About 30 minutes’ drive north of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is the beautiful Château de Chantilly. This magnificent castle rivals Fontainebleau and Versailles but is lesser known and less crowded (at least when we went). It is well worth visiting and makes for the perfect day trip from Paris. It can also be visited during a long layover at Charles de Gaulle.
Following our trip to the Loire Valley we decided to make a detour to visit the Château de Chantilly before heading out to the airport and we are glad we did. We honestly didn’t expect to find such a jewel! It was the perfect finish to our French castle adventure.
The Château itself is enormous! Wonderfully preserved and tastefully decorated it is a pleasure to visit. Do take the paid guided tour of the smaller apartments for great insights and more history about the castle. If pressed for time you can also listen to the short film playing in the chapel that gives a recap. We did both.
The initial castle was completely destroyed during the French Revolution and disassembled block by block to be used for building supplies. Such a shame but those were the times. It was rebuilt in 1870 by the young Henri d’Orléans, the Duc d’Aumale, who received the estate when he was only 8 years’ old.
Having no heirs he gave the entire château, grounds, and contents to the Institute of France in 1898. In his will he decreed that none of the treasures in his massive collection could be moved or loaned out from Chantilly. All the works displayed are originals as per his instructions.
The Art Galleries
While not all on display, the collection consists of over 1800 paintings, 4000 manuscripts and a huge variety of objects of art including furniture, hangings and much more. Every room is amazing. And you can really take your time to admire the artwork and really get closer to each piece than you can at the Louvre in Paris.
The Large Suites
We visited these as a self-guided tour but it’s possible to get an audio guide at the entrance. There is also an app for your phone but be sure to download all the content before you leave. These opulent rooms were fit for royalty and used for receptions by the Princes of Bourbon-Condé.
The Private Suites
We also did the Duke and Duchess of Aumale’s private suites tour which was at 5 pm and we enjoyed it tremendously. The short 1-hour tour took us into areas closed to the public and the guide was very knowledgeable about the château’s history and conservation. She pointed out pieces that were only recently restored and explained how the château found experts knowledgeable with historical methods of working with feathers and fragile fabrics. She also mentioned some of the restoration costs which were staggering.
The Library
Do not miss the Cabinet des Livres with its extensive collection of rare books.
The Great Stables
Check out the Museum of the Horse and if you want to buy tickets for the equestrian show, do so in advance. It was sold out by the time we arrived at 1 pm.
The Grounds
The domain of the Château de Chantilly spans over 115 hectares and with our limited time we couldn’t explore all of it. We were happy to learn that the grounds remain open until 8 pm so we had the chance to stroll through the English Garden and see the Temple of Venus and the Island of Love after our interior visit. You can also rent an electric golf cart, but they stop renting these at 6pm.
Of course, you cannot miss the French-style garden designed by André Le Nôtre with fountains, statues, and water features.
We loved walking around the gardens and the stables to get different vantage points of this beautiful château.
Getting there
From Charles de Gaulle airport renting a car and doing the half hour drive is easiest. A taxi would set you back 60-80 euros and there are also options to go by train and bus. If you’re coming from Paris, take the train from the Gare du Nord to the Chantilly Gouvieux station.
There is ample parking (paid) at the château.
Overall
We went at the end of April and while the weather was ideal for exploring the grounds there were no flowers planted yet. I can only imagine how beautiful it must look with the huge flower beds in bloom during the summer. May to September would be ideal for visiting but surely more crowded also.
The Château de Chantilly sells day tickets and even two-day passes. Our visit was limited to less than a full day so we had to rush a bit, but you should really plan for a full day here to enjoy the site and take it all in at a more leisurely pace.
A definite must-do castle near Paris, a true gem and treasure that was a pleasure to visit.