‘Ile de France’ is used here as a collective term for the countryside surrounding Paris – the Parisians’ traditional playground. The natural way to cover the best places to visit is on day trips from Paris, or in passing. Alternately sophisticated and rural, the hunting ground of kings and artists’ inspiration, the lle de France’s historical associations are many. An embarrassment of royal palaces and noble châteaux nestle in the rolling woodlands improving on nature with their magnificent formal gardens. There are many museums, marvellous cathedrals in the suburbs at Saint-Denis, the more far-flung Beau-vais, and, of course, incomparable Chartres. The former royal forests, dotted with small villages, and the restored barns and mills of wealthy Parisian weekenders, are a favourite destination for wave after wave of Sunday drivers in search of a friendly auberge in the woods.
The choice is so great that it is important to decide from the start what you want from your day. If you need to escape the bustle of the city, don’t look to the glories of Versailles, and its crowds, for relaxation. Head instead to Fontainebleau or the 19thC artist’s colony of Barbizon where sightseeing can be combined with exploring the national forest. There is plenty to see in this area, so consider staying a couple of days. Chartres is another pleasant overnight stop with detours to Sèvres or Rambouillet on the way, then you might continue down to the Loire. For youngsters, there is the brilliant air and space museum at Le Bourget, not to mention Mickey Mouse and the rest of his Disneyland pals at Marne-la-Vallée.
During the 19thC, the railways provided an escape for city dwellers who flocked to the waterside taverns, or guinguettes, bordering the Seine. Degas, Renoir, Sisley and Monet were among them. Later Monet moved further downstream to Giverny, where he spent his last years painting in the famous garden, which can still be reached on a day trip from the capital. The increased accessibilty of the Ile de France has done little to spoil its charms and greatly assists visitors relying on public transport. Do, however, get an early start as virtually every attraction (except Versailles) closes for lunch between noon and 2pm; and at week-ends it seems as if the whole of Paris is out in force.
TRANSPORT
Most of the attractions mentioned in this section are easily accessible by public transport, either the Métro, RER suburban train services, or SNCF main line trains. See individual entries for details, which usually assume you will start from Paris.
Best places to visit...
1 Barbizon
Former artists’ colony
SNCF to Fontainebleau. A pretty village with one long street on the edge of the Forêt de Fontainebleau, Barbizon made a name for itself in the 19thC as an artist’s colony. Precursors of the Impressionist school, the landscape artists Corot, Millet and Théodore Rousseau formed the Ecole de Barbizon, and indulged in the radical pastime of painting local scenery in the open air. Millet, in particular, broke new ground with his renderings of toiling peasants. Among the galleries, antique shops and hotels along rue Grande, Millet’s and Rousseau’s studios have been turned into mini museums, as has their local tavern, the Ancienne Auberge du Père Ganne.
The surrounding countryside remains an inspiration for present-day artists, and walkers will find several pleasant strolls in the forest. A useful starting point is the Carrefour du Bas-Breau (1 km east) for a not-too-strenuous scramble around the Gorges d’Apremont, though it can be extremely busy here on holidays and at weekends.
Beauvais
Tapestry centre and cathedral town
Beauvais’ famous Cathédrale de Saint-Pierre, www.cathedrale-beauvais.fr, a blackened hulk crouched to one side of the postwar town centre, looks somewhat ominous: no competition for the classic Gothic beauty of Amiens. In 1225, the Bishop of Beauvais drummed up sufficient support for his pet project to set about building the biggest, tallest cathedral in Christendom. By 1263, the massive choir was completed, only to collapse in 1272. It was repaired and fell again in 1284. Buttresses were built, the transcept tacked on, and then the temptation to add a spire despite the lack of a supporting nave spelled disaster yet again. Further construction was halted after the steeple toppled in 1573, and St Peter’s was never completed.
The building looks distinctly unbalanced and grim from the outside, but it improves at the main door, its Renaissance panels heaving with carvings. The interior is neck-crickingly high, and the ambulatory chapels gleam with marvellous stained glass, some of which dates from the 13thC. You can’t miss the astronomical clocks, the original a picture of restraint beside the 19thC version with its scores of dials and enamelled faces ranging from the size of a dinner plate to a thumbnail.
A famous tapestry centre, Beauvais is a natural site for the Galerie nationale de la Tapisserie housed in an ugly, concrete building to the east of the cathedral. The exhibits change regularly and there is an element of pot-luck, but you can always be assured of both antique and modern pieces in some form. To the west, a gateway flanked by towers topped with witches’ hats leads to the Musée Départemental de I’Oise, www.mudo.oise.fr, which harbours assorted local history and fine arts displays. For more dazzling stained glass, turn south for the Eglise de Saint-Etienne, rue Malherbe, and its rose window depicting the Wheel of Fortune.
Bourget, Le
Aviation and space museum
No. 350 bus from Gare de l’Est/Gare du Nord. A must for Biggles fans and space cadets, the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget airport covers the history of aviation and space exploration from 1919 up to the present day (www.museeairespace.fr). An historic site in its own right (Charles Lindbergh landed here after his first transatlantic flight), six enormous hangers contain space hardware and more than 150 original aircraft from biplanes to Mirage fighters, plus cinemas and audio-visual displays, Concorde 001, the prototype, is parked on the tarmac alongside the Ariane rocket launcher.
Chantilly
Whipped cream, lace and horse racing
SNCF from Gare du Nord, www.chantilly-tourisme.com. Although it has lent its name to whipped cream and lace, Chantilly’s chief business is horse racing. The first official race took place in 1834, and the prestigious annual Prix de Dianne and Prix du Jockey Club flat races provide a splendid excuse for le tout Paris to parade around the elegantly appointed race track opposite the châteàu. Over 3,000 horses ride out on morning exercises along sandy tracks through the surrounding forest. Trials are held in strict secrecy, but early-rising enthusiasts may catch a glimpse of gold-plated horseflesh riding out at crack of dawn.
Reflected in an artificial lake, Château de Chantilly dates from the 16thC when it was owned by the legendary Anne de Montmorency, Connetable de France, who served under six kings. Later it passed to the equally illustrious Condé family who employed Le Nôtre to lay out the formal gardens. Largely rebuilt in the 19thC, the Petit Château houses the Musée Condé with paintings by Holbein, Raphael and Reynolds, marvellous miniatures, Cellini jewellery and a facsimile of Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a glorious 15thC illuminated manuscript, displayed in the library.
Just across the corner of the park, the palatial Grandes Ecuries (stables) were built in the 18thC by a Condé who reckoned he would be reincarnated as a horse. Once home to 240 horses and 500 hounds, the buildings now house the Musée du Cheval. Paintings and displays detail every aspect of equine life from blacksmithing to dressage, and there are regular horse-riding demonstrations.
Chartres
Great cathedral, world-class stained glass
SNCF from Gare Montparnasse, www.chartres-tourisme.com. A pleasant old river-side town of crooked streets and gabled houses, Chartres plays second string to its chief glory, the great Gothic Cathédrale de Nôtre-Dame. One of the miracles of medieval architecture, the cathedral was built on an ancient Christian site over the ruins of a Romanesque pilgrim church largely destroyed by fire in 1294. The left-hand tower, one of a pair which can be seen from miles around, and the famous carved Portal Royal remain from the Romanesque church, but the rest of the cathedral was built in an astonishing 25 years. The flying buttresses were the first of their kind, and the overall harmony is most impressive.
Of the interior, the broad nave retains its rare 13thC maze which worshippers would trace out on their knees, but it is only fully visible during pilgrimage times when the chairs are moved out. There are fine carvings and a beautiful Renaissance choir screen, but it is the stained glass which predominates, a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour lent depth by the glorious and unrepeatable ‘Chartres blue’. Some 3,000 square metres of the 12th-13thC glass was painstakingly removed for its protection during the First and Second World Wars.
Another special feature of Chartres is Malcolm Miller, a passionate cathedral scholar and brilliant guide who used to conduct the noon and afternoon tours on Mondays to Saturdays from Easter to November. He’s now semi retired, so check his availability.
With time to spare, a stroll around the old town is recommended, or relax in the cathedral gardens which slope down towards the Eure. The Musée des Beaux-Arts with its paintings and lovely tapestries is housed here in the old bishop’s palace. At the north corner of the gardens a flight of steps leads down to the quayside near the Romanesque Eglise de Saint-André, now used as a cultural centre.
Chateau de Pierrefonds
Fairy-tail castle in the woods
For a perfect fairytale château in the woods, look no further than Château de Pierrefonds (14 km south-east of Compiègne via the D973). It is in fact a bit of a cheat, having been completely rebuilt on the site of a former castle during the 19th century. But with its turrets and ramparts sprouting from a rocky outcrop above the village, it makes an impressive sight.
Compiegne
More than its share of history
SNCF from Gare du Nord. S.I. place de l’Hôtel de Ville, www.compiegne-tourisme.com. The Romans called it Compendium, which seems apposite for a town that has seen its fair share of history. The Burgundians captured Joan of Arc here in 1430 before handing her over to the English, and from the 14thC a succession of French kings and emperors spent time in Com-piègne’s royal palace.
On the edge of the Forêt de Compiègne, the town is not much to look at, largely rebuilt after the Second World War. One survivor, the fine Renaissance Hôtel de Ville built by Louis XII, has an animated clock in the bell tower. The Musée Vivenal (closed Tues) has an exceptional collection of Greek vases; while the Musée de la Figurine Historique (www.musee-figurine.fr) displayes 85,000 tin soldiers from ancient Gauls to Général de Gaulle.
Château de Compiègne dates from the 17thC when Louis XV decided to rebuild the royal residence with the help of Ange-Jacques Gabriel, architect of place de la Concorde in Paris. Conducted tours trail through the sumptuous royal apartments including Marie-Antoinette’s lavishly appointed suite and Napoleon’s scarlet and gold chambers. Here also the Musée du Second Empire displays an enormous range of grandiose paintings, furniture and objets d’art; more intriguing is the Musée de la Voiture et du Tourisme with its carriages, cars and bicycles.
On November 11 1918, the Armistice which marked the surrender of the German Empire and ended the First World War was signed in a railway carriage in a woodland siding, the Clair-ière de l’Armistice, just east of Compiègne (6 km via the N31/D546). In June 1940, Hitler had insisted that the French surrender was signed in the same spot and the carriage was shunted off to Berlin as a trophy. It was later destroyed by bombing, but an exact replica sits in its place with a small museum.
Disneyland Paris
European cousin of the US theme parks
From central Paris, use the RER line A to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy station, at the entrance to the park; trains run every ten to 20 minutes, depending on the time of day. The journey takes from 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the departure point in Paris. By car, ‘Parc Disneyland’ is conspicuously signposted 32 km E of Paris on the A4 (Strasbourg-Paris) autoroute. There are also shuttles serving Disneyland Paris from Roissy/Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports.
The European cousin of the Disney theme parks in California and Florida has not yet proved to be as popular as its New World counterparts. To some, the ‘magic’ of Disneyland will be not so much the atmosphere created by its attractions, but the fairytale quantities of money which have been poured into the site.
You pay around £180 (2019 price) to take in a family of two adults plus two children under 11 for one day. If you begin at say 10 am, you can’t do it all, but you can cover a satisfying selection of the main attractions and rides, provided the queues are not too bad. Whenever you go, expect to wait up to half-an-hour or more at the main entrance for tickets. Once inside, queues will depend on the time of year. At some periods, for instance in the penultimate week before Christmas, you can find it eerily empty. At others, you’ll have to wait in long lines for rides, which could quickly spoil your day, not to mention the magic.
What do you get for your money? Essentially, a fantasy world designed to appeal to both adults and children. It is like a giant outdoor stage, whose hub is Main Street U.S.A with its quaint turn-of-the-century shops and restaurants in which to spend real money, brass bands and barber shop quartets. This leads to Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, or Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (a pastiche of Ludwig ll’s Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, but nonetheless amazing), geographically the centrepiece of the park. Along this main artery, the floats and characters of the Disney World Parade bounce and roll each day at an appointed hour: for adults given to introspection, a curious and touching journey back into the 1950s and 60s.
As satellites to the main artery, you have the four ‘lands’ (the fifth being Main Street U.S.A): Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland. What not to miss? An unfair question of course, but it does underline Disneyland’s main achievement: entertainment for each and everyone. A ten-year-old, asked which ride he’d choose if allowed back with time for only one, settled on Pirates of the Caribbean – a flat-bottomed boat ride through ‘scenes of pillage and plunder’ – “because of the stunts”. His six-year-old brother chose the Peter Pan ride because it zapped his imagination and “because of Captain Hook”. Their mother appreciated the Swiss Family Robinson Tree “because it was so beautifully done”. Their father’s favourite was the simulated space ride, Star Tours, for its mixture of wit (a delinquent robot takes you joy-riding through space) and its technical brilliance.
Some people’s view of Euro Disney is that it might be one of 20thC marketing man’s greatest miscalculations. Many French, particularly sophisticated Parisians, resent the presence of a U.S.-style theme park in their country.
Certainly, to visit after being in the centre of Paris, immersed in fine architecture and mellow stone, is a weird contrast.
Ecouen
Fine showcase for Renaissance museum
Métro Porte de la Chapelle, then bus 268C. A beautiful 16thC country retreat built for Anne de Montmorency, Château d’Ecouen now acts as a marvellous showcase for the Musée National de la Renaissance (www.musee-renaissance.fr). Original features such as the great fireplaces and painted ceilings are complemented by stunning collections of period furnishings, tapestries, School of Fontainebleau paintings, carvings, silverware and objets d’art.
Fontainebleau
Palace of the first kings of France
SNCF from Gare du Lyon, www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com A small town with a huge royal château in the middle of a 40,000-acre forest, Fontainebleau makes an excellent day trip from Paris. The crowds are not as great as those at Versailles, and there are plenty of opportunities for picnicking and walking. The tourist office has maps of forest trails and there are well-signposted walks from the Carrefour de la Libération up to the Hauteurs de la Solle; and from the Carrefour de l’Obélisque to the Rocher des Demoiselles.
Wild boar and deer drew the first French kings to the Forêt de Fontain-bleau starting with Louis VII in the 12thC. During the 16thC, Fran√笵cois I set about converting the regal hunting lodge into a Renaissance palace, Château de Fontainebleau, where he could entertain his favourite, the Duchesse d’Etampes. The finest Italian craftsmen – Primaticcio, Rosso II Fiorentino, Cellini – laboured over the interior decorations, founding the School of Fontainebleau which was to dominate the French artistic scene of the period, and many great works of art, such as da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (now in the Louvre), found their first homes on the palace walls.
Louis XIV commissioned Le Nôtre to lay out the gardens with their canals, carp lake and peacocks; Napoleon refurbished in Empire style, and later abdicated in the Red Salon before making his farewells to his personal troops in the Cour des Adieux. In addition to the flamboyant Grands Appartements, there are guided tours of the Petits Appartements which include Empress Josephine’s private suite, and also a Napoleonic museum. Military history enthusiasts can also visit the Musée Napoléonien d’Art et d’Histoire, 88 rue Saint-Honoré (www.napoleon.org).
Marly-le-Roi
Louis XIV hunting lodge
West of Malmaison, at Marly-le-Roi, Louis XIV built a hunting lodge which served as an antidote to the grandeur of Versailles. The building disappeared after the Revolution, but the magnificent park and gardens remain, making a natural haven for picnickers and a chance for the kids to run amok. There are grand vistas over the Seine, grassy avenues cut through the trees, and an aquaduct which feeds numerous ponds and cooling fountains.
Milly-la-Foret
Home of Jean Cocteau
Far removed from the pomp and peacocks at Fontainebleau, there is a pleasant drive through the forest to Milly-la-Forêt, 19 km W via the D904. An attractive village with an old château and lime trees, this was the home of Jean Cocteau (1889-1963), who is buried in the 12thC Chapelle de Saint-Blaise-des-Simples, once part of a leper hospital abandoned in the 16thC. Cocteau decorated the whitewashed interior himself with engagingly simple sketches of herbs, a grinning cat by the stoop and a moving portrait of Christ wearing a crown of thorns. There is a small garden of medicinal herbs (simples) outside.
Orleans
Long one of the great cities of France
www.tourisme-orleans.com. One of the great cities of medieval France, but badly bombed in the Second World War, Orléans rather rests on its laurels. It has become a sort of Joan of Arc urban theme park littered with shops, streets and dozens of statues commemorating the ‘Maid of Orleans’ who liberated the city from the English in 1429.
An equestrian statue of Joan commands the huge main square, place du Martroi, and the Maison Jeanne d’Arc, 3 place du Général-de-Gaulle (www.jeannedarc.com), lies a short walk away. The Maid stayed here after her victory, and there are models, costumes and audio-visual displays detailing the siege of the city. Rue Jeanne d’Arc runs straight as an arrow into the Cathédrale de Sainte-Croix, crowned by twin coronets of lacy stonework. Stained glass windows recall the legend of the Maid with the English cast not only as villains but warty monsters to boot, and Charles VII looks indescribably daft in red slippers.
Beside the cathedral, the Musée des Beaux-Arts (information at www.orleans.fr) offers 17th-19thC portraits and an impressive modern collection (Monet, Duty, Picasso, Miró). Across the street, the Hôtel de Ville is housed in the handsome 16thC brick and stone Hôtel Groslot, which opens its beautifully-furnished public rooms.
A favourite corner of Orléans is the Musée Archéologique et Historique, in the Hôtel Cabu, off rue Charles-Sanglier (information at www.orleans.fr) Its rare Gallo-Roman bronzes – a prancing horse, ruff-backed boar, tiny dancers and ball players – are a delight; there are old stone shop signs, furniture and an enormous collection of 18th-19thC engravings attached to religious, political and downright scandalous broad-sheets, once a thriving local industry.
Orléans celebrates the ubiquitous Joan with a rumbustious festival on May 7-8. There is a jazz festival currently taking place in April (www.nojazzfest.com). For cheap eats, check out the cafés and ethnic restaurants on rue de Bourgogne; picnic ingredients can be gathered in the covered market on place du Châtelet.
There are several diversions on the banks of the Loire above Orléans. First up is the little church at Germigny-des-Pres 29 km east, off the D60. Dating from the time of Charlemagne (9thC, except 11thC nave) it contains a wonderful 9thC Byzantine mosaic in the east apse which was uncovered in 1840. Glowing with colour, the glass mosaic depicts the Ark of the Convenant.
A little further on is the Romanesque abbey church at Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (35 km south-east, via D60) with a covered porch laid out in three aisles of arches carved with capitals. The Château de Sully, at Sully-sur-Loire (40 km south-east, on the D951) dips its feet into the river beneath) a imposing array of machiolations, arrow slits and pointed towers. Tours include the portrait-lined Salle des Tableaux and magnificent Grand Salon.
Rambouillet
Former royal, now presidential residence
SNCF from Gare Montparnasse. On the edge of the Forêt de Rambouillet, between Versailles and Chartres, this pleasant small town has a comparatively modest royal residence which now serves as a summer retreat for French presidents. The Château de Rambouillet dates from the 14thC, and was popular with Francois I, who died here after being taken ill while out hunting. Marie-Antoinette was less enthusiastic about its rural setting, so Louis XVI built her a dainty milking parlour where she and her ladies could play; he also founded the National Sheepfold, which is still inhabited by descendants of the orignal Merino sheep. The gardens are particularly lovely, stretching down from the château for more than 1 km around canals and artificial lakes.
Rueil-Malmaison
Country home of Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte
On RER line A. As the Seine loops its way west out through the suburbs of Paris, it passes close by Château de Malmaison where the First Consul and his wife made their home when they were plain Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte. The pretty country house is set in glorious gardens full of roses cultivated by the lonely Empress after her divorce, and the interior has been faithfully restored using original furnishings, such as the tented Council Chamber, and belongings which include Josephine’s hairbrushes and Napoleon’s books. Further Napoleonic memorabilia is on show in the neighbouring Château de Bois- Préau.
Near Métro Rueil-Malmaison, the Pont de Chatou gives access to the lle de Chatou, a waterside rendez-vous popular with the Impressionist set. One of their favourite guinguettes (dining and dancing haunts), La Maison Four-naise (which featured in Renoir’s Le Déjeuner des Canotiers), is still here beside a small museum devoted to visiting artists such as Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh.
Saint-Denis
Legendary burial place of France’s patron saint
Métro Porte-de-Saint-Denis. According to legend, after his execution on Montmartre, St Denis (the patron saint of France) carried his head to this site outside Paris where he was buried beneath a succession of churches culminating in the Early Gothic Cathédrale de Saint-Denis. The setting, a rather grim industrial suburb of the capital, makes a strange contrast to the magnificence of the building, necropolis of the French kings since Dagobert in 638, and the earliest example of several Gothic devices including the rose window. The soaring interior with its pointed arches and acres of glass is remarkably light and airy. The royal tombs in the chancel and transepts provide a fascinating catalogue of funerary art from the horizontal Clovis to Primaticcio’s Henri II and Catherine de’ Medici and the stylized poses of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Royal hunting lodge turned palace
RER line A, www.saintgermainenlaye.com. A prosperous and attractive town set on a hill above the Seine, Saint-Germain attracts few tourists, which adds to its charms. Yet another royal hunting lodge turned palace, the Château de Saint-Germain was much favoured by French kings from Fran√笵cois I to Louis XIV before the building of Versailles. James II of England spent the last years of his life in exile here overlooking the sweep of parkland and fine views from Le Nôtre’s breezy Grande Terrasse which runs along the top of an escarpment above the woods.
It was Napoleon III who established the excellent Musée Archeologie Nationale in the château (www.musee-archeologienationale.fr), which has since grown into one of the world’s premier archaeological collections. Among the treasures is the 22,000-year-old Dame de Brassempouy, the oldest surviving likeness of a human face; a recreation of the famous painted caves at Lascaux; plus hundreds of prehistoric finds, tools, weapons and jewellery from the Stone and Bronze Ages.
Also in town, there is a small museum dedicated to the composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918), who was born in Saint-Germain; and the Musée Maurice Denis, 2bis rue Maurice-Denis, displaying paintings by Pont-Aven and Nabis School artists including Bonnard, Gauguin and Serusier in a former priory owned by Maurice Denis who decorated the chapel (www.musee-mauricedenis.fr).
Sceaux
One of Le Notre’s superb gardens
RER line B. Another marvellous creation by the prolific 17thC garden designer André Le Nôtre, the near 500-acre spread of the Pare de Sceaux encompasses all its architect’s favourite devices from manicured lawns and broad tree-lined avenues to dainty topiary, colourful geometric flowerbeds and water features. In its midst, Château de Sceaux, a 19thC building in the late Renaissance style, houses the engaging Musée de l’lle-de-France (closed Tues). An enormous map in the entrance hall describes the royal hunting grounds of lle-de-France and the museum itself is devoted to the history and people of the region. Collected here are paintings and tapestries, furniture and china, plus an eclectic collection of day-to-day knick-knacks including costumed models, grainy photographs and antique conveyances from early bicycles to Métro memorabilia.
Senlis
Pretty town, several major sights
SNCF bus from Chantilly, www.senlis-tourisme.fr. A pretty town and favourite with summer coach tours (so it is best to visit off season), Senlis has a fine Gothic cathedral, Gallo-Roman ruins and the remnants of a royal château. At the heart of the old town with its Renaissance buildings and 17th-18thC mansions (walking tours from the tourist office), the Cathédrale de Nôtre-Dame overlooks a cobbled square. Founded in 1153 (before Nôtre-Dame in Paris), construction continued into the Flamboyant period and it is topped by an immense 78-m spire. Caught in the embrace of the old fortifications nearby, the remaining portion of the old Château-Royal now houses the Musée de la Venerie, which is dedicated to the cult of hunting and filled with paintings, sculpture, trophies and weaponry used in the pursuit of deer and wild boar in the royal forests.
Stretching south-east of Senlis, the beech woods of the Forêt d’Ermenonville make a fine picnic spot. Château d’Ermenonville lies at the south-eastern edge of the forest (9 km south-east via the N330) set in lovely informal gardens (a jardin anglais) which are open to the public. The 18thC philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau died here in 1778, and was buried on an island in the lake, though his remains were later placed in the Pantheon in Paris. A short distance north, the 12thC Abbaye de Chaalis built by the Cistercian order was partially restored in the 18thC, and now displays pre-Revolutionary artworks owned by the Institut de France.
Sevres
World-famous porcelain factory
Métro Pont de Sèvres. Just by the main road to Chartres at Sèvres, the Musée National de Céramique de Sevres (www.sevresciteceramique.fr) offers a wonderful cavalcade of pottery and china through the ages and from across the globe. Needless to say, the wares of the famous royal porcelain factory (established in 1738) are much in evidence, but Oriental, Islamic and other European manufacturers are also displayed.
North across the Seine, the elegant terraced gardens of the Pare de Saint-Cloud afford fine views back towards the city.
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Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chateau
A triumph of Louis XIV style
SNCF to Melun and taxi or walk. Asked to choose just one château to visit in the vicinity of Paris, this would have to be it. Built between 1656 and 1661 for Louis XIV’s Superintendant of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, by a talented triumverate, Le Vau (architect), Le Brun (decorator) and Le Nôtre (landscaper), it is a triumph of the early Louis XIV style before the top-heavy ostentation of Versailles. The elegant and, by comparison modestly proportioned yellow-grey château, with its corner pavilions, is surrounded on three sides by an ornamental moat and overlooks superb gardens, combining geometric precision (canals, gravel paths, topiary and formal flowerbeds) with fantastically fey grottoes inhabited by statues of river gods.
Inside, the rooms are sumptuously furnished and feature some glorious frescoed ceilings by Le Brun (incidentally, all three of Fouquet’s designers were later poached to work on the Sun King’s glittering prize at Versailles), but many of the rooms remain bare and unfinished.
In 1661 Fouquet was already on somewhat shaky ground having antagonized the powerful Colbert and was under suspicion for dipping his hand in the State purse to fuel his extravagances. As Vaux-le-Vicomte neared completion, he foolishly invited the young king to dine on 17th August, and laid on a lavish banquet served on gold plates to the accompaniment of a new play by Molière, a ballet and spectacular fireworks. The king was not amused by his subject’s grandiose display of wealth. Fouquet was arrested, stripped of his possessions (many of which conveniently found their way to Versailles), and imprisoned for life on trumped-up charges.
Versailles
Once the most extravagant palace in Europe
RER line C5, www.versailles-tourisme.com. The physical embodiment of Louis XIV’s neuroses and favourite dictum (“l’état, c’est moi”), the Palais de Versailles is a tour de force. It is a magnificent monster: an autocrat’s stronghold, a retreat from reality, an artistic treasure house, and totally exhausting. See www.palaisdeversailles.fr. It is impossible to see in a day, so follow one of the suggested itineraries, then head for the gardens. Survival tips include: be there early; wear comfy shoes; and buy a decent brochure if you choose not to take a guided tour.
Chased from Paris by the Fronde during his childhood, Louis XIV retained a deep-seated dislike of Paris and distrust for its nobles. On achieving his majority, the young king determined to move his court and the seat of government out of the capital, settling for the site of Louis Xlll’s hunting lodge at Versailles. Spurred on by the vision of Vaux-le-Vicomte, this section, he levelled the lodge, drained a swamp, hired the finest architects, painters and decorators in the land, and set about creating the largest and most extravagant palace in Europe. The palace was intended to dazzle, and it did. Visitors marvelled while Louis kept a close rein on his nobles by moving them into the palace – over a thousand of them with their families and servants until the entire court retinue numbered around 20,000.
Various tours of the palace cover the Grands Appartements, or State Rooms, for which Louis favoured a mythological theme. The throne room is dedicated to Apollo, the god of light, with whom the king compared himself and from which alliance he immodestly assumed the title of the ‘Sun King’. Some of the highlights are the magnificent Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1918, Mansart’s Royal Chapel, and the Royal Opera. The Petits Appartements were the royal living quarters where Louis XV entertained Mesdames Pompadour and du Barry, and the child virtuoso Mozart played. The portraits in the Musée de l’Histoire Francaise put faces to names.
There is no escaping the grand scheme in the gardens either, with many hectares of parterre and fountains and a Grand Canal big enough to justify bateau mouche excursions. You can hire a bike near the Grand Canal, and there are a couple of additional pavilions to inspect. The larger Grand Trianon served as a Baroque marble guesthouse. Marie-Antoinette preferred the Petit Trianon where she could escape the pressures of courtly protocol, dress up as a shepherdess and trip across the garden to her private pastoral playground, Le Hameau, fill her Sèvres milking pails in the dairy and play with perfumed lambs.
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