. It sits a few kilometres inland from the Channel shore and the forest of Eu, between the Bresle valley and the neighbouring towns of Le Tréport and Mers-les-Bains. Its unusual advantage is how much history can be read within a short radius: a royal château at the centre, a collegiate church nearby and a major archaeological site in the forest.
A château made into a public building
The present Château d’Eu was begun in the late sixteenth century for Catherine de Clèves, Countess of Eu, and Henri de Lorraine, Duke of Guise. It was altered for the Grande Mademoiselle in the following century and reshaped on a larger scale after Louis-Philippe inherited it in 1821. The king used Eu as a summer residence and received Queen Victoria there in 1843 and 1845. After a fire destroyed part of the building in 1902, the town bought the château in 1964; since 1973 it has housed both the town hall and the Musée Louis-Philippe. The collections make the building a place to encounter the history of the French monarchy through portraits, furnishings and objects, while the collegiate church of Notre-Dame and Saint-Laurent adds a medieval and religious counterpart. The church’s crypt and funerary monuments connect the town with the Counts of Eu and the cult of Saint Lawrence O’Toole.
Briga belongs to a different historical story
In the forest, the Bois l’Abbé site preserves the remains of Briga, an ancient settlement developed in the Roman period. Archaeological research traces its origins back to Middle La Tène, around 250 BCE, and identifies the later urban complex as a town of at least 65 hectares. Temples, a basilica, theatre and residential districts have emerged through excavation. This distinction matters: Briga is part of the region’s ancient past, but it does not mean the present town of Eu was founded by Rome. Guided visits and introductory archaeology activities are seasonal, so access must be checked before a trip.
A living centre for the Three Sister Towns
Eu is not only a heritage stop. It is the inland member of the Trois Villes Sœurs, alongside the seaside resort of Le Tréport and the Belle Époque seafront of Mers-les-Bains. The three make an easy combination of architecture, forest paths and the harbour coast. Insee recorded 3,193 jobs in Eu in 2023; commerce, transport and services account for much of the local business landscape, alongside public services and industry. Visitors can use the town as a quieter base, then reach the sea, the Bresle estuary and the wooded surroundings on a short excursion.
Getting there
The railway stop at Eu has services toward Le Tréport–Mers-les-Bains and Abancourt; regional coaches connect the area with places including Abbeville and Dieppe. The municipality also lists bus links to Amiens. Check current train and coach timetables, as the route may involve a train or a replacement coach depending on the service. The main heritage circuit can be explored on foot, while Briga requires a separate visit into the forest.
Eu in three chapters: château, museum and the ancient town of Briga
This municipal upload is explicitly titled around the Musée Louis-Philippe. Its value is the direct connection to the institution that occupies the château today: it gives the visitor a reason to look beyond the building’s façade and treat the collection as part of the town’s story. Check the museum’s current opening calendar before planning around it.
France 3 Normandie’s first episode visits the Bois l’Abbé archaeological site in the forest of Eu and describes the excavation setting. The footage adds a landscape dimension to the ancient settlement: Briga is not a ruin in the middle of the modern town, but a site reached through the wooded surroundings. It complements the château and collegiate church with a much earlier layer.