PARC DU CHÂTEAU

Set in the heart of a vast forest and extending over 115 hectares, the château's grounds have been shaped by Chantilly's successive owners. Stroll through the French garden, the Petit Parc, the Anglo-Chinese garden and the English garden. The French garden, designed by Le Nôtre in the late ^17th century, is the first to appear. From the château's terrace, it opens onto a 180 m-long stretch of water leading to the Grand Canal. The parterres, majestic water mirrors, vertugadin, grand canal and waterfall make this garden an aesthetic as well as a historical marvel. The English garden and its romantic fabriques are equally surprising in their charm. It was designed under the Restoration in 1819 by the architect Victor Dubois. Inhabited by swans and aquatic birds, its temple is a delight. There are also the cascades of Beauvais, a sumptuous buffet of water designed by Le Nôtre in the ^17th century. A grass labyrinth has also been created near the hamlet. Romantic buildings such as the Temple de Vénus, Île d'Amour and Lac des Cygnes can be seen along the paths. On the other side of the French garden, you enter Le Hameau and its restaurant. These five country cottages were the inspiration for Marie-Antoinette's Trianon hamlet in Versailles. Children may not enjoy this romanticism for hours, so take them to the large plant maze or to the playground with its wooden huts and friendly sheep jumpers!