Of all the Chateaux close to Paris of course the Chateau de Versailles is the best known, however the Chateau de Chantilly is one you should not miss either.

The Chateau de Versailles

Of all the Chateaux close to Paris of course the Chateau de Versailles is the best known, however the Chateau de Chantilly is one you should not miss either. It is built on a small island within a lake and is located in one of the largest forests near Paris. Access from Paris is easy, just take the train from the Gare du Nord to Chantilly-Gouvieux station.

The Chateau is also home to one of the finest museums of historical paintings in France and is second only to The Louvre in Paris. In fact, it is the only museum in France not including The Louvre that has 3 Raphael paintings.

From 1386 to 1897, the Chateau was passed on by inheritance to different branches of the same family, without ever being sold. In 1884, the Duc d'Aumale, a member of the Institut de France since 1871, bequeathed Chantilly to the Institut under the condition that, on his death, the Condé Museum would be opened to the public and that the presentation of the collections would not be changed or loaned out. The Condé Museum was opened to the public one year after his death, on the 17th April 1898.