If you love art , history or architecture At Denis should be on your shortlist. I have regrets that…read moreit took me so long to get here because the church is awesome! It's a bit of a metro ride from the center but worth the time. Entry is €10 which includes all the crypts and the choir. If you don't want to pay you can still enter the nave but you miss those most interesting things. So the church itself is absolutely gorgeous - known as the first truly Gothic building. The choir is stunning - just flooded with light and full of beautiful stained glass. I can only imagine how awed the medieval attendees were because it's still pretty impactful. The crypts & disambulatory are full of the graves of the French kings going back to the 400's, along with many other royal queens, children etc. There is lots of really interesting tomb art, showing how people looked and dressed. The archeological crypt is king of creepy - reminded me a bit of the catacombs. Definitely worth taking the time to see this gorgeous church!

The Basilica of Saint-Denis is located just north of Paris in the city of Saint-Denis. This is…read moreeasily accessible by Metro and is faster and cheaper than sitting in traffic. The building is considered to be the first structure to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture. The necropolis contains the tombs of the French Kings from nearly every king from the 19th to the 19th century. The Queens where crowned at Saint-Denis. I have historically documented lineage to several people in this Basilica which was why I visited. The cathedral is gorgeous. The Pass Sanitare was required to enter and everyone wore masks. There is a €9.50 charge to see the tombs.

The town of Maisons-Laffitte is only about 35 minutes away from the Champs-Elysées by the RER A…read moretrain, and the Château de Maisons is a small and unusual chateau. Regular entry is 7.5 Euros or about $9 USD and includes a 2 hour guided tour during certain times (in French). The entrance looks perfectly symmetrical because it was built a bit like a Hollywood facade, with the outside built first and the inside built around the outside. This meant that some rooms have half a window, and walls are not where they might seem to be on the inside. The original entrance was built to receive royalty on the chance that they might come visit (which they did on occasion) so the marble sculptures in the portico and on the columns were carved to impress. Even the trompe d'oeil staircase gives the illusion of several stories even though the entire chateau is only two stories. The "third" story was hidden quarters for the servants under the "roof", which gave them a view of the royals entering and leaving the royal chambers on the second floor. The ground floor was where the actual owners lived and although the columns here look like marble, they are actually painted wood because the original ones were sold to pay off debts long ago. The most ornate part of the chateau is of course where the royals ate and slept and even the original parquet floors show the work put into pleasing them. The dining area had a middle entrance reserved for the King, while the side entrances were for everyone else; any pushing or shoving was punishable by fines. The King's bedroom was only used by the king on a handful of occasions but had the rare modern convenience of its own private entry with an adjacent bathroom. The women's quarters on the other side had a distinctly more feminine style. Most of the grounds were parceled off and sold to rich Parisians for weekend homes in the "country", but the bit that remains looks out towards Paris and the Seine as a reminder that a few minutes away is a place where you can leave the noise and intensity of city life behind.

Looking for something to visit not far from Paris and you've already done Versailles? Chateau de…read moreMaisons is your place. On RER A direct from Paris and a short walk through the charming town of Maisons Lafitte, you'll find this gorgeous castle. Gorgeous interiors for this castle nestled amongst suburbia. Entrance was 7,50€ for adults or free for 18-25 EU Recommend a visit!

From the owner: L'abbaye ouverte à tous Au fond du parc s'étire cette abbaye fondée en 1228 par Saint-Louis, qui…read moreabrite notamment un cloître, un superbe réfectoire et une bibliothèque. Un magnifique parc ainsi qu'un jardin d'inspiration médiévale viennent compléter ce lieu. Plus qu'un musée, c'est un vrai lieu de vie. Un festival de musique y est organisé de juin à septembre, une Fondation soutient son activité et 4 jours en octobre, des ateliers sont proposés aux enfants (tailleur de pierre, danse médiévale...). Royaumont organise aussi des séminaires et des réceptions d'exception (minimum 10 personnes) avec possibilité de manger et dormir sur place.

Sacre Couer on the hill of Monmartre provides the best 360 degree views of the city of Paris,…read moreparticularly if you venture to climb the 300 steps to the top dome (for 7 euros). Entrance to the basilica is free, and it's opened from 6am until 10:30pm. It was built with the "self cleaning" Chateau-Lando stone from France, and the rain and weathering keeps it white. Crowds linger on the steps and around the overlook areas. Vendors try to sell you cheap locks to put on the surrounding fencing (the locks covering the fences-even with signs saying "no locks permitted" are an eyesore and should be removed). Security line checks are long and in February 2026 we waited about 30 or 40 mins to enter. I can only imagine what chaos it is in the high season. The basicalla is beautful inside and well worth checking out, although quiet and repect are required as there are masses going on. For this visit the crypt was not available to enter, which was highly disappointing There is also a small train trolly like vehicle right outside that will take you on a 30 minute ride around Monmartre for 12 euros. We thought it was a bit cheesey and touristy at first, but it really was worth it! Sacre couer is majestically beautiful!

Walked up hundreds of steps to get there. I believe we were where John Wick filmed that dramatic…read morefight scene. As u get to the top u see two majestic knights on horses protecting the basilica. The basilica is beautiful. Many statues some made of pure silver. and areas to light candles. Long line to get in mostly tourists some are worshippers. The massive beautiful altar is the centerpiece, obviously every minor detail was carefully thought out. Starway to heaven. What an experience. Hope to add more later with some history.

From the owner: Ministère de la Justice L'Hôtel de Bourvallais est situé sur la prestigieuse place Vendôme, au…read morecoeur de Paris. Construit en 1699, il devient l'hôtel particulier de M. Poisson de Bourvallais qui lui donne son nom. Emprisonné à la Bastille, son hôte est contraint de l'abandonner au roi, qui l'attribue alors en 1718 au chancelier. Depuis cette date, l'Hôtel de Bourvallais demeure la résidence des chanceliers et garde des sceaux.

this historic estate was owned by the same family for 500 years until the death in 1897 of it's…read morelast occupant, Duc d'Aumale - son of King Louis Philippe - who bequeathed Chantilly to the state with the caveat that it remain open to the public. in it's long history, the Château has hosted notables of the era (and the wedding of Brazilian football star Ronaldo in 2005). the main attraction is the art collection in the Musée Condé, considered one of the finest in France (after the Louvre). also of interest are the gardens, private apartments, library and state rooms. located within the estate is the Hippodrome de Chantilly which hosts the Prix du Jockey Club in June, first run in 1836. also home to le Polo Club. Chantilly is an easy 45 min. drive from Paris but there are semi-regular trains you can take from Gare Saint-Lazare. upon reaching town, take the free shutlle bus to the estate. an alternative is a 20 min. walk through the woods on marked trails(which i did once). before leaving, stop in at La Capitainerie, the Château restaurant for some fruit, ice cream or patisserie topped with crème Chantilly, first served here by the "Maître d'hôtel" Vatel in 1671 for a banquet in honor of Louise XIV (actually saw this in the movie "Vatel" played by Gérard Depardieu). the perfectionist Vatel committed suicide before the banquet because the fish to be served had not been delivered. it apparently arrived after he impaled himself on his sword. what a (true)story.

I don't think I can top Mike G.'s review!…read more So just a few tidbits: - Easy trip from Paris - Try to get there early so that you can be one of the first to enter before it gets jam-packed with tour groups - We found the audioguide very informative - The restaurant situated in the former kitchen of the chateau - La Capitainerie - will get as crowded as the rest of the chateau. If you're clever (we weren't in this regard) you'll head to lunch early or at least go down and make a reservation or put in your name for a certain time. I think you can do this. All I know is we had to put our name, wait ~30 minutes (we walked around the gardens), come back, wait some more and eventually get seated. Lots of people gave up, but I was determined to eat in the fancy dining room and try some of the chantilly cream. I have to admit, the food was quite good (better than I'd read) once we were able to finally get a seat. My wife ordered the ribeye and got an ENORMOUS steak. (She distinctly ordered the 'petite' steak, but we received (and were charged for) the 'grand' one. The waitstaff reduced the charge without any problem when I pointed out the mistake, but just be prepared to check your bill before paying.) - The chateau has a wonderful art collection (Musée Condé), marvelous library, great architecture/decor and an incredible series of stained glass windows. - There is a separate stables and horse show. The 'stables' are so enormous and impressive that when you first see them (as you walk from the station) you may think you've already reached the chateau!! Apparently, the prince who lived in the chateau (Prince Conde) thought he would come back in his next life as a horse, so he asked his architect to design a palace for horses!! (I believe it was this sort of thing - palaces for horses, no food for the peasants - that led to a little phenomenon known as the French Revolution.) You have to pay separately to see the stables and horse show. Since we'd already seen a similar show in Vienna on another trip, we decided to skip the horses and focus on the chateau. - The gardens? Not my cup of tea. I tend to find enormous stretches of grass and ponds to be more exhausting than inspiring. Had the same problem at Versailles. Some people love it, I guess. Clearly the garden designers of the time thought it was the cat's meow. If you like chateaus, this is a nice one and very easy to visit from Paris. A quick train ride, pleasant 20 minute walk from the station and a full day visiting a palace and having a nice lunch. Not bad at all!

From the owner: Le Moulin qui a inspiré Utrillo Sannois, ville où l'illustre Cyrano de Bergerac est décédé en 1655,…read moreest dominée par son moulin à pivot datant du 18ème siècle, maintes fois peint par Maurice Utrillo lors de ses séjours dans notre ville. Inscrit à l'inventaire des monuments historiques, le moulin de Sannois figure parmi les mieux conservés de France. Tout à côté se trouve la "Maison du Meunier", érigée au 19ème siècle et restaurée en 1994 aujourd'hui elle accueille un restaurant sur un site admirable où vous bénéficierez d'une large vue sur la Vallée. Vous apprécierez l'ambiance encore champêtre où se plaisent artistes et promeneurs. A noter : Ouvert aux individuels - visite guidée tous les dimanches de 13h30 à 18h30. En semaine, sur réservation pour les groupes.

This is a nice place to slow down and relax and enjoy the fresh air in Central Paris. It's free…read moreand it's also apparently the oldest park in Paris. The elegant palace is also adjacent to a large green expanse called the Gardens of Luxembourg.

The Location: Metro #4 & 10, Exit : Odeon. About 10 minutes walk to the garden…read more The Palais is under-construction. There are many securities around the building. Very beautiful building! In the mean time, can check out the museum and hanging out at the park which is the largest park in Paris!

From the owner: La ville de Van Gogh et des impressionnistes Le 20 mai 1890, Vincent Van Gogh arrive à Auvers sur…read moreOise et s'installe à l'Auberge Ravoux. La petite église de style gothique, aujourd'hui exposée au musée d'Orsay à Paris devient l'un de ses sujets majeurs. Mais, dans la soirée du 27 juillet 1890, Van Gogh se suicide dans sa chambre à l'auberge. Il n'est bien sûr pas le seul : de Pissaro en passant par Cézanne et Daubigny, ce village a conservé l'âme de ces impressionnistes de la fin du XIXème siècle.

Well I'm just going to go ahead and give it 5 stars even though we weren't able to go inside. But,…read moreit was still cool to be able to stand directly across the street from the French version of the White House otherwise known as President Macron's present residence. There were a few officers out front, and in the immediate area there were police stationed at the Minister of Interior which is across the street and on every corner for a few blocks.

From the owner: La résidence officielle des présidents de la République depuis 1873. Edifié en 1718 pour le Comte…read mored'Evreux, le palais fut racheté par Madame de Pompadour en 1753 puis il revint à Louis XVI en 1764. En 1805, Napoléon offrit l'hôtel à sa soeur qui le fit embellir par le Salon d'Argent et le salon Murat où se déroule aujourd'hui le Conseil des Ministres. L'intérieur luxueux est orné de tapisseries des Gobelins, de meubles et de tableaux du XVIIIè siècle, mais il ne se visite que lors des journées du patrimoine. Il est la résidence du Président de la République Française.