Discovering Yvelines: a practical guide
West of Paris, Yvelines holds exceptional royal heritage around the Palace of Versailles, but also vast forests, the Chevreuse valley and dozens of châteaux. An ideal département for day trips or a short green break.
This practical guide helps you choose your stops and organise your trip. Underlined site names link to their detailed pages.
Understanding Yvelines in a few minutes
Versailles, the main town, is the heart of the département and its most famous visit. To the north, Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the banks of the Seine lead towards Maisons-Laffitte. To the south, the Chevreuse valley and the forest of Rambouillet offer wooded countryside. To the west, the Houdan area and Thoiry are more rural.
Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye can be reached by RER and train from Paris. For the Chevreuse valley, Rambouillet and Thoiry, a car is more practical.
- RER C goes to Versailles, RER A to Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
- Avoid the roads on Monday mornings and Friday evenings.
- Rambouillet is also served by train from Paris.
Versailles
A royal town born in the shadow of the palace, with its classical avenues and historic market.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
A residential town dominated by its Grande Terrasse designed by Le Nôtre, with a view of Paris.
Rambouillet
A sub-prefecture in the heart of its forest, known for its château and its classical town hall.
Château de Thoiry
The Château de Thoiry in the Yvelines, 40 km west of Paris and 25 km north of Versailles.
Culture, history and heritage
The Palace and park of Versailles, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most visited monuments in the world: palace, gardens, Trianons and Marie-Antoinette's estate. In Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the château houses the National Archaeology Museum, with the Grande Terrasse designed by Le Nôtre.
Other châteaux are plentiful: the Château de Maisons-Laffitte, Mansart's masterpiece, the Château de Rambouillet, a presidential residence, the Château de Dampierre, the Château de Breteuil and its fairy tales, the Château de Monte-Cristo, home of Alexandre Dumas, and the Château de Rosny-sur-Seine, linked to Sully. The Houdan keep and the Tour Anne-de-Bretagne in Montfort-l'Amaury recall the Middle Ages.
- At Versailles, book a time slot and arrive at opening time.
- The Versailles gardens charge admission on fountain-show days.
- The palace is closed on Mondays.
Palais et parc de Versailles
A favoured residence of the French monarchy from Louis XIV to Louis XVI, the Palace of Versailles, embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, ornamentalists and landscape designers, was for more than a century the model in Europe of what a royal residence should be.
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
From the residence of the Kings of France to the National Archaeology Museum.
Château de Maisons-Laffitte
On the banks of the Seine, the château de Maisons-Laffitte is one of the best examples of French classical art.
Château de Breteuil
The château de Breteuil was built around 1600 on the site of a fortress of which only the dovecote still remains today.
Food and local produce
Yvelines benefits from the nearness of Paris and countryside that is still farmed. The Notre-Dame market in Versailles, one of the finest in Île-de-France, brings together producers and artisans. Farms on the Versailles plain and in the Houdan area offer direct sales and pick-your-own.
Restaurants in the Chevreuse valley and the villages of the Rambouillet forest make a tempting stop after a walk.
- The Notre-Dame market in Versailles is held on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings.
- Pick-your-own farms open from spring to autumn.
- Picnicking in the Versailles park is allowed in certain areas.
Versailles
A royal town born in the shadow of the palace, with its classical avenues and historic market.
Château de Dampierre
The building of the first château of Dampierre (1180–1351) is attributed to the architect Jean Duval.
Château de la Madeleine
The Château de la Madeleine, on the heights of Chevreuse, offers a superb panorama of the Yvette valley.
Nature and wide open spaces
The forest of Rambouillet and the Saint-Germain-en-Laye forest are two large woodlands on the doorstep of Paris. In the Chevreuse valley, Les Vaux de Cernay offer a walk along a stream, between rocks and waterfalls. The Hautil cliffs overlook the Seine and Oise valleys.
To see animals, the Thoiry zoological park offers a drive-through safari, the Espace Rambouillet presents forest wildlife, and the Sauvage zoological reserve is home mainly to birds. With children, France Miniature and the butterfly greenhouse are popular outings.
- The Vaux de Cernay paths are easy and shady.
- At Thoiry, allow a full day.
- In the forests, respect the signposted hunting periods.
Les Vaux de Cernay
Nestled in the Yvette valley, on the edge of the Rambouillet forest, the Vaux de Cernay form a rolling site where ponds, waterfalls and rocks follow one another along a stream.
Château, parc et jardin zoologique de Thoiry
Come and spend a full day of discovery at the Thoiry zoological park, in the heart of the Yvelines: drive through the African reserve in your car to meet elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions and antelopes.
Espace Rambouillet
In the heart of the forest, the Espace Rambouillet offers a unique approach to wildlife.
France Miniature
France Miniature is a park near Paris, at Élancourt, in the Yvelines, open since 1991.
When to go and how to plan
Yvelines can be visited all year round. Spring and summer are ideal for the Versailles gardens and the musical fountain shows. Autumn colours the forests. At weekends and during holidays, Versailles is very busy.
A three-day trip can combine a day in Versailles, a day between Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Maisons-Laffitte, and a day in the Chevreuse valley and Rambouillet.
- Come on a weekday to avoid the crowds at Versailles.
- The fountain shows run from April to October.
- Check the opening days of private châteaux.
Château de Rambouillet
The fourteenth-century fortified castle has housed illustrious figures over the centuries who gradually transformed it into a pleasure residence acquired by Louis XVI in 1783.
Château de Monte-Cristo
In 1844, at the height of his fame, Alexandre Dumas bought wooded land on a hillside at Le Port-Marly, in the Yvelines, and gave his architect these instructions: "Right here you will lay out an English park, in the middle of which I want a Renaissance house…
Donjon de Houdan
Dated to 1120–1137, the Houdan keep is one of the great witnesses of twelfth-century French military architecture, foreshadowing Étampes and Ambleny.
Going further
Explore the départements of this area: