CHÂTEAU DE BRETEUIL

This 17th century castle located in the heart of the upper Chevreuse valley has been owned by the Breteuil family for 400 years. This anchoring in a family famous for its great government servants, ministers of finance, diplomats and patrons, is a major factor in the attraction we feel for this field. We are welcomed by the current owner, Henri-François de Breteuil, before being guided by the voice and anecdotes of the guide who leads us to discover these richly furnished rooms, which are still inhabited by the spirit or wax avatars of the illustrious kings, queens and artists who stayed or lived there, such as King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Marcel Proust and of course Charles Perrault, whose stories serve as the red thread for visiting the castle. Because Breteuil is a wonderful journey of discovery of history through play and enchantment, for children and their parents. The estate, placed under the protection of the Chat Botté that can be found everywhere, and especially where it is not expected, is animated by enthusiastic storytellers who revisit Perrault's most beautiful stories in front of an open-mouthed parterre. Breteuil knows how to renew itself over the seasons (Easter egg hunt, Christmas decorations), celebrating key holidays and scheduling shows and exhibitions, which change every month. Note that since last December, a new storytelling scene, entitled "Bluebeard", has been opened for adults, especially children. At mealtime or naptime, the park or the beautifully maintained gardens are appropriated as princes and princesses. We walk around and play freely, along the orchards, French gardens, meadows, labyrinths with a thousand box trees. We stop at the orangery, where children are given make-up or participate in workshops depending on the season, before going to the creperie or picnic on the lawns, not far from the playgrounds that make this site perfectly adapted to families and young visitors.