Must-Do Paris: Chantilly

I have been to Paris several times. While it’s always nice to re-visit favorite spots like the Musee D’Orsay, I like to see new things. Our Paris Museum Pass included the chateau at Chantilly. If you find Versailles overwhelming (like I do), you can take the 25 minute train to see another impressive chateau.

The Chateau

It’s a nice 20-minute walk through a park to get to the chateau. There is apparently a shuttle from the train station, but I never saw it. The rooms you tour inside do not have much furniture (save the impressive dining room), but are rather a tribute to the expansive art collection. The highlight for me was the library with 13,000 rare books, including one of the oldest illuminated Bibles.

The Gardens

The chateau was originally conceived as a hunting lodge. The nobles added a fake hamlet (called the Anglo-Chinese gardens) at the far side where they could stop on walks. The small buildings look provincial on the outside but elaborate on the inside. This is apparently where Marie Antoinette got the idea for her fake peasant village at Versailles. There is also an English garden that is even more manicured. And a kangaroo enclosure, although we didn’t walk that far. The Chantilly Jazz Festival happened to be going on that day, so we had a brilliant soundtrack in the background.

The Stables

As we walked toward the mansion, we first spotted the stables. But they are so grand, I thought they were the chateau. Turns out, the nobles loved their horses and had a few hundred. The elegant stables also hold a fancy arena, now used for dressage demonstrations and equestrian spectacles. We planned to go to one but took a wrong turn in the gardens and didn’t make it in time. There were a few horses in the stables that we did get to see. Much of the building is now a Museum of the Horse, so if you’re into the history of horses, this is for you.

Chantilly Cream

I’ve eaten gouda cheese in Gouda, Netherlands and Dover sole in Dover, England. So I had to try the whipped cream Chantilly is known for. The Saint Honore is a shortbread pastry topped with Chantilly cream, which is topped with cream puffs, which is topped with more cream. With hesitation, I split this with my husband.

Lace Museum

The history of fashion and decorative arts fascinates me because you can tell so much about how people lived and what they valued. The Chantilly Lace Museum is tiny and all in French, but I was able to see the evolution and use of this type of lace throughout the exhibits. A woman at the front desk was actually making lace which was cool to watch.

The Town

Chantilly is a suburb of Paris but feels very much like its own town. With more time, it would be worth spending time in the parks or checking out the shops. You could easily make a whole day of it.