Immerse Yourself in French History with our Signature tours to Châteaux & Gardens

6 Hours

Less well known than Versailles, Chantilly boasts exceptional architecture, a world renowned art collection, horse stables, and magnificent gardens. The gardens were designed by France’s most famous landscape architect André LeNôtre. The present-day château was singularly restored by Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, who was one of the most important 19th century collectors. Aumale decreed that the collections would never travel beyond his museum. One of the first celebrity chefs, François Vatel, introduced nouvelle cuisine here. We recommend lunch in the gardens followed by a tasting of one of Vatel’s most celebrated recipes for Chantilly cream at the Hameau, an exceptionally picturesque location in the gardens.

6 Hours

The château and gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte predated Versailles and are widely considered the most beautiful example of 17th-century French formal gardens. The privately owned château once belonged to Nicolas Fouquet who commissioned three of the greatest artists of his time - the painter Charles LeBrun, the architect Louis LeVau, and the landscape architect André LeNôtre- to create his fabulous estate. Together these artists transformed French art, architecture, and landscape design. Our visit begins with a short trip to the nearby château of Blandy-les-Tours, a medieval fortress that provides an opportunity to better understand how Fouquet encouraged LeNôtre to create a modern cultural landscape.

4 Hours

Our tour to Empress Joséphine’s former residence offers a unique glimpse into the private life of Napoléon and Joséphine, whose passionate love affair, marriage, and divorce captivated contemporaries. Empress Joséphine transformed the grounds of her country house into a flourishing English-style garden from 1799-1814.  

Joséphine found solace and amusement at Malmaison, where she dedicated herself to her garden and natural history (she raised black swans and kangaroos on the estate) and passionately pursued floriculture. Over 2,000 plants were acclimated to France for the first time at Malmaison. Josephine also collected more than 250 varieties of roses. Some of these varieties continue to bloom in the gardens.

6 Hours

Less well known than Marie-Antoinette’s gardens at Petit Trianon, a stunningly restored garden folly, a pleasure dairy, is located at the Rambouillet château. When Marie-Antoinette saw the the château for the first time in 1783, she is said to have exclaimed: “How could I live in such a gothic toad house?” The King was undeterred by the queen’s skepticism and commissioned a pleasure dairy (Laiterie de la Reine)  that he dedicated to his wife. Designed by the painter Hubert Robert, who created a stunning fake grotto within a neoclassical temple, the queen was invited to taste cream and cheeses served on a new set of  porcelains specially manufactured for the dairy. Our tour includes a visit to the chateau, gardens and the dairy. The Bergerie National, a sheep farm that dates to the 18th century, is also located on the grounds.  

4 Hours

Less than an hour from Paris, this château is a refined half-day escape from Versailles’ crowds, showcasing Baroque art, architecture, and gardens. Le Nôtre’s grounds feature formal geometry, long perspectives, and parterres reflecting the Sun King’s ordered nature. Interiors, commissioned by Louis XIV’s court (including his illegitimate son and daughter-in-law), display period decoration, carved woodwork, gilded mirrors, and intimate salons for concerts, masked balls, and theatrical fêtes. The château’s history appears in both grand ceremonial rooms and quieter domestic corners.