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Regions à la carte
Ile de France (area outside Paris)
Region at a glance |
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 Major city:
Versailles, Ivry, Melun,
Nanterre, Bobigny, Creteil, Pontoise
Region surrounding Paris,
accessible by public transportation
Historical castles
Disneyland Paris
The history, customs
and language of the Ile-de-France region have merged with those of
Paris, and spread throughout the whole country. The destiny of
France was played out in the Ile-de-France, in the magnificent
castles of Fontainebleau, Compiègne, Provins, Saint-Germain and
Versailles. This "garden of kings" is in fact made up of many
smaller regions whose names - Valois, Beauvaisis, Vexin, Brie,
Gatinais, Hurepoix - irresistibly evoke royal banners and the
pageantry of past years.
Square bell towers in gentle valleys, white silos on endless plains
of wheat: subtle and harmonious landscapes painted and praise by
Racine, La Fontaine, Corot and all the landscape painters. The
region is a living museum: Gothic art was born here and there are
hundreds of beautiful churches and cathedrals. The magnificent
castles of Fontainebleau and Versailles with its magnificent royal
apartments and gardens, bring the history of France to life again.
Paris is surrounded by forests: Fontainebleau, Compiègne, Saint-Germain-en-Laye,
which attract Parisians in their thousands every weekend. There are
interesting walks and hundreds of little paths where lovers of all
ages stroll down leafy avenues and breathe in the freshness of these
green retreats from the big city. |
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Places of interest |
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Antiquités Nationales (Musées
des) |
Château
de Saint-Germain-en-Laye Place du Château - 78103 Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Tel: 01 34 51 53 65
RER: A Saint-Germain-en-Laye - 9:30am-5:30pm - Closed on Tuesdays
Gallo-roman and Merovingian archeological museum. |
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Auvers-sur-Oise |
20 miles from Paris - easily accessible by
train
The simple inn in the village of Auver-sur-Oise, where Vincent van
Gogh spent the last 70 days of his life, has recently been restored
and opened. La Maison de van Gogh is now one of the most moving
museums in the paris region. |
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Céramique (Musée National
de la) |
Place de la Manufacture-92310 Sèvres. Metro: Pont de
Sèvres.
Tel: 01 41 14 04 20. 10am-5pm. Closed on Tuesdays and Public
Holidays. History of fine china and pottery through all ages and
civilizations. The Manufacture Royale de Sèvres was founded in 1738. |
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Fontainebleau (Musée
National du chateau de) |
77300 Fontainebleau. Tel: 01 64 22 27 40.
Train station: Gare de Lyon, station "Fontainebleau Avon"+Bus A or B
. Open: 9:30am-12:30am-2pm-5pm. Closed on Tuesdays and Public
Holidays.
History of Napoléon and his family from 1804 to 1815. |
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Malmaison et de Bois Préau (Musée
National des Châteaux de) |
1, avenue du Château-92500 Rueil-Malmaison.
Tel: 01 47 49 20 07.
RER: line A Rueil-Malmaison.
Summer: 10am-12noon, 1:30pm-5pm. Winter: 10am-12noon, 1:30am-4:30pm.
Closed on Tuesdays.
Museums devoted to the story of Napoléon and Joséphine. |
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Saint-Denis (Basilica) |
Place de
l'Hôtel de Ville- 93200 Saint-Denis. Tel: 01 48 09 83 54.
RER: line D Saint-Denis. Metro: Basilique-Saint-Denis.
Summer: 10am-7pm. Winter 10am-5pm. Sundays: From 12 noon. Closed on
Public Holidays. Funeral Art Museum. Tombs of the Kings of France. |
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Versailles et de Trianon (Musée
et Domaine National du château de) |
78000
Versailles. Tel: 01 30 84 74 00
RER: line C Versailles Rive Gauche. Bus: 171 Pont de Sèvres. Train
station: Gare Saint-Lazare: Station Versailles Rive Droite.
Summer: 9am-6:30pm. Winter: 9am-5:30pm. Closed on Mondays.
The most famous Royal Castle in the world. The Royal Apartments, the
Hall of Mirrors, the Chapel, the Royal Opera and the French History
Museum. A park with statues, fountains, the Grand Trianon, the Petit
Trianon, the Temple of Love and the Hamlet.
Fêtes de Versailles (from May 4 til October 12, 1997- every Sunday
and August 15, ):
The fountains of Versaille's gardens set to music!
At the "Grande perspective" bassin: 11:15 to 11:35amGrandes
eaux:3:30 to 5:00pmGrand Final (Bassin de Neptune)5:20 to 5:30pm
Grande Fête de Nuit:
Royal fireworks, music and illuminated fountains: at 10:30pm
June 27, 28 - July 4, 5, 18 and 19 - September 5, 6, 12 and 13 |
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Vincennes (Château et
Musée Historique du Donjon) |
Avenue de
Paris-94300 Vincennes. Tel: 01 43 28 15 48.
Metro: Château de Vincennes. RER: line A Vincennes.
Summer: 10am-6pm. Winter: 10am-5pm
Closed on Public Holidays.
The Château de Vincennes is the only fortified castle in the
immediate vicinity of Paris. The museum presents the history of the
castle (royal residence, fortress and state prison). |
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Leisure Parks - Safari Parks |
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Astérix
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(April-October)
BP 9-60128 Plailly. Tel: (16) 36 68 30 10.
RER line B3 Roissy-Aéroport Charles de Gaulle + shuttle Courriers
Ile de France.
Train station: Gare du Nord to Fosses + shuttle Courriers Ile de
France.
Discover the world of the Gauls with Astérix and Obélix. |
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Euro
Disneyland |
(April-October)
24, rout de Mesnil-78990 Elancourt. Tel: 01 30 51 51 51.
RER line C7: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Train station: Gare
Montparnasse to "Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines".
150 historic monuments, 20 typical villages, countryside, scenes
from everyday life. |
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France Miniature |
15th-16th
century castle, sound and light representations involving over 700
participants |
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Mer
de Sable |
(April-September)
60950 Ermononville. Tel: (16) 44 54 00 96.
RER: line B3 Roissy Aéroport Charles de Gaulle + shuttle Courriers
Ile de France . (Departure: 10:30am--Return: 6:12pm on Saturday,
Sundays and Public Holidays from May to September). A page out of
the history of the American West. |
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Saint-Vrain
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(April-October)
91770 Saint-Vrain. Tel: 0164 56 10 80. By road: Autoroute du Sud
(motorway south), exit Viry-Châtillon--direction Brétigny, then
follow the arrows indicating "Saint-Vrain".On a 130-hectare site, a
prehistoric world with wild animals. Boat-safari. |
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Thoiry
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(Château
- Parc Zoologique)
78770 Thoiry en Yvelines. Tel: 01 34 87 52 25.
Train station: Gare Montparnasse to "Monfort-l'Amaury" + bus. By
road: A13 motorway direction Dreux, exit Bois d'Arcy, then take the
direction Dreux and Pontchartrain, D11 towards Thoiry.
A 450-hectare park with gardens and an African reserve containing
800 animals. Gastronomic museum. |
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Technical tourism and sports |
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Sugar distillery, Ceramics, Stained Glass,
Food and beverage production (Pernod - Chocolate - Bread -
Liquor), Rungis Market
Barging, helicopter, cycling, horseback riding, tennis, golf
Héliport de Paris. 4, avenue de
la Porte de Sèvres, 75015 Paris . Tel: 01 45 54 95 11.
Metro: Balard. Tours over the principal sights of Paris, the
Ile de France and France.
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Cuisine |
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Paris and Ile de France offer a
wide selection of cuisines from all the regions of France. |
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