Ile de France

The region around Paris is called the Ile de France. One of the most densely populated in the country, it is also very large and goes far beyond its historical limits. For example, numerous areas listed in Ile de France should normally be in Champagne.

This region is full of interesting places to visit. There are numerous former castle domains all around Paris, from Sceaux or Saint Cloud to Rambouillet and of Course Versailles.

There are also large forests like the one around Fontainebleau and valleys dotted with ponds along the Loing or Essone rivers. Even in the most densely urbanized areas, you can sometimes find interesting places such as the lake of Creteil or the Bois de Vincennes.

Versailles

 Versailles

Versailles was at start only a village and royal hunting place. The king Louis XIV then decided that the royal court should leave the Louvre in Paris and ordered a palace to be built there. 

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Vallée du Loing

 Vallée du Loing

The Loing river valley is at the South of the Fontainebleau forest. 

The picturesque small town of Moret sur Loing was a source of inspiration for impressionist painters Monet, Renoir and...

Vallée de Chevreuse

 Vallée de Chevreuse

The vallée de Chevreuse is located South West of Paris.

Rambouillet

 Rambouillet

Rambouillet is one of the former royal properties that surround Paris. It has a nice castle, built in 1375 and constantly modified since then.

The area surrounding the town was originally...

Provins

 Provins

Located in the departement of Seine et Marne, Provins is listed on the Unesco list of world heritage sites. It was once a very important town that hosted the largest fairs of the area and was under...

Vallée de la Marne

 Vallée de la Marne

The Marne is one of the tributaries of the Seine, located in the South East of the Ile de France. 

The banks of the Marne near Paris were very popular at the beginning of the 20th century,...

Créteil lake

 Créteil lake

A large lake in the middle of a heavily built area, it is home to some waterfowl that can be approached easily.

Fontainebleau

 Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau was one of the royal cities surrounding Paris. As Rambouillet, it also had a large forest nearby. 

The forest comes to the borders of the town and some areas have a peculiar...

Essonne

 Essonne

The Essonne is a french river and also one of the large départements of Ile de France. It contains several former territories: the Hurepoix, the Gâtinais, a large part of the Beauce plains and...

Brie

 Brie

The Brie region is located on the eastern part of the Ile de France.

We pay frequent visits to this area, since we now live in a small town East of Paris. This region has several...

Vaux le Vicomte

 Vaux le Vicomte

This château dates back from the 17th century and was built for Nicolas Fouquet, who was then superintendant of finances of Louis XIV. It was one of the first projects that saw the collaboration...

Courances

 Courances

Courances is a small town located west of the Fontainebleau forest, not far from Milly la Forêt.

Not far from the town is a very nice castle located in the middle of remarkable gardens....