Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
Because not only the emblematic and well-known anciennes demeures royales shine Fontainebleau, Versailles or Chantilly , we invite you to discover other magnificent châteaux near Paris where you can dream, walk through its sublime gardens and be enthralled by its historic and refined halls.
CHATEAU DE MALMAISON (Av. du Château de la Malmaison, 92500 Rueil-Malmaison)
Built around 1610, Napoléon Bonaparte and Joséphine bought it in 1799. After his divorce, the emperor ceded it to his wife, where he lived until her death in 1814. Later, his son inherited it and it passed from owner to owner. until it is acquired by a philanthropist patron who offers it to the State in 1903.
Its current appearance is due in large part to its owners Napoléon Bonaparte and Joséphine, who, considering it demode they asked the architects Percier and Fontaine for a major reform, transforming it into a unique example of consular style.
Two wings are added and, like the atrium of a Roman villa, the vestibule welcomes with four stucco columns and an ingenious mechanism that allows the mirrors to slide, transforming the spaces into reception rooms. In addition, on the outside they build a small theater and transform the farm into kitchens.
Chateau de Malmaison
It is characterized by the linear style of the 18th century with the innovative touch of its architects, a mixture of antiquity and Renaissance, in which the its Doric columns, the motifs of the dining room –inspired by Roman and Pompeian paintings–, the decorations of the library and the salle du conseil –lined with canvas and adorned with paintings of weapons trophies–.
Modifications after 1805 are the work of the architect Berthault, such as the green color and Egyptian earth of the billiard room, the red tent-like arrangement with gold embroidery in Joséphine's bedroom, the fresco by Blondel, the mirrors and flower paintings by Redouté, and the renovation of Joséphine's dressing room.
Already the entrance of this neo-classic style château surprised its guests with its wonderful bouquets of flowers and the chirping coming from the bird cages.
Exterior of the Château de Malmaison
CHATEAU DE COURANCES (15, rue du Château, 91490 Courances)
Built between 1622 and 1630, this magnificent Louis XIII-style castle has undergone many changes over the centuries. It was entirely restored from 1872 by the Baron Samuel de Haber , a wealthy Swiss banker, who added elements such as the red brick of the facades and the famous horseshoe staircase, copied from the château of Fontainebleau. Today, a Historic Monument, it remains private and is occupied by the fourth generation of the Ganay family.
Its beautiful park has existed for more than a century. today this 'Remarkable Garden' extends over 75 hectares, being mainly a Renaissance garden d'eau with ponds, canals and fountains.
The marble room
But due to its modifications throughout its history, different styles coexist in it that reconcile the rigor of the great classical perspectives and the freedom of romanticism, as well struts from the classic 17th century French style, the 19th century garden à la française and the Anglo-Japanese, created in les Années Folles, in which the spring bloom contrasts with the warm autumn colors of the Japanese maples and the purple beeches.
Those in love with their cache will be able to stay in its lodgings, formerly occupied by the mill, the sawmill and the workshops. In addition, the property has a polo field that frequently hosts tournaments.
The Japanese Garden
CHATEAU DE VAUX-LE-VICOMTE (77950 Maincy)
It was a source of inspiration for the most beautiful palaces in Europe, a masterpiece of the 17th century, created in twenty years by the politician Nicholas Fouquet hand in hand with the best French artists. So Louis Le Vau, first architect of the king and best ambassador of the Italian style in France, erected a new style that broke with the principles of the time.
The grand château offers an immersion in the life of Fouquet, furnished and decorated by the painter-decorator Charles Le Brun, it is one of the rare decorations that has remained intact since the 17th century.
This is how they travel the appartements privés, the salons d'apparat where the luxury of the Grande Chambre Carrée, the Salon des Muses or the Cabinet des Jeux stands out, and finally, the basement with the large kitchen and the cellar.
Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
His marvelous André Le Nôtre garden is considered the origin of the jardin à la française. In it, the king's gardener and landscaper expressed all his ingenuity, creating 33 hectares of garden, where architecture and landscape merge in perfect harmony thanks to its theatrical majesty, the grandiose perspective, the use of water and its optical effects.
And with the arrival of Noël, the 'Vaux-le-Vicomte en lumières' event dresses up the castle with a dreamlike illumination of garlands, figures and Christmas trees that sparkle composing a magical universe, with the warm atmosphere of its fireplaces, its animated animals, baroque music, dances and games and surprises for children.
La Chambre du roi exhibits the traditional Nativity scene; the Salle des buffets, one of the first dining rooms in France, imagines a 17th-century banquet; and the kitchens, a greedy decoration of sweets.
The 'bibliothèque' of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
CHATEAU DE COMPIEGNE (Place du General de Gaulle, 60200 Compiegne)
Located in a beautiful forest, this location attracted multiple rulers. But it is in 1751, under the reign of Louis XV, when the the project of the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, to build a new residence, which today houses a museum dedicated to the Second Empire.
From 1856, the court spent long periods here in the autumn and it became the palace of choice for Napoléon III, who together with the empress Eugénie organized the famous 'Séries de compiègne' in which they welcomed a hundred guests for a week.
The guests were taken to the château thanks to a special train and each of them, according to his rank, was granted an apartment. Men of science or letters, artists, politicians and high officials rubbed shoulders during conferences. hunting, games, parties and plays.
L'Appartement de l'Impératrice, in the Château de Compiègne
The interiors boast of their salles d'apparat as her honor staircase, the Salle de bal, the Galerie des chasses or the chapel; as well as the Appartements du Roi et des Empereurs and the Appartements de l'Impératrice.
Le Petit Parc is the work of Louis-Martin Berthault, that in 1811 replanted the central part as a tree-lined garden à l'anglaise. In it you can see a kiosk, a rustic house, an orangery and a greenhouse.
also highlights Le berceau de l'impératrice, a 1,200-square-meter gazebo covered in climbing plants linking the forest with the palace and the wide avenue des Beaux-Monts that extends the park and the view from the palais.
The staircase of honor of the Château de Compiègne
CHATEAU DE MONTE-CRISTO (Chemin du hauts des Ormes, 78560 Le Port-Marly)
This little chateau, commissioned from the architect Hippolyte Durand by Alexandre Dumas in 1844 , is more modest than the previous ones but overflows with charm.
In its Renaissance-style façade, floral decorations, cherubs and musical instruments predominate. and on the pediment of his door, his family's coat of arms and his personal motto: "J'aime qui m'aime" (I love those who love me). Inside, the lounges, the dining room, her bedroom, the library and the famous Salon Mauresque, created by two Tunisian artisans.
The mauresque hall of the Château de Monte Cristo
To this château accompanies le château d’If, a tiny neo-Gothic style château, with the titles of his works inscribed on the façade, which he used as an office. It is independent from the main building, it is raised on a small islet, surrounded by an English park with water points and caves.
Since 1994 it is a museum where fans of The Three Musketeers discover their classic guided tours, in which his pieces transport the festive atmosphere of the great banquets organized by the writer, and other original routes in which some actors represent the characters of Dumas or personalities of the romantic era.
Château d'If