Paris Chantilly

The French don’t call whipped cream “Chantilly” for nothing—this 14th- to 19th-century château is as whimsical and fluffy as the delicious dessert supposedly invented on its grounds. An amalgam of Gothic extravagance, Renaissance geometry, and flashy Victorian ornamentalism, the triangular-shaped château is surrounded by a moat, lakes, canals, and the elegantly simple Le Nôtre gardens. Between the architecturally masterful Grandes Écuries (stables) and the world-class Musée Condé, it’s a wonder that Chantilly has stayed a hidden treasure for so long. The whole package makes for a delightful foray into the French countryside; just 30min. from the city, visitors can stroll through the dense woodland surrounding the castle and hear nothing but the melodious singing of the tilleul, the bird from which the town derives its name.

A Roman citizen named Cantilius originally built his villa here, and a succession of medieval lords added elaborate fortifications. In the 17th century, Louis XIV’s cousin, the Grand Condé, commissioned a château and asked André Le Nôtre to create the gardens. It was while the Prince played at peasantry in these magnificent grounds that the now-famed crème chantilly was invented. Though the original castle was razed during the revolution, the Duc d’Aumale (King Louis-Philippe’s fifth son) rebuilt it in the 1870s, complete with the eclectic facade, modern wrought-iron grillwork, copies of Michelangelo marbles, lush greenery, and extravagant entrance hall you see today.

Transportation: Take the train from the Gare du Nord RATP (Grand Lignes) to Chantilly Gouvieux (up to 35min., approximately every hr. 6am-10pm, round-trip €14, under 25 €11). Schedule varies with season. The château is a scenic 25min. walk from the train station—go straight up rue des Otages about 50m, and the well-marked path (1.5km) runs directly through the woodland opposite. Alternatively, by road (2km), turn left on av. du Maréchal Joffre, and then right on rue de Connetable, the town’s main street. There is also a free but irregular navette (shuttle) service; catch one just to the left as you exit the train station. Approximately every hr. M-Sa until 6pm.
Tourist Office: 60 av. du Maréchal Joffre (☎03 44 67 37 37; www.chantilly-tourisme.com). From the train station, walk straight up rue des Otages about 50m. Offers brochures and maps. The tourist office can also call you a taxi (€6; ☎03 44 57 10 03) or rent you a bike to explore the town and caste grounds (€10 per 1/2-day, €15 per day). Open May-Sept. M-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-5:30pm, Su 10am-1:30pm. Oct.-Apr. M-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-5:30pm.

Food

Rue de Connetable runs through the middle of the town of Chantilly to the Grandes Écuries, offering a number of reasonable dining options—cafes, crêperies, and boulangeries. Near the entrance to the château grounds, you’ll find ice cream and sandwich stands, while the château itself has a pricey restaurant. In the gardens, you’ll find fresh farm-style fare at Le Hameau (☎03 44 57 46 21 or 03 44 56 28 23). From the château, bear left and go down the stairs toward the fountains; turn right and walk along canal des Morfondus. Cross the canal by one of the two wood-planked bridges and you’ll see the restaurant on your right once you clear the woods. The menu offers fresh cheese, salads, gesiers, magret de canard, paté, terrines and foie gras—the assiette gourmande (€22) is a nice sampler. For dessert (starting at €5), it’s chantilly with fruit, chantilly with ice cream, chantilly with pie, or just chantilly. (Beer €5. Plenty of outdoor seating. Reservations suggested in the summer. Open mid-Mar. to mid-Nov. daily noon-6pm; no lunch after 3pm. MC/V.)

Sights

Château, Gardens, And Musée Condé. Maps of the gardens suggest a walking tour of the grounds, but wandering is just as effective. A bike can help you explore the château’s 115 hectares of parks and grounds. Directly in front of the château, the gardens’ central expanse is designed in the French formal style, with neat rows of carefully pruned trees, statues, and geometric pools. To the left, hidden within a forest, the Romantic English garden attempts to re-create untamed nature. Here, paths meander around pools where lone swans glide across the surface. Windows carved into the foliage allow you to see fountains in the formal garden as you stroll. To the right, the gardens hide an idyllic play-village hameau (hamlet), the inspiration for Marie-Antoinette’s hamlet at Versailles. Farther in, a statue of Cupid reigns over the “Island of Love.” Recent additions include the kangaroo enclosure—the 15 or so wallabies gathered in the far right corner of the formal gardens—and a labyrinth, near the hamlet; both represent a move back toward the former royal flare.

Chantilly’s biggest attraction lies inside the château: the spectacular Musée Condé houses the Duc d’Aumale’s private collection of pre-modern paintings and is one of only two museums in France to boast three Raphaels (the other is the Louvre). The sky-lit picture galleries contain 800 paintings; 3000 drawings; and hundreds of engravings, sculptures, and tapestries, among them works by Titian, Corot, Botticelli, Delacroix, Reynolds, Watteau, and Ingres. Marble busts and drawings of royals and nobles attest to the château’s illustrious litany of owners: the powerful noble Montmorency family, and the royal Bourbon and Condé princes. Following the Duke’s will, the paintings and furniture are arranged as they were over a century ago, in the distinctively 19th-century frame-to-frame (academic) style. But the Musée’s absolute gem is the tiny velvet-walled sanctuary; this hidden gallery contains what the Duke himself considered the finest works in his collection: illuminated manuscripts by Jean Fouquet, a painting by Fra Filippo Lippi, and two Raphaels. Alas, the museum’s two most valuable pieces, a Gutenberg Bible and the illuminated manuscripts of the Très Riches Heures (1410), are too fragile to be kept in public view—but a near-perfect digitized facsimile of the latter can be seen in the illustrious library, second only to the Bibliothèque Nationale in prestige. The rest of the château’s appartements can be visited only by taking a guided tour in French. (☎03 44 62 62 62; www.domainedechantilly.com. Château open Apr.-Nov. M and W-Su 10am-6pm, gardens until 8pm; Nov.-Mar. M and W-F 10:30am-12:45pm and 2-5pm, Sa-Su and holidays 10:30am-5pm, gardens until 6pm. Gardens €5, large families, seniors, disabled persons, students €4, ages 4-12 €3; to gardens and château (the Musée Condé) €10/8/4. Passe Domaine (château, gardens, Musée VIvant du Cheval) €17, students €14, ages 4-17 €7. Petit trains with 30min. tour of gardens and grounds in French and English €5/3. Audio guides €2 in English and French. Guided visit to private apartments 2-3 times per day, reserve ahead; €5. Program of daily children’s activities available at ticket office. AmEx/MC/V.)

Grandes Écuries. Another great (if slightly less sweet-smelling) draw to the château is the Grandes Écuries (stables), whose immense marble corridors, courtyards, and facades are masterpieces of 18th-century French architecture. Commissioned by Louis-Henri Bourbon, who hoped to live here when he was reborn as a horse, the Écuries boast extravagant fountains, domed rotundas, and sculptured patios that are enough to make even the most cynical believe in reincarnation. From 1719 to the Revolution, the stables housed 240 horses and hundreds of hunting dogs, and now are home to the Musée Vivant du Cheval, an extensive collection (supposedly the largest in the world) of all things equine. In addition to the stables’s 30 live horses, donkeys, and ponies, the museum displays saddles, merry-go-rounds, and a horse statue featured in a James Bond film. The museum also hosts equestrian shows (1st Su of month at 4pm) and daily dressage demonstrations. The Hippodrome on the premises is a major racetrack: two of France’s premier horse races are held here in June. (On rue Connetable; entrance is through the Jeu de Paume gate, to the right. ☎03 44 57 13 13; www.museevivantducheval.fr. Open Apr. and Sept.-Oct. M and W-F 10:30am-5:30pm, Sa-Su 10:30am-6pm; Nov. and Jan.-Mar. M and W-F 2-5pm, Sa-Su 10:30am-5:30pm; Dec. M, W-F Sa-Su 10:30am-5pm; May-June M-F 10:30am-5:30pm, Sa-Su 10:30am-6pm; July-Aug. M and W-F 10:30am-5:30pm, Sa-Su 10:30am-6pm. Museum €8.50, students €7.50, children €6.50. Educational demonstration equestrian shows Apr.-Oct. daily 11:30am, 3, 4:30pm; Nov.-Mar. M-F 3pm, Sa-Su 11:30am, 3, 4:30pm. Hippodrome matches €3, schedule upon request at the tourist office.)

Le Potager Des Princes. The Prince’s Kitchen Garden is a cultivated 2-hectare expanse of greenery modeled on the château’s original 17th-century working garden. First designed by Le Nôtre as a pheasantry for the Grand Duke Condé in 1682, it was later converted into a “Roman pavilion” of terraced gardens. Abandoned during the Revolution’s pruning of excess, the gardens were restored in 2002 to their former verdant glory, this time as a public attraction. Catering mostly to children, the garden is arranged in themed areas, including a fantasy region replete with bridges and grottoes, a romantic and aromatic rose garden, and a ménagerie that features goats, squabbling chickens, and over 100 varieties of pheasant. It also hosts occasional concerts and plays by the likes of Shakespeare and Marivaux in the summer months; check website for details. (☎03 44 57 40 40; www.potagerdesprinces.com. 300m from the stables down rue Connetable toward the town, turn on rue des Potagers; garden is at end of road. Wheelchair-accessible. Open mid-Mar. to mid-Oct. M and W-Su 2-7pm; last entry M and W-F 5:30pm, Sa-Su 6pm. Gardener talks in French for children M and W-F 2:30pm; free with entry. €8, ages 13-17 €7, ages 4-12 €6.)