Places to Explore

• Auvers-sur-Oise

  The tranquil Oise River valley, which runs northeast from Pontoise, retains much of the charm that attracted Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Camille Corot, Charles-François Daubigny, and Berthe... (more)

• Barbizon

  On the western edge of the 62,000-acre Forest of Fontainebleau, the village of Barbizon retains its time-stained allure despite the intrusion of art galleries, souvenir shops, and busloads of tourists... (more)

• Chantilly

  Celebrated for lace, cream, and the most beautiful medieval manuscript in the world—Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry—romantic Chantilly has a host of other attractions: a faux... (more)

• Chartres

  If Versailles is the climax of French secular architecture, Chartres is its religious apogee. All the descriptive prose and poetry that have been lavished on this supreme cathedral can only begin to suggest... (more)

• Compiègne

  Compiègne, a bustling town of some 40,000 people—frequent trains connect with Paris's Gare du Nord (the trip takes 45 minutes and costs €29 round-trip)—is at the northern limit... (more)

• Courances

• Dampierre

• Disneyland Paris

  Originally called Euro Disney, Disneyland Paris is probably not what you've traveled to France to experience. But if you have a child in tow, the promise of a day here may get you through an afternoon at... (more)

• Fontainebleau

  Like Chambord, in the Loire Valley, or Compiègne, to the north, Fontainebleau was a favorite spot for royal hunting parties long before the construction of one of France's grandest residences. Although... (more)

• Giverny

  The small village of Giverny (pronounced jee-vair-knee), just beyond the Epte River, which marks the boundary of Ile-de-France, has become a place of pilgrimage for art lovers. It was here that Claude... (more)

• L'Isle-Adam

  Residentially exclusive L'Isle-Adam is one of the most strikingly gorgeous towns in Ile-de-France. Paris lies just 40 km (25 mi) south, but it could be 161 km (100 mi) and as many years away. The town... (more)

• Maintenon

• Pierrefonds

  Dominating the attractive lakeside village of Pierrefonds, a former spa resort, is its immense ersatz medieval castle.... (more)

• Pontoise

  A pleasant old town on the banks of the Oise, Pontoise is famous for its link with the Impressionists.... (more)

• Rambouillet

  Haughty Rambouillet, once favored by kings and dukes, is now home to affluent gentry and, occasionally, the French president.... (more)

• Rueil-Malmaison

  Rueil-Malmaison is a slightly dreary western suburb of Paris, but the memory of the legendary pair Napoléon and Joséphine still haunts its Neoclassic-era château.... (more)

• Senlis

  Senlis is an exceptionally well-preserved medieval town with crooked, mazelike streets dominated by the svelte, soaring spire of its Gothic cathedral. Be sure to also inspect the moss-tile church of St-Pierre... (more)

• St-Germain-en-Laye

  The elegant town of St-Germain-en-Laye, encircled by forest and perched behind Le Nôtre's Grande Terrace overlooking the Seine, has lost little of its original cachet, despite the invasion of wealthy... (more)

• Thoiry

  Thoiry is most famous for its 16th-century château with beautiful gardens, a wild-animal preserve, and a gastronomy museum. The village makes an excellent day trip from Paris, especially if you're... (more)

• Vaux-le-Vicomte

  A manifesto for French 17th-century splendor, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was built between 1656 and 1661 by finance minister Nicolas Fouquet. The construction program was monstrous: entire villages... (more)

• Vernon

  The Vieille Ville (Old Town) of Vernon, on the Seine, has a medieval church, which Monet painted from across the Seine, and several fine timber-frame houses (the most impressive, on Rue Carnot, houses... (more)

• Versailles

  It's hard to tell which is larger at Château de Versailles —the world-famous château that housed Louis XIV and 20,000 of his courtiers, or the mass of tour buses and visitors standing... (more)