Guédelon

What Guédelon does

Guédelon is a French leisure, travel and tourism business operating a living medieval construction site in Treigny, in the Puisaye forest of Burgundy (Yonne). Founded in 1995, the site hosts approximately 40 artisans (ouvriers) — including stone carriers, stone cutters, masons, carpenters, loggers, blacksmiths, tile makers, carters, and rope makers — who are building a 13th-century fortified castle using only period-accurate techniques, hand tools, and materials sourced on site: stone from the surrounding quarry, timber from the forest, and clay for tiles. The site is described as a unique world-first living construction site and operates as a scientific, historical, educational, tourist, and human project combined.

The commercial offering is centred on a single physical site, open seasonally from April 2 to November 1 (2026), with revenue generated through multiple streams: entry tickets for individuals, families, adult groups of 20+ people, and school/children's groups; on-site dining via Restaurant La Canopée (a 5-course medieval-inspired gourmet menu) and La Halle (casual pizzas, grills, and sandwiches); pre-composed picnic baskets; and week-long immersive workshop programs where visitors learn medieval construction techniques directly from the artisans. Pricing is publicly disclosed across tiered categories with group and school rates, and bookings are handled online through guedelon.fr.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through a single regional destination, with the official website as the primary information and booking channel. Distribution is exclusively on-site in Burgundy, France, with no evidence of multi-site, franchise, or international operations. The business model is therefore a high-touch, experience-based tourism operation whose revenue is driven by visitor volume, on-site F&B spend, and add-on educational/workshop participation during a roughly seven-month operating window.

Name

Guédelon

Legal name

Guédelon

Website

https://guedelon.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Guédelon operates a unique living medieval castle construction site in Treigny, Burgundy, France, where approximately 40 artisans build a 13th-century fortress using period-accurate techniques. It serves families, school groups, adult groups, and individual tourists through tickets, dining, and workshops during a seasonal April-to-November window.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Tourism and Living History Site

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional & Indigenous Crafts Lessons (Heritage Skills, Folk Arts) (THAJAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Masonry (Brick, Block & Stone) (EDAOAAAB)

Keywords

• Heritage tourism
• Living history site
• Medieval castle construction
• Artisan craft workshops
• Educational field trips

Headquarters

HQ city

Treigny

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Entrance Tickets: Visitors purchase tickets for access to the construction site and living history experience. Pricing varies by visitor category (adults, children, groups).
2. Restaurant La Canopée: Gourmet dining experience inspired by medieval cuisine, offering a 5-course menu with vegetarian options and children's portions.
3. La Halle Restaurant: Casual dining offering pizzas, grills, and sandwiches without reservation requirements.
4. Picnic Baskets: Pre-composed picnic baskets available for purchase before visitors' arrival.
5. Workshop Participation: Week-long programs where visitors learn medieval construction techniques from experienced craftsmen.
6. Workshop Bookings: On-site workshops including stone cutting and other medieval crafts, bookable online alongside entry tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Guédelon operates a living medieval construction site where approximately 40 artisans build a 13th-century fortified castle in real time using only period-accurate techniques, tools, and locally-sourced materials (stone, timber, clay). It sells public site visits, three on-site dining options, week-long immersive craft workshops, and tailored educational packages for school and adult groups.

Product overview

Guédelon is a single unified offering—a living historical reconstruction project—centered on constructing a 13th-century medieval castle using period-accurate techniques and materials. The product portfolio consists of the core construction site visit experience, supplemented by three dining options (Restaurant La Canopée, La Halle, and picnic baskets), educational programs for schools and children, group visit packages, and week-long workshop experiences where participants learn medieval construction trades. All offerings are tied to the central theme of experiencing authentic medieval craftsmanship firsthand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Canopée: A fine dining restaurant offering medieval-inspired cuisine at the Guédelon site.

Products and services

• Guédelon Castle Construction Site Visit A living medieval construction site visit in the Puisaye forest, Yonne, Burgundy, where visitors observe artisans building a 13th-century fortified castle using original techniques and locally-sourced materials. Open seasonally from April 2 to November 1.
• Restaurant La Canopée Full-service on-site restaurant offering a 5-course gourmet menu inspired by medieval cuisine, with vegetarian options and children's portions; accessible independently from the construction site ticket.
• La Halle Restaurant Casual on-site dining outlet serving pizzas, grills, and sandwiches to visitors without the need for a prior reservation.
• Paniers Pique-nique (Picnic Baskets) Pre-composed picnic baskets available for purchase before arrival so visitors can enjoy meals at designated picnic zones on site.
• One-Week Artisan Workshops Week-long immersive programs in which participants learn medieval construction techniques — including stone cutting, masonry, and carpentry — directly from experienced Guédelon craftsmen, bookable online alongside entry tickets.
• School and Children's Group Visits Tailored educational packages for schools and children's groups featuring guided tours, hands-on workshops (e.g., stone cutting), treasure hunts, and meal arrangements.
• Adult Group Visits (20+ people) Customized group experience package for adult groups of 20 or more, including site tours, optional workshops, and group lunch options at dedicated group rates.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Old Sturbridge Village: Largest living history museum in the US, depicting early 19th-century New England rural life with costumed artisans demonstrating period trades. Directly comparable as a multi-trade artisan-driven heritage experience.
• Beamish Museum: Open-air living museum in northeast England recreating historic trades, buildings, and rural life with costumed interpreters. Highly comparable operating model to Guédelon, with hands-on craft demonstrations, school programs, and on-site food and beverage.
• Puy du Fou: France's leading historical theme park, with immersive period-accurate reenactments, on-site dining, and multi-day workshops. The closest conceptual and operational peer to Guédelon within France, though at a much larger scale and with broader historical coverage.
• Provins (Medieval Town of Provins): UNESCO-listed medieval town in Île-de-France offering heritage tourism, medieval festivals, and craft reenactments. Comparable French medieval-heritage tourism peer within driving distance of Paris.
• Warwick Castle: English medieval castle attraction operated by Merlin Entertainments, offering costumed interpreters, themed events, and on-site hospitality. Comparable to Guédelon as a castle-anchored heritage tourism product, though with a fully completed structure rather than a live construction site.
• Skansen: World's first open-air museum, located in Stockholm, recreating historic Swedish buildings and trades with costumed artisans. A pioneer in the living-history category and structurally comparable in combining heritage preservation with public-facing craft demonstrations.
• Jorvik Viking Centre: York-based living history attraction recreating a Viking-age settlement with costumed craftspeople, artifact displays, and immersive exhibits. Directly comparable as a small-footprint, period-authentic heritage experience with strong school-group programming.
• Colonial Williamsburg: US living-history museum reinterpreting 18th-century colonial America with costumed tradespeople, taverns, and craft demonstrations. One of the most operationally mature comparables to Guédelon's artisan-driven model.
• Château de Chambord: Iconic French Renaissance château and UNESCO site, monetized through ticketed visits, on-site dining, and educational programming. Comparable as a French castle-anchored heritage tourism attraction in the same country.

Emerging players

• Eden Project: Educational ecological attraction in Cornwall combining immersive biomes, educational programming, restaurants, and events. Comparable as a destination experiential/educational attraction with on-site dining, but not a heritage or craft site.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/guedelon
• Facebookfacebook.com/Guedelon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guédelon