Domain of Dampierre-en-Yvelines

It’s a magnificent estate to the west of Paris, which has only just reopened to the public after 3 long years. Dampierre may be one of the largest privately-owned chateaux in the Paris region now, but for over four centuries it belonged to the Dukes of Chevreuse and Luynes and hosted some of the greatest nobility in the land, including Louis XIII, Louis XIV and Louis XV, who particularly enjoyed the tranquillity of the game-filled Chevreuse Valley.

Dampierre: an architectural gem

With its sweeping vistas and countless ornamental lakes reflecting the castle’s outline, the Domaine de Dampierre is one of the best existing examples of French Baroque architecture. It was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the lead architect for the Palace of Versailles, and looks almost as if it was set down into the lush green surroundings created by the no-less-famous gardener André Le Nôtre, the undisputed master of French formal gardens. This idyllic setting was even a shoot location for the Sofia Coppola film, Marie Antoinette – and you can see why!

Dampierre: where history and nature combine

Although there’s still a while to go until the castle and carriage museum reopen in 2021, visitors are now invited to enjoy the natural beauty of its surroundings, including the English landscape garden aboard a quadricycle or electric buggy, the canals during a boat ride, or the picnic area and playground where you can sit back and relax in the shade of trees that are hundreds of years old. If you haven’t brought your own basket of treats, then make a pit stop in the tea room, which serves delicious refreshments and lunches in jars, all sourced locally and zero waste! The most intrepid adventurers can head off to explore some 400 hectares of woodland on a wagon drawn by two Mammoth Jack mules, for a one-hour guided tour where you’ll get to see the boar, deer, and other wild animals that still roam this ancient hunting reserve.

You will also like the château de Rambouillet which has sheltered the greatest figures of French history, from François I to presidents of the French Republic.