There are a mind-boggling 40,000 castles in France. Visit one a day and it would take you a staggering 110 years to see them all. Here we look at the most incredible castles of France – the oldest, the biggest, the most haunted and other chateaux in France that have amazing tales to tell. As well as castles that make you stop in your tracks with their dazzling beauty.

Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte

The Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte is in Ile de France, about 55km from the centre of Paris. It is the largest private residence in France, owned by the de Vogüé family. Not only is it exquisitely beautiful but it has the most amazing story of passion, betrayal, corruption, and tragedy. It’s a story which shaped the history of France. You feel it in the kitchens with their gleaming copper pans, in the beautifully furnished rooms with their paintings and tapestries and gilded this and that, in the gardens which look as they had when Le Notre, later Louis XIV’s favourite gardener designed them. There is an echo of the past here and you can’t avoid it.

Enter those grand gates and climb the stairs in front of the huge courtyard, and there 352 years ago stood the proud creator of the castle, a man called Nicolas Fouquet, waiting to welcome his King on a visit. It was 17 August 1661, a sweltering hot day. Fouquet had served Louis XIV well and loyally as Minister of Finances, and that night he hoped to wow his King by entertaining him in great style.

Fouquet had brought together three greats from French history, Le Vau – the architect, le Brun – the painter, and le Notre the gardener. For the first time, a property was built when both the look of the home and the garden had been considered as a whole package. It wasn’t just fabulous, it was dazzling.

The chateau that made a king jealous

The chateau took 20 years to create. And we now know it pretty much bankrupted Fouquet, but he was a man obsessed, everything had to be right. The night the King came, it wasn’t quite finished. Painters of ceilings and walls downed tools, masons carving statues swept up and made everything look as good as it could and got out of the way before the king arrived. Even unfinished, the result was stupendous.

The King’s carriage swept into the courtyard, he alighted and stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at Fouquet above him on the stairs beaming, proud of his achievement, quite possibly the most beautiful castle in all of France. The fate of the minister and the chateau was sealed in that moment. Never again would anyone stand higher than Louis XIV or have a chateau more beautiful than his.

Instead of staying the night in the suite of rooms designed especially for him, with a view of a giant crown in a lake, which he was supposed to see upon waking next morning, the king cut short his visit. Though he enjoyed dinner cooked by the great French cook Vatel, he then travelled to his own chateau of Fontainebleau, a journey of three hours by horse and carriage.

Resentful of Fouquet’s opulent display of wealth, incensed at being left at the bottom of the stairs, listening to the whispers of those who sought to remove Fouquet from his position of trusted advisor, the 21-year-old king had his minister arrested just two weeks later, 5 September 1661.

Louis took everything in the Chateau. The furniture, paintings, tapestries, ornaments, beds and even the orange trees in their pots in the garden. He also took Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Notre and commanded them to help him turn Versailles, then a glorified hunting lodge, into something even more opulent than Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Meanwhile poor Fouquet went through a show trial, accused of swindling his royal master. Crooked witnesses and fake paperwork fuelled by jealous ministers who wanted the King’s allegiance for themselves meant Fouquet spent the rest of his life in Prison, dying 19 years later. From that day no king ever slept at Vaux-le-Vicomte. It took Mrs Fouquet 10 years to get the castle back and she lived there until 1705. After that it was sold and resold several times then left abandoned and in ruins until a sugar baron, Alfred Sommier bought it. He and his descendants the Vogüé family have spent the last 140 years restoring and preserving this magnificent castle.

Fontainebleau – one of the most incredible castles of France

The Chateau de Fontainebleau that Louis XIV went to from Vaux-le-Vicomte is not far away. And it too has an astounding history. 500 years older than Versailles. The original chapel was consecrated by Thomas Becket, AKA Saint Thomas of Canterbury and Thomas à Becket. This incredible place has more than 1500 rooms and is the only royal and imperial chateau in France that has been continuously inhabited for eight centuries. From the 12^th Century, when it was a royal hunting lodge in a vast forest, the building was renovated, extended, and embellished by various Kings, Queens Emperors, and Empresses until it became the extraordinary, enormous castle you can visit and ogle at today.

The castle was a favourite of the royals including Francois 1er, the Renaissance King, Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette. In one of the rooms is a bed commissioned by her, but she never got to sleep on it, she lost her head before she had the chance. It was also a favourite of Napoleon Bonaparte and there are lots of memories of the General, his hats, clothes and personal belongs, his son’s cradle, toys, and books – you get a sense of Napoleon the man. Sure, he loved bling and power and money, but he loved his son, he was a doting dad. And it’s here that Napoleon said au revoir to his personal guard when he was exiled from France. It’s a magnificent castle full of truly stunning art, carpets, furniture, paintings, tapestries, gorgeous gardens.

Chateau de Guédelon, Burgundy

You may know this castle from a UK TV series which followed its creation and progress. The Chateau de Guédelon is not your average French chateau. A team of about 50 builders, creating a medieval castle from scratch, in a middle of a forest, with the methodology and the tools used in the 13th century. Every craft needed to build a medieval castle is there: stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, tilers, weavers, dyers, rope-makers, and many more, all working to revive the 800-year-old crafts and skills required to build such a castle.

It even has a flour mill that has also been constructed from scratch, with the aim of producing the same type of flour as in the Middle Ages. And that bit is based on the remains of a 12th century water mill found in the Jura region not very far away. They bake bread made from the Guédelon-ground flour and baked in the castle’s oven!

It’s a folie, a crazy but fantastic project. It started in 1997, the idea of local French chateau restorer and owner Michel Guyot. He and his brother Jacques have a passion for historic buildings and for restoring them. The work inspired in them a passion to learn more about building a castle. It should be finished in 2025. You can visit it of course and you can also “apporter votre pierre à l’édifice” which literally translates to “bring your own stone to the building” which means play your part, do your bit to help.

Fun fact: Some of the techniques that have been rediscovered here are being used in the reconstruction of Notre dame in Paris.

Tallest Castle in France

The Chateau de Brissac in the Loire, is a whopping seven-storeys high! It’s 48 metres, 157 feet high and is known as the “giant of the Loire Valley.” It was first built in the 11^th century and updated and extended over the years. Records show the family of the Dukes of Brissac moved in on May 26 . Their descendants still live in this 200-roomed home to this day. They rent out a couple of incredible rooms with four poster beds, tapestries, and antiques galore. The Duke told me that he nips into the nearby town to pick up your croissants for breakfast! It’s also said that Brissac is haunted! A gruesome double murder took place here in the 15^th century. The owner at that time, one Jacques de Brézé caught his wife with her lover. He ran them both through with his sword, pinning their souls forever between the castle walls, it’s said you can hear their sighs on a dark night…

Most haunted castle in France

But Brissac is not the most haunted castle. That accolade goes to the fairy tale pretty Chateau de Puymartin, between the lovely medieval towns of Sarlat and Les Eyzies in Dordogne is said to be France’s most haunted chateau. People sometimes claim to see “La Dame Blanche” (“The White Lady”) running towards the chateau’s North Tower, the spirit of the owner’s wife Thérèse de Saint-Clar, who died after 15 years of being locked in a tiny room in the chateau’s tower in the 16th-century. The story goes that her husband locked her up after he found out she had a lover. She paces the tower at night…

The Oldest castle in France

The oldest castle in France is the Château de Thil in Burgundy. Building was started in the year 850, almost 1300 years ago! It’s actually a bit of a ruin, but you can still see its beautiful shape, a majestic ruin. You can visit for free – it’s in the town of Vic-Sous-Thil, not far from Beaune, Dijon or Vezelay. France is full of ancient castles, like Montbazon, in the Loire Valley. It was built between 991 and 996 A. D., and its keep, a fortified tower is 92 feet high. It was commissioned by Foulque Nerra, Count of Anjou, a region in the Loire Valley. He was famous for his many castles and his bad temper. He was part of the family line of the English house of Windsor as well as the French monarchs.

And another old castle, not too far away in the Loire Valley is Le Chateau d’Angers in the town of the same name. Its outer walls are 10 feet thick, and it was considered impregnable in its day. It has unusual “stripes” of limestone and a darker stone called schist, and 17 towers. Inside, you can see the oldest medieval tapestry in the world, La Tenture de l’Apocalypse, from the 14th century, depicting the Biblical book of Revelation.

There are also some fabulous tapestries at the nearby Hôpital Saint-Jean, itself a masterpiece of Plantagenet Gothic architecture. These tapestries are more modern, by an artist called Jean artist Jean Lurçat (born 1892) called Le Chant du Monde – a poetic and symbolic vision of the world in which the artist defines Man’s place within the universe. They are extraordinary.

The largest castle in France

 One of the largest chateaux in France is Chambord in the Loire Valley. Teeming with turrets and towers, gleaming white stone contrasts with its pointy black slate roof, it is a magnificent display of power and good taste. Built by Francois 1er, known as the Renaissance King, as he built castles in the French Renaissance style and invited Leonardo da Vinci to come and stay in his castle Clos Luce in the Loire. Leonardo said yes, left Italy on a donkey carrying his belongings including the Mona Lisa painting which Francois put in his bathroom, and lived the rest of his life in France.

Francois built Chambord as a symbol of his power, 426 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 83 staircases including a double helix spiral staircase said to be designed by Leonardo. It is so big, and it was so expensive to build with its ornate ceilings and walls that it was never finished in Francois lifetime but it’s absolutely glorious – just as he intended.

Perched castles in France

We’re staying in Dordogne for one of the highest castles in France – the lovely chateau de Beynac. Not quite nosebleed high, but if you don’t like heights, don’t hang out over the ramparts at this one! The castle rises hundreds of feet above the Dordogne River. It’s within eyesight of its adversary, Castelnaud which is even higher up and just minutes up the river. Both fortresses were focal points of the Hundred Years War. You’ll see signs to reach the castle by climbing a twisting, cobblestone path flanked by dreamy stone cottages. What they don’t tell you is that you don’t need to walk up the steep path. There’s a road going up to a parking lot near the castle entrance!

A papal palace in France

There is one palace in France that’s not like the others – it’s the Palais des Papes, the Popes Palace in Avignon. There was a time in the early 1300’s when the seat of the Catholic Church was in Provence, not Rome. And the Popes built themselves a palace – In fact it is the largest Gothic Palace on earth, breathtakingly beautiful with ceremonial halls, chapels, papal apartments, and a kitchen so big you could roast up to 50 oxen at once in there!

You can listen to this post by podcast: Amazing castles of France

Everything you want to know about the Palace of Versailles

Janine Marsh is the author of  several internationally best-selling books about France. Her latest book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life. Find all books on her website janinemarsh.com

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission

The post The most incredible castles of France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Versailles is one of the wonders of the world, a gilded palace, a monument that has witnessed some of the most historic times of France, and once home to some of the most famous royals of France.

Versailles is not like anywhere else, completely unique and utterly mesmerising.

From humble beginnings

If you were able to step into a time machine and go back 323 years and step out of the machine in the year 1600 in Versailles, you wouldn’t see a palace at all, in fact you wouldn’t see that much. Where the palace now is, was a humble windmill. Where the vibrant and elegant city now is, was a rural hamlet of around 200 people. But just a few years later – everything would change.

 In 1610, King Louis XIII, decided to build a hunting lodge in Versailles. He was crazy for hunting and as it was only about 12 miles from Paris as the crow flies and had huge forests full of stags – it was perfect for him.

The Sun King

He was succeeded by Louis XI, known as the sun king, as the sun was his personal emblem. And it wasn’t for his sunny nature. He was christened Louis-Dieudonné, meaning “gift of God” by his relieved parents who had waited many years to have their first child. He was brought up to believe that he was King by divine right and like all kings, chose an emblem. The sun meant Apollo, God of Peace and the Arts and the heavenly body giving life to all things. The sun was seen as the embodiment of regularity, rising and setting each day.

Louis XIV saw himself as a warrior hero, bringing peace to his people, protecting the arts and impressing his people with his regular public levers and couchers (morning rising and evening retiring ceremonies). He was, according to him at least, the earthly Sun God and insisted on the resemblance, carved in stone not just at Versailles, but on public buildings everywhere. Yes, he thought just as the earth revolves around the sun, France revolved around him. Not exactly a modest man…

He became king of France at the ripe old age of 4 in 1643. He didn’t hold the power then though, his godfather, mentor and chief minister Cardinal Mazarin did until the king was a bit older. When Louis did get power – let’s just say, he took it very seriously.

A golden age for France

Louis XIV holds the record for the longest reigning monarch in Europe and ruled France for 72 years. Those years were seen as a time of prosperity, a golden age for France on the whole, though towards the end of his reign, several wars brought debt and famine to the country. Louis XIV is not usually remembered for the bad times though, but for the flourishing of arts and sciences and magnificent architecture under his rule. Including of course Versailles.

By the time King Louis XIV died aged 77 of gangrene, just four days before his birthday, he had changed France forever.

And here’s a fun fact Louisiana USA is named in honour of Louis XIV. Frenchman René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle from Rouen in Normandy, claimed the interior of North America for France in 1682 and named it Louisiana for his King. The state was purchased from France by the United States in 1803 when Napoleon agreed to an offer of $11,250,000 and for the US to assume claims of American citizens against France in the amount of $3,750,000.

A home fit for a king

Louis liked to live well. He owned 1000 wigs. He was quite short at 5 ft. 4 inches , so the big wigs he wore (along with high heeled shoes) made him appear much taller.

He liked to eat and drink. A lot. His sister-in-law, Princess Elizabeth Charlotte said of him: “…he could eat four plates of soup, a whole pheasant, a partridge, a large plate of salad, two slices of ham, mutton au jus with garlic, a plate of pastry, all followed by fruit and hard-boiled eggs…”

At Versailles etiquette was very important and impacted every aspect of life. The King would eat his evening meal at around 10 o’clock – the Grand Couvert as it was known. It was a formal court ceremony and was open to the public who could come and gawk at their regent and his courtiers. A small orchestra played music, and several courses of between two and eight dishes would be served.

When it was a formal dinner, it was much more grand. The first course les hors d’ouevres might be Royal ballotine of pheasant – or – Fresh oysters delivered from St Malo that day- or perhaps lobster from Normandy served in aspic. And a glass of wine. Each course would stay on the table until the end of the meal – served first to the King and then to his court in order of rank.

The second course could be pureed chestnut soup with truffles – or – pumpkin soup, fresh from the royal vegetable garden. Or maybe beef madrilène with gold leaf spangles. And another glass of wine.

And maybe you’d think they might be getting a bit full up by now but no, there was a third course (accompanied by another glass of wine) – more vegetables and herbs grown in the gardens of Versailles with perhaps a rice salad with langoustines and truffles – or a herb salad sprinkled with blue borage flowers, violets and gold leaf. And another glass of wine. Then Hare stew – or maybe  wild duck cromesquis à la Villeroy (breaded foie gras with rice), – or – Scallops with oyster liquor. Some of the meat would have been caught by the King himself and his courtiers – hunting was a daily past time and the beautiful plumage of the birds caught would be used to decorate the dishes. More wine then course five could be something like wild salmon au sel (served on a block of salt – very expensive in those days) – or  roast beef, carrots and smoked eel. Another glass of wine.

Now time for the sweet stuff and there might be up to twenty-four different kinds of cakes followed by twenty-four different kinds of fruit – fresh, preserved, candied. Then perhaps something chocolatey as cocoa was all the rage then plus little dishes of jam which Louis XIV loved. It was not unusual to have up to 170 different dishes in one of these elaborate feasts and if it was a special occasion – even more.

All this good life required an appropriate place to indulge.

The best, most beautiful home in the world

So here he is, this king who was a bit of a control freak. He wanted the best, the most beautiful home in the world so that everyone would know of it. He turned the humble hunting lodge first into a sort of bachelor pad, where he took his mistresses, and then into a palace that no one would ever forget visiting. He couldn’t really extend his homes in Paris, not enough room. And he wanted somewhere he could expand. And then some.

According to historians Versailles had 2,300 rooms. At its peak between 3000 and 10000 people were living there. Essentially it was a city within a palace and its grounds.

The nobles, whom Louis pretty much insisted live there where he could keep an eye on them, didn’t really live a life of luxury. For one, there were no bathrooms. Let’s just say they did their business in the corridors or the gardens. All those silk gowns, jewels and all their money – but no bathroom. It got so bad, a decree was passed that the business be collected from corridors once a week. Though if you were a member of the royal family, you had a chamber pot made of silver! Everyone else had normal pots and they just kept them in the corner of their rooms. The palace, gorgeous as it was, could be a bit smelly. It wasn’t until Louis V inherited Versailles, that what they called toilettes a l’anglaise, were installed in his private apartments – everyone else had to carry on making do!

And the bedrooms were often tiny. Those who lived there rarely had a kitchen or cooking facilities and there are multiple examples of complaints about it. The nobles had to send their servants out to buy food. And a whole town grew up around the palace so that supplies could be had more easily. There were even street food stalls of a kind within the palace grounds.

And when it came to meals – even the royals didn’t have it that great. The kitchens were so far away from the dining room that by the time the food reached the table it was usually stone cold.

When it was a hot summer the castle would get incredibly overheated. Louis XIV used to have wet sheets hung at his windows to try to get some cool air.

It was, and is, a beautiful castle for sure – but not the most comfy.

The Hall of Mirrors

Originally the gallery was open to the gardens – a terraced area, but then it was closed because bad weather often made it unusable. So it was enclosed and 357 mirrors were hung. They were hugely expensive. Mirror making in those days was a real art and the city of Venice held the monopoly and the secrets to making these mirrors. The mirror makers belonged to a guild that ruled they must not take the know-how out of Venice. And when some of them were lured to France to make mirrors from the king it’s said that the Venetian Government ordered their assasination. It’s believed two of the mirror makers were killed but by then the secret was out – France knew how to create venetian style mirrors. In those days the mirrors that were produced in Venice were small and Louis ordered hundreds of them to create a wall of mirrors.

The gardens

The gallery looks out over the gardens of Versailles that surround the palace, but a short walk away are another not very well-known set of gardens – the King’s potager, the King’s Vegetable garden. It was built on a swamp that was dug out by the King Swiss guard, and to this day there is a small lake there known as the Lake of the Swiss Guard.

The formal gardens of Versailles are amongst the most spectacular gardens in the world – they took 40 years to complete. Some of the trees were planted by Marie-Antoinette herself. There are 372 statues including several of Apollo the Greek God of Sun – as Louis was of course the Sun King. There are 55 water features, 600 fountains and more than 20 miles of water pipes. There are hundreds of thousands of plants and flowers. In Louis XIV’s day, there were so many blooms that they literally made visitors feel sick!

The gardens were never closed to the public. It was a tradition that a King should be accessible to his subjects, so pretty much anyone could come in – as long as they were well-dressed. They literally had fashion police standing at the gates, like night club bouncers, deciding if you were dressed right! And if you weren’t, you could hire stuiable clothes from kiosks near the park.

The queen’s hamlet

In the grounds are two more palaces, the Grand Trianon and what is known as the Petit Trianon, essentially castles within the grounds of the palace. The latter included the Queen’s hamlet, where Marie Antoinette used to make believe she was a simple country girl with a normal life, albeit still surrounded by servants and with its own theatre which could seat up to 250 people and is incredibly opulent.

Secret Versailles

Versailles has many secrets. There’s the “Secret Passage” or “Secret Staircase” in the Palace’s Grand Apartments which was used by kings and their mistresses to move around without being seen by all and sundry. It’s hidden behind a door that looks like a staircase. It’s very narrow, so not many people can use it at one time, but you can visit as part of a guided tour.

There’s also the Secret Room: Secret du Roi, near the King’s Private Apartments.

It’s said that the Petit Trianon came with its very own secret passageway which joined the Petit Trianon to the main palace said to have been built by special request from queen Marie-Antoinette. Now we don’t know where it is, or even if it still exists. It’s so secret, no one can find it!

There’s also a secret Royal Chapel you get to through a hidden door in the King’s bedroom. And a secret tunnel in the basement of the palace to the outside that was used to transport food and people between the palace and the town wide enough for a horse and cart. They liked their secrets those royals! They liked to be away from the reality of the outside too, and that’s what Versailles gave them, disconnected from reality. Which of course in the end played a part in their undoing as they carried on partying in their bling bling bubble at Versailles while the ordinary people suffered a cost-of-living crisis.

Ultimately Versailles was one of the greatest achievements of architecture and gardening of the 17^th century. It has been a museum since 1837 and still holds the power to take your breath away when you see that golden gate (a replica by the way, the original was destroyed in the French Revolution, though there is an original at the King’s vegetable garden), and the sheer immense size of the place, and the gold and gilt, tapestries and furnishings. It’s just as impressive now as it was in the Sun King’s day.

Janine Marsh is the author of  several internationally best-selling books about France. Her latest book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post Everything you want to know about Versailles appeared first on The Good Life France.

Once upon a time, a beautiful castle in the far south of France was unloved and forgotten. Until someone came along and woke the sleeping beauty. Janine Marsh visits the Chateau de Gudanes ten years on…

In 2010, Karina and Craig Waters flew from their hometown of Perth in Australia to Paris, picked up a hire car and drove to a tiny village called Chateau Verdun in Ariège. They had dreamed of buying a little French cottage, something that they could visit for holidays each year, a lock-up and go home, easy to care for. Browsing the internet for properties one day, their 14-year old son came across a murky photo of a somewhat dishevelled chateau with a majestic mountain backdrop, and something about it made him tell his mum – and despite it looking a bit run down, something about it made her want to see it for herself.

Love at first sight

It wasn’t what she had in mind, but the image of the castle pulled at her heart strings. However, when Karina, a former accountant, and Craig, now a retired surgeon, stopped at the gates to the Chateau de Gudanes and peered through the overgrown garden it was a shock. The murky photos hadn’t done the decay justice.

“We couldn’t get past the first few rooms, there was so much rubble everywhere” says Karina. And yet they both fell in love with the castle there and then. “I can even pinpoint the moment it happened. In what is now the Rose Salon, amidst the tons of rubble we could see a red marble fireplace, and on the corner was an engraved heart. In that moment” says Karina “we felt that so much love had gone into this place, we wanted to give it back its heart.”

Ten years of renovation

The chateau turned out to be a Class 1 Listed Historic Monument which made just about everything a challenge. Buying it took three years. Getting permission to do anything from clearing the rubble to repairing the floors can take years – and very little can be done without permission from several authorities.

But Karina was determined to bring this beautiful castle back to life. Since 2013, when she became its “caretaker”, she has taken on the monumental task of restoring the neglected rooms and the gorgeous gardens to their former glory.

“The first job was clearing out the tons of rubble. The roof had fallen in, trees were growing out of the top.” But even getting it cleared wasn’t easy. “Most renovation teams took one look at the job and ran.” But eventually it got done, and it was only as the rooms started to be cleared that the couple discovered that some rooms had medieval beams and quite a lot of the Renaissance décor was salvageable. Karina was hooked. There was no going back now. Her role was going to be much more involved than she’d ever imagined.

For the first couple of years Karina worked alone, overseeing every element of the restoration, spending half her time back home in Perth with her family and half in France, before her daughter Jas, joined her.

“I came out for a holiday one year, and there was mum, sleeping in a tent, wrapped up in layers of clothes trying to keep dry and warm. I realised that she needed help, that this wasn’t an indulgence, it isn’t a trophy or a hobby, it’s a vocation and it’s not just about creating a home, but it’s about preserving, restoring – saving the castle and its extraordinary history for the future. In the walls are memories and love, and our memories and love for the last ten years are there now.”

And for all who visit, a little of their hearts are left there too – including mine.

Because ten years on, the Chateau de Gudanes is transformed. Karina and Jas host workshops for visitors to come and experience the castle lifestyle, discover its history, eat the most amazing food, and explore the gorgeous local area.

A decade of love and renovation

I’ve followed the fascinating story of the restoration of the Chateau de Gudanes since Karina first became its guardian, after a French friend who lives in Ariège emailed me about “a crazy Australian lady who is trying to restore a castle, an epic task, but oh you should see the castle – it’s dazzling.” I contacted Karina and she agreed that I could share her story.

It quickly became clear just how incredible her lifelong goal to restore the building was. The story went viral, capturing the imaginations of millions. Over the years, Karina has won a legion of fans who follow the castle’s journey via her Instagram page, a best-selling book and her website: chateaugudanes.com. And when Karina got permission to run workshops for paying guests, I was thrilled to be able to see the castle for real.

The utterly gorgeous Chateau de Gudanes

Driving up to the now world-famous approach to the Chateau de Gudanes, we entered through the grand front doors on a rather gloomy day, clouds hung low, almost caressing the roof and towers of the castle. Edith Piaf’s haunting voice rang out “Je ne regrette rien.” I had goosebumps.

The original castle that stood here dates to the 13^th century but much of it was rebuilt between 1741 and 1750 by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, architect to King Louis XIV (his creations include the Petit Trianon at Versailles and the Bourse in Bordeaux). The owner of the castle one Louis Gaspard de Salles, Marquis de Gudanes, head of Toulouse Parliament, nicknamed the “King of the Pyrenees” because he had an enormous fortune from his ownership of iron mines in Ariège, was responsible for its beauty.

“I like to think that the Marquis was walking along the corridors of Versailles and bumped into Gabriel and said to him ‘hey can you come and soup up my grandfather’s medieval castle’ says Karina. “I reckon that’s how he came on board and turned it from a rather dour building to a pleasure palace of beauty and elegance.”

The castle’s fortunes after the French Revolution were never so good. Sold on several times, it became a school camp in the 1950s, was bought by a business conglomerate and then became the Waters family home.

A castle coming back to life

The castle had 94 rooms, and all were in a bad way. In the music room, giant mushrooms were growing up the walls on which real 18 carat gold leaf had once been used to gild the sculpted panels and carvings that represented the Sun King, Louis XIV – Gaspard de Salles had spared no expense. Algae from the damp conditions caused by the roof caving in had spread everywhere. Fireplaces were hanging off the walls and floors had collapsed.

Now those rooms are coming back to life. Through the windows, though it was the middle of spring, the snow glistened on the peaks of the mountains. Clouds hung low almost blanketing the windows. The sound of a waterfall can be heard.

I felt as if I’d stepped into a time tunnel and was wandering the corridors of the past.

Blood, sweat and tears

Jas (who studied art history) and Karina have done a huge amount of research to bring the castle back to its most authentic self. They’ve worked with French experts from Versailles, historic authorities, and with teams of experts from around the world to help and guide them, restoring the medieval beams, preserving the gilding, the frescoes, wooden panels, marble fireplaces and other historic features.

A local plasterer in his 80s came out of retirement to help them as the skills needed are no longer commonly known. Guests are encouraged to join in the supervised restoration in one of the dining rooms where you can help with the painstaking work of restoring the 18^th century wall frescoes – it’s a fascinating experience, and a privilege to play a tiny part in the castle’s awakening.

The bedrooms are exquisite, think antique beds, chandeliers, and antique furnishings. In the hall an impressive chandelier gives off a candlelit glow that makes you sigh it’s so gorgeous. In the cellars, where in the 13^th century, Cathars hid from their oppressors, there are rooms that are yet to be explored.

Stay at the Chateau de Gudanes – and-9 feel like royalty

“When you stay here you become a part of the family” says Karina. The close-knit team includes top pastry chef Jennifer Pogmore and chef Tracey Valentinawood who produce the most fabulous feasts. The team love to share their favourite places, and you get to visit the area  – places like Camon, officially one of the prettiest villages in France and medieval Mirepoix.

Villages here, including Chateau Verdun, have an alpine flavour. Though the area is rather secret, those in the know come for the rejuvenating mountain waters. Prehistoric remains are not rare. Jagged mountains and verdant valleys, castles and forests make you feel as if you’re entering Game of Thrones territory – it is a dramatic and majestic landscape. Plus, the area is a treasure chest of antique shopping and Karina shares her favourite antique spots with guests.

But always, it’s the Chateau de Gudanes that’s the star. “It’s in my soul” says Karina. “I’m surrounded by the most beautiful nature, and the house is full of happy animals. The castle has an atmosphere that you can’t explain in words. There is a life in the building, in the foundations and the walls. It’s love made visible.”

Head to the Chateau de Gudanes website where you can book your workshop stay: chateaugudanes.com

Janine Marsh is the author of  several internationally best-selling books about France. Her latest book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

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“Fashions fade, style is eternal” Yves Saint Laurent

At the internationally renowned Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais, northern France, a major exhibition dedicated to the late great French couturier Yves Saint Laurent is eye-poppingly fabulous. Transparences, the name of the exhibition, is an absolute must-see, especially for fashion fans, and a fascinating and unique look at the work of one of the fashion world’s greatest designers.

A little bit of French fashion history

The French have been famous for dressing well for centuries. As long ago as the 17th century – not long after the Mayflower carried pilgrims to North America and Isaac Newton published one of his most important scientific works Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) – the French were turning fashion into an industry.

The modern fashion show dates to the Paris in the 1860s, though it was a pioneering Englishman, fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, who kicked it things off by using live models instead of mannequins to present his creations. 130 years later, on July 12, 1998, the great French designer Yves Saint Laurent created a monumental runway show at the Stade de France ahead of the Football World Cup final between France and Brazil. Lasting 15 minutes, the event involved 300 models, 900 backstage hands and 4,000 stadium staff. It was televised live to about 1.7 billion people.

Yves Saint-Laurent was a showman and fashion visionary whose legacy lives on.

Yves Saint Laurent  – Transparences, Museum of Lace and Fashion, Calais

The Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris has teamed up with the Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais for an exhibition that focuses on transparency – the way Yves Saint Laurent used nude effects in his designs. It will run until 12 November 2023. A second exhibition (which will not be the same as this one), will open in Paris in February 2024.

Seductive, sensuous, and shocking

Born in Algeria in 1936, Yves Henry Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was destined for fashion. Whilst still at school he won a prestigious international design contest and when a Vogue magazine executive showed Christian Dior some of the schoolboy’s sketches, Dior hired him immediately as his assistant. He was 17 years old.

Dior died in 1957 and Yves Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior at just 21 and exploded onto the fashion scene. In 1962 he opened his own fashion house and became one of the most influential Paris designers. He made trousers and the tuxedo (Le Smoking in France) fashionable for women, created Mondrian-inspired shift dresses and many more looks that defined the fashions of the 1960s until he retired in 2002 and which continue long past his demise. One of his most enduring themes was that of transparency.

Transparent fabrics were prominent in his late 1960’s collections. Sometimes his designs were seen as scandalous and shocking as he pushed couture to new extremes but ultimately influenced fashions of the late 20^th century and into the 21^st century. A flick through images of gowns worn by Hollywood glitterati at big events this year reveals just how much the transparent look is still a big theme.

An astounding collection

The exhibition is astounding – some 60 original outfits (10 of which belong to the Museum), original sketches, collection boards, swatches of material and invoices give an intimate window to the designs. Wonderful photographs of models and clients such as Catherine Deneuve wearing Saint-Laurent, together with anecdotes plus catwalk film footage bring to life the designer’s creations in a way that still shocks at times. But you it’s clear just how incredibly sophisticated the designs were and how the exquisite tailoring that made him the King of fashion for decades. I could easily imagine Lady Gaga or Dua Lipa wearing just about anything and everything in the show. From topless blouses to barely covered bottoms in gorgeous evening gowns using lace and sheer materials.

“Nothing is more beautiful than a naked body,” the late couturier once declared.

Demure – and decadent

“Transparences” presents an incredible window into the world of one of France’s top designers showing how he worked to ‘reveal’ the body of the woman wearing his costume with both elegance – and audacity.

Dresses that look demure from the front, astonish when you see the back, the derriere barely covered by sheer Chantilly lace. Sublimely cut robes with bodice inserts, evening and day wear that pushed the boundaries of design and required a daring customer, though these outfits were impactful, you were unlikely to see many women wearing the more daring costumes out in public. The Nude Dress of 1968, made entirely of transparent chiffon provided ‘modesty’ in the form of ostrich feathers. Even in 2010 when French model/actress Laetita Casta wore a transparent 1968 Saint-Laurent dress – it caused a sensation. Yves Saint Laurent wrote: “A nude woman’s body, that I have to dress without hindering the freedom of her natural movements. In short, my profession is a loving dialogue with this naked woman, using all the magic of my rolls of fabric.”

This is an outstanding exhibition, an astonishing collection and a fascinating window into French haute-couture and fashion history.

Calais Museum of Lace and Fashion

Calais became famous for its lace making in the 19^th Century when English lace makers, famous for their lacemaking, smuggled one of their new-fangled looms into France and set up shop at Saint-Pierre just a stone’s throw from the museum. The Anglo-French collaboration was immensely successful and completely transformed the French lace making industry which had previously been handmade only. Calais lace and tulle became renowned, desired by the rich, famous and royalty, and the lace making industry in Calais employed some 40,000 workers in its heyday.

Calais Lace

Today Calais is still an important centre for the production of lace and is much sought after. Clients of Calais lace include Valentino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lacroix and Calvin Klein, and the majority of the lace produce is exported to countries around the world to be used in the production of wedding dresses and lingerie.

The museum is located in a 19^th Century lace factory renovated by the architects who designed Jean-Paul Gaultier’s HQ and the Champollion Museum in Figeac. In the vast museum galleries, you can discover the history of lace making. From the handmade lace of the 16^th Century right up to modern times. Gorgeous antique dresses with lace collars, bodices, and petticoats and up to the minute designer haut couture, brocade gowns, velvet frock coats and rolls of exquisite, delicate lace in all colours are on show.

The museum also has a unique collection of nine huge 19^th century industrial looms. Five of them are still working – and making lace to this day.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Exhibition Yves Saint Laurent: Transparences – From June 24th to November 12th, 2023

Cité de la dentelle et de la mode (Museum for Lace and Fashion) 135 quai du Commerce – 62100 Calais (about 10 minutes from Calais car-ferry port – well worth a detour.
Open every day from 10am to 6pm (5pm from 1 November/closed Tuesdays)
On site: restaurant, fabulous shop, and resource centre.
See the Museum website for opening times: cite-dentelle.fr
Find out more about this unique exhibition at: calais-cotedopale.co.uk/yves-saint-laurent
Discover Calais and the Opal Coast: calais-cotedopale.co.uk

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If ever there was a real sleeping beauty castle, then the Chateau d’Ussé is it. A stone’s throw from the river Indre, sitting atop a ridge, this pretty castle is part renaissance, part Gothic – totally fairy tale.

Teeming with towers and turrets of white tufa stone, spanning architectural styles from the 1400s to the 1600s, view it from the bridge across the river and you’ll think you’ve dreamed yourself straight into a Sleeping Beauty scene. So it may come as no surprise to discover that Charles Perrault (1628-1703), the great French writer of fairy tales, used this castle as the setting for his tale la Belle au bois dormant – Sleeping Beauty.

History of the Chateau d’Ussé

There’s been a castle here for more than 1000 years though nothing of that early Viking fortress remains. The castle we see was begun in the 15th century and completed in the late 1600s. It’s in a fabulous location, atop a hill overlooking the countryside, backed by the forest of Chinon and surrounded by parkland.

The castle was bought in 1807 by the Duchess of Duras, a novelist. She managed to keep her head during the French Revolution though her husband lost his. She fell in love with the writer and politician Chateaubriand. Her love was not reciprocated and when he openly took a mistress, the poor Duchess was heartbroken and stopped all the hands on the clocks in the castle saying that she did not wish to be ‘reminded of the hours that passed and marked his not coming to her side…’ Not a sleeping beauty ending for her.

What to see at the Chateau d’Ussé

To this day the castle is lived in, passed through generations of the Duchess of Duras’ family, and the current owner and resident is the Duke de Blacas d’Aulps, grandson of the man who began the Egyptian Department at the Louvre in Paris.

The 17^th century Mansard staircase is stunning and the rooms are beautifully decorated including a ‘royal’ bedroom. Prepared for King Louis XVI it is dominated by a voluptuous 5-poster bed though alas – the King never arrived. There are tapestries, 18th century furnishings, and porcelain on display in several rooms though you don’t get to see most of the rooms as they are of course inhabited by the residents. An interesting chapel in the grounds features the history of the castle.

You also can’t help but fail to notice the mannequins in many of the rooms or poised on the staircase. Strangely lifelike, their costumes are changed each year and they are the passion of the Duchess I’m told. I have to say, they are somewhat spooky though the original costumes dating back centuries are superb!

Fairies in the attic

And head up into the attic for a raft of rooms presenting a sleeping beauty scenario featuring the Wicked Queen, Aurora – the sleeping beauty, her prince and a whole host of fairy tale favourites. The stairs and corridors are narrow at times and it’s definitely not Disney, but kids love it.

From the top of the castle the views over the terraced gardens below are outstanding. Some of the orange trees are more than 100 years old. The gardens were originally designed by the great le Nôtre who also designed the gardens of Versailles.

Allow a couple of hours for this visit including the gardens. There’s a terraced cafe opposite and a cute shop next door full of trinkets, textiles and things that are hard to resist and make great souvenirs!

Chateau d’Ussé website: chateaudusse.fr

Unveil the secrets of the ancient châteaux and savor the enchanting landscapes of the Loire Valley expertly guided tours, find out more at loirevalleychateautours.com

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In a former German submarine base in Bordeaux, a most spectacular sensory digital art venue now resides: the Bassins des Lumières.

The base was built from 1940-1943 to house multiple U-boats and submersibles. This is a truly vast concrete space, some 600,000 cubic metres was used to construct it. And it is now the largest digital art centre in the world – hosting astounding immersive exhibitions.

Tailor-made sound and light experiences are created to fill the voluminous space using state of the art technology to bring the art of the greatest artists in history, as well as contemporary artists, to life. Extraordinary displays drench the huge walls with light and colour, it is all around you, and reflected in the water that fills the pools.

What to see at Bassins des Lumières

A nice walk to reach the venue is via Qaui Lawton from the Cite du Vin, another major attraction in the city. The tram stop for Cite du vin is the nearest stop to the Bassins des Lumières (or take bus no 9 from the city centre). You’ll walk through an area which has also been transformed in recent years. Once somewhat neglected, it’s now an arty area with bars, restaurants and hotels opening up. And there’s a spaceship! The 55 feet wide ‘life-sized’ UFO was created by British artist Susanne Treister. It makes you stop in your tracks as you wander past. The walk takes around 30 minutes. You’ll see the colossal submarine pens pretty much the whole way from the start of the waterways (Bassins a Flot No. 1 where the spaceship sits in the water and No.2).

You enter the exhibition space via the original, heavy door. Step into an isolated and soundproofed area, and find yourself in a dark echoey space. As you walk along the former gangways and along the quays you almost feel that you are virtually in the artwork. The shows take place throughout the day, with art portrayed in six different parts of the base.

Immense, immersive, incredible…

It is a surprisingly sensory and almost spiritual experience. It’s haunting even, emotional at times as you are cocooned in the dark surrounded by extraordinary beauty as music plays, the notes surround you, bouncing from the walls, ceiling and pools. Suddenly you find yourself immersed in the heart of art you may have seen in books or museums. Images of people you’ve seen in paintings are somehow made more human in their larger than life size appearance. Faces look more real. You see details that are easy to miss in a small image as the art is revealed in this huge scale space. Sometimes the art is full of motion, making it feel more like a video. More than 100 powerful projectors create an astounding spectacle.

I stood before a portrait of Mary holding Jesus and it seemed so much more tangible. Suddenly it wasn’t just a religious painting, you can see the look of love a mother has for her baby. It was a powerful, mesmerising image. Immersive art like this holds your focus. It makes you feel that these were real people in a way a painting doesn’t always achieve.

The art is immense in every sense. The light flows over and around you. Paintings, portraits, scenes of life lived long ago or somewhere else, buildings and people, come to bright vivid life.

The exhibitions change regularly and feature the most famous and artists in history, as well as contemporary artists like Klimt (see video below).

The Bassins des Lumières is one of the top sites to visit in Bordeaux – spectacular, unique and unmissable.

Find out more at: bassins-lumieres.com

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Home to numerous impressionist and post-impressionist painters over the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century, the Orangerie museum is in the Jardin des Tuileries, just steps from the Louvre museum, next to the Place de la Concorde. You’ll find masterpieces by Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Armedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and many other artists of the period.

History

The Museum is installed in an old orangery, hence the name. Commissioned by Napoleon III, it was built in 1852 to overwinter citrus fruit trees that were displayed in tubs in the Jardin des Tuileries. The building underwent several transformations in the 20th century. It functioned as a warehouse, military accommodation and as a performance centre for sports and musicals. Eventually it came under the control of the Beaux Arts administration. They turned it into a museum and the building was expanded to accommodate artworks.

Monet and the Orangerie Museum

Claude Monet had become wealthy and famous by the early 1900. He was also by then obsessed with water lilies which he grew in the pond in his garden at Giverny Normandy. On 12 November 1918, the day after the Armistice, he offered a series of his water lily paintings to the state, as a symbol of peace. He began them in 1914, then 73 years old. His friend, George Clemenceau, then President of France was delighted with the offer. The Orangerie Museum was chosen to showcase them. Monet even created more paintings specifically to fit the specially constructed, curving walls of the building. It took almost a decade for the paintings to be completed and shown, with Monet involved in the decoration of the rooms in which his work was hung. He died, holding Clemenceau’s hand, just a few months before the paintings were installed.

The paintings are extraordinary, immersive and a truly monumental achievement.

Art and exhibitions

Over the years the Orangerie has grown its collection and now contains a permanent exhibition: Les Arts à Paris. There are twelve works by Picasso, ten by Matisse and ten by Utrillo. And there are many more incredible artworks of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The museum holds regular temporary exhibitions throughout the year as well as music and dance performances, workshops and tours. There’s also a gift shop/book shop and modern café.

Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.

Tickets, opening times and details: musee-orangerie.fr

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Castles you can visit easily in a day trip from Paris include Chenonceau, the gorgeous Castle of Flowers, enchanting Chantilly and fabulous Fontainebleau. If you’re in Paris, we know you’ll have plenty to do and see, but the chateaux of France are super special and when it’s this easy to  visit, it really adds something to your French holiday.

What’s more we’ve focused on the most beautiful, historic castles you can visit by taking public transport – no need to hire a car.

Castles to visit on a day trip by train from Paris

Chateau de Chenonceau, Loire Valley

The exquisite Chateau de Chenonceau is the closest of the beautiful Loire Valley castles that’s easy to reach by train from Paris. Just one hour from Paris-Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Tours). And then 25 minutes by local train to Chenonceaux train station which is a 400m walk from the castle ticket office.

The chateau is famous for its flowers. A master florist creates magical floral displays in every room, many of the blooms grown in the castle’s own gorgeous gardens. It’s a fairy tale pretty castle, beautifully furnished, and has the most amazing onsite restaurant – L’Orangerie. For a taste of the Loire Valley castles, it’s perfect. But, be warned, you’ll want to go back and see more of the Loire Valley once you’ve been here…

More on the Chateau de Chenonceau and its gardens.

Chateau de Versailles, Ile de France

Versailles is France’s most famous palace and it really does live up to the hype. It’s an easy 40-50-minute train ride from Paris. Note that there are two stations in Versailles. The closest to the Palace is Versailles Rive Gauche (RER Line C) 12-15 minute walk. The Gare Rive Droite is a 20-25 minute walk.

The palace is huge, you’ll need an entire day for it. I once spent 3 days there and still didn’t see it all. Sumptuous, ridiculously opulent, breath-taking for its history and beauty, the castle is packed with wow factor. The gardens are equally gorgeous. Book tickets online before you go and try to go as early as possible to avoid the queues to get in. There are restaurants on site but the gardens are fabulous for a picnic and there are plenty of restaurants in the town which is also well worth a visit.

More on Versailles:

Versailles chateau visit
10 things to do in Versailles

Chateau de Chantilly, Picardy

The Chateau de Chantilly, in Picardy, is one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in France and very easy to reach from Paris. Take a 23 minute TER train ride from Gare du Nord, then take the free shuttle bus or take the 30 minute walk if you fancy seeing the pretty town en route. Enjoy the opulent interior, an incredible art collection, stunning horse show, the gorgeous gardens with a beautiful hamlet which inspired Marie-Antoinette. And, not to be missed in the chateau restaurant – dessert with famous Chantilly cream.

More on the Chateau de Chantilly

Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Seine-et-Marne

In the TV series Versailles, it was the chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte which was featured, not the chateau of Versailles. Vaux-le-Vicomte has a more authentic interior in keeping with the time of Louis XIV. Elegant and exquisitely beautiful, Vaux le Vicomte was the inspiration for the Palace of Versailles and made Louis XIV mad with jealousy when he saw it. Stunning gardens and interior make this a must-see chateau. From Paris Gare de l’Est, take the train to Verneuil l’Etang train station (35 minutes) and hop on the “Châteaubus” shuttle to to the Château. There’s a lovely restaurant too.

More on Vaux-le-Vicomte: Visit to the Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte

Chateau de Fontainebleau, Ile de France

UNESCO listed Fontainebleau has a long and interesting history going back to the 12th century. In the middle of a forest it was originally a hunting lodge used by the French Kings. Its gold plated gates and iconic horseshoe shaped staircase (where Napoleon stood to announce his abdication in 1814) are legendary. The castle has a rather intimate feel inside despite the fact that it’s enormous. With 1500 rooms it’s one of the largest in France. Take the train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon, which takes about 40 minutes. And, from there it’s a bus ride of about 15 minutes (Bus No. 1 behind the station).

More on Fontainebleau

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Gardens of Fontainebleau

Chateau de Compiègne, Picardy

The city of Compiègne is dominated by its monumental Chateau. Louis XIV declared: “At Versailles I am the King, at Fontainebleau a Prince but at Compiegne I am a country man”. It has beautiful gardens and the chateau is now home to the National Car Museum. And the Museum of the Second Empire. And historic apartments. It really is that big! Take the train from Paris Nord to Compiegne and then it’s about a 20 minute walk (1.8km) to the castle.

More on Compiègne

Château de Pierrefonds, Picardy

Travel back in time to the days of King Arthur and Merlin the Magician when you visit the Castle of Pierrefonds. In fact the castle was the location for the BBC series of Merlin. The original castle was built in the 14^th century and restored in the 19th century. Teeming with turrets and towers, the building is magnificent and the unfurnished rooms make it easy to see the castle’s bones. It’s a 1 hour, 30 minute train fried from Paris Gare du Nord to Compiègne. Then take bus 27 or 28 to the château; or a taxi. (Bus details can be found on the destination-pierrefonds.fr website).

Chateau de Malmaison, Ile de la France

While Napoleon was away on his Egyptian Campaign in 1799, his wife Josephine, expecting him to win, spent a fortune on a new home – the Chateau de Malmaison. She also spent a fortune doing it up. Napoleon lost and was furious with her. But she loved this chateau and continued to spend time and money making its gardens ever more beautiful. When the couple divorced, Malmaison became hers. She died here, in the bed that you can see in her boudoir. It’s a beautiful castle with glorious gardens and rich with history. To get to Chateau Malmaison, take bus 258 from La Défense and alight at La Château stop (25 minutes) or take 20 minute train journey from Gare de Lyon to Rueil-Malmaison and hop on the 258 bus to La Chateau (8 minutes).

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Opposite the station, on the oldest railway line from Paris (inaugurated in 1837), the castle of Saint-Germaine-en-Laye is an imposing sight. It’s witnessed 8 centuries of history including the birth of Louis XIV. Today this beautiful chateau is home to the National Archaeology Museum. It also has lovely gardens you can wander in and roof gardens which offer astounding views over the Seine Valley. The town has a museum dedicated to Claude Debussy who lived here. There’s also an ancient apothecary and umpteen glorious buildings to oggle at. Take RER Line A from Charles de Gaulle Étoile to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just 20 minutes away.

Château de Vincennes

The chateau of Vincennes was a royal residence from the 12^th to the 18^th century. With a vast medieval tower, the highest of its kind left in Europe, it’s an imposing sight. This seat of the royal court was abandoned when the royal court moved to Versailles. The castle became a factory, an arsenal prison and bakery. Today it the headquarters of the Historical  Defense Service library and archives which are open to the public as are the castle keep and the 14^th century Sainte-Chapelle which has beautiful stained glass windows. Vincennes is on RER Line A (station Vincennes, just 15 minutes from Gare du Nord).

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The Louvre is the world’s most famous and largest fine arts museum. It’s home to the one of the most impressive art collections in history. It’s also the most visited museum of the world with a stonking 10 million visitors a year – but it wasn’t always this way. Once it was only for royalty and aristocrats. The history of the Louvre museum is fascinating…

The origins of the Louvre

The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in the late 12^th century. By the 14^th century it had become more of a residence for the French royal family. In the 16^th century, Francis I, known as the French Renaissance King, had major works carried out to turn it into a Renaissance palace. Every time a new monarch was appointed, there was expansion and change until the Louvre reached a monumental size. Today, it covers a total area of 652,300 square feet (60,600 square metres).

In 1682, Louis XIV moved the Royal residence to Versailles, 17km from Paris. He wanted to distance himself from the Paris populace and exert more control over his court. After that the royal family lost interest in the Louvre. It was left to fall into disrepair though some parts of the monumental building were taken over by cultural groups including artists and writers.

The Louvre was once called the Napoleon Museum

Following the French Revolution, the National Assembly ruling body opened the Louvre as a museum in August 1793 with a collection of 537 paintings. When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power he had the Louvre renamed “Musée Napoleon” and vastly expanded the collection, adding art from his military campaigns, private donations and commissions.

In 1814, when Napoleon’s rule came to end, almost 5,000 artworks were returned to their countries of origin. The Louvre reverted to its original name.

What to see at the Louvre

The world’s most visited fine arts museum was once a fortress.  The history of the Louvre Museum is fascinating. So enormous is the Louvre, that it would take three months to view every piece of art contained in it. And that’s if you spent just 30 seconds looking at each artwork all day, every day without a break. There are more than 7,500 paintings and the displays cover nearly 15 acres, and are divided across eight quite separate departments…

Artworks range from the 600 BC to the 19^th century and range from Egyptian antiques to Old Masters. Thousands visit to see the armless beauty of the Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory, an ancient Greek sculpture. Other popular works include a stele inscribed with the Code of Hammurabi, da Vinci’s tragic sculpture The Dying Slave and Antonio Canova’s 18th-century sculpture Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss. Eugene Delacroix’s, Liberty Leading the People, which depicts a bare-breasted Liberty goddess leading a charge in the French Revolution, thought to have inspired Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, is popular with French visitors.

The Mona Lisa at the Louvre

Without question, the Louvre’s most famous work is Leonardo da Vinci’s, Mona Lisa. She enchants hordes of visitors with her enigmatic smile, creating very long queues. This iconic painting is much smaller than people realise. It’s just 21 by 30 inches, covered with bullet-proof glass and flanked by guards. This protection is the result of the painting being stolen in 1911 but was thankfully recovered in 1913.

The Louvre’s pyramid

In 1983, the Louvre underwent a renovation plan known as the Grand Louvre. Part of the plan was to create a new main entrance and Architect I.M. Pei was awarded the project. The modern glass pyramid and underground lobby he designed was inaugurated in 1988 followed by the Inverted Pyramid, a skylight dipping into the underground lobby in 1993. The pyramid wasn’t always popular. As with the Eiffel Tower, there wasn’t universal approval. There was even a rumour started that the pyramid has 666 panes of glass, the sign of the devil clearly. It’s not true – there are 673!

Take a break

Head to Le Café Marly which is in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre. It’s not cheap but the food is good, the cocktails are delicious and it does offer wonderful views over the courtyard of the Louvre and the Pyramid. Great for people watching from the arcades.

Wander in the Tuileries gardens, between the Louvre and the Champs Elysées. It’s one of the biggest outdoor museums in France. Run by the Louvre it contains artworks from the 17th to 20th century. It’s also great for relaxing, people watching and

Finally, if you visit the Louvre, book your tickets in advance to avoid long queues. And, if you’re a night owl, visit on Wednesday and Friday when the museum closes at 9.45pm. There are less crowds then, which is great if you’re keen to see the Mona Lisa.

Virtual visit to the Louvre

The Louvre collection is now visible on line – in its entirety. Almost half a million pieces of art ranging from paintings and sculptures to textiles and furnishings are being made viewable. And you can also take a virtual visit to the museum through an interactive map – it’s a little clunky but if you crave a Louvre fix you can get it at the Louvre Collections map. The histories of the pieces is fascinating. In the jewellery section for instance the history of the famous Regent Diamond includes details of who owned it and how Napoleon had it embedded in his sword.

Louvre website in English: www.louvre.fr/en/homepage

More Paris Museums

Musée d’Orsay is just across the road from the Louvre
Yves Saint Laurent Museum
Fragonard Perfume Museum
Espace Dalí museum-gallery 
Picasso Museum
Cluny Museum

The post History of the Louvre Museum, Paris appeared first on The Good Life France.

Though France has plenty of Chateaux that impress, wow and take your breath away – some are more special than others. The Chateau de Chantilly in Picardy, a short journey from the centre of Paris, is one of them…

Potted history of the Chateau of Chantilly

Castles have stood for many centuries on the site where the current Chateau de Chantilly stands today. Surrounded by lakes and forests, it’s surprising to know that it’s just 55km from the centre of Paris. Several prominent families have been the owners including Constable Anne de Montmorency, companion to Francois I, the Renaissance King of France, creator of the Chateau de Chambord. Montmorency, like many nobles of the day, followed the King’s Renaissance style and had the medieval castle updated, constructing the Petit Chateau, today the oldest part of the castle.

Eventually it passed to Charlotte de Montmorency, wife of Henri II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé. Their son, Louis II de Bourbon, known as ‘the Grand Condé’, organised a courtly life in Chantilly that rivalled Versailles, with magnificent balls and huge fireworks displays. The dinners he held were legendary. In 1671 he organised a three-day extravaganza to honour Louis XIV managed by his steward Francois Vatel. When a delivery failed to arrive, the second disaster during the feast, the overwrought steward committed suicide thereby creating one of the best known dinners in French history.

Grand stables and updates

The Great Stables were built in 1719 for the hunt-loving Duke de Bourbon. The town of Chantilly got an upgrade by the same architect. The Grand Chateau was destroyed in 1799. The last of the Bourbon-Condé family was beheaded on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804 and the castle passed to Henri d’Orleans, Duke d’Aumale and son of King Louis-Philippe in 1830.

He rebuilt the Grand Chateau in 1857 to house his vast collection of art and treasures. He was known to the be greatest collector of his time. When he died he left the entire domaine to the State. The Condé museum opened to the public in 1898. And little has changed since then. And that makes this Chateau an absolute treasure.

Inside the Chateau of Chantilly

Some of the world’s great paintings can be seen at Chantilly from works by Botticelli to Raphael, Van Dyke and Watteau, Delacroix and Titian. Royal portraiture, Italian, Dutch, French and Renaissance paintings vie for attention. Wonderful stained glass, tapestries and books including a copy of the famous Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duc de Berry are held here (though you can’t see this precious, fragile book but a digital version is available).

Visit the apartment of the Duke and his wife, filled with paintings, furnishings and artefacts. It’s incredible to think that if the Duke, who died in 1897, was to return he would recognise the rooms, the places where the paintings are hung, the furniture, his favourite reading chair. The Chateau is a snapshot of a long gone time, exquisitely and sumptuously decorated and beautifully preserved.

In Vatel’s former kitchens there is now a restaurant. Another restaurant is open in the grounds during spring to autumn months. At both you can try the famous Chantilly cream, said to have been invented in the castle kitchens. Take it from me – it tastes better there than anywhere! Also, as a squire of the Knighthood of Chantilly Cream Whippers (yes I am really) I know what I’m on about!

The Gardens of Chantilly

The gardens cover a stonking 115 hectares. Several themes can be seen from the French-style garden created by Andre Le Notre in the 17th century to the Anglo-Chinese Garden in the 18th century and the English Garden in the 19th century. There are statues and grottoes, lakes and a hamlet reminiscent of Marie Antoinette’s hamlet at Versailles. In fact it’s claimed this is what inspired the queen. It’s a brilliant garden for strolling with shaded walkways and secret paths.

You can take a boat ride, see peacocks, take a Segway or electric cart ride and watch the horses exercising.

The Great Stables of Chantilly

The Great Stables of Chantilly are mind-bogglingly beautiful. They are a chateau in their own right with stunning architectural details. Today the building houses the Museum of the Horse – surely the horse-loving Duke de Bourbon would have approved. Paintings, artwork, books and horse paraphernalia fill the rooms.

Visit the stables and meet the horses in their seriously impressive rooms. Equestrian shows are held year round. Combining poetry, acrobatics and humour, the horse team put on an awe-inspiring dressage display beneath a 28 metre high majestic dome in the Great Stables. It is a magnificent performance of horsemanship and the bond between man and horse. I’d recommend you allow a whole day for the visit – there’s a lot to fall in love with.

How to get to the Chateau Chantilly from Paris

The Chateau de Chantilly is in the department of Picardy, region Hauts-de-France. From Gare du Nord take an overland regional train to Chantilly-Gouvieux. It takes a little over 20 minutes. From here it’s a 25-minute stroll to the château through the pretty town. Or you can take the no. 15 bus towards Senlis and get off at the “Chantilly, église Notre-Dame” stop or wait for the free, but infrequent shuttle bus DUC (Cantilian Urban Service). The bus stop is outside the station. Taxis take about 5 minutes and you can also hire bikes at the station. Check the Chateau de Chantilly website (below) for access details year round.

Top tip: pick up a round trip ticket from Gare du Nord covering travel and entry to all of Chantilly’s attractions at a special price. At Gare du Nord purchase the “Pack TER Domaine de Chantilly” ticket.

Parking is available at the castle.

More details at: www.domainechantilly.com

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The post Guide to the Chateau de Chantilly appeared first on The Good Life France.