Things to do in Chantilly
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Chateau Gardens
The chateau's excellent gardens were once among the most spectacular in France. The formal Jardin Français, with flowerbeds, lakes and Grand Canal laid out by Le Nôtre in the mid-17th century, is northeast of the main building.
To the west, the 'wilder' Jardin Anglais was begun in 1817. East of the Jardin Français is the rustic Jardin Anglo-Chinois, created in the 1770s. Its foliage and silted-up waterways surround the Hameau, a mock village dating from 1774 whose mill and half-timbered buildings inspired the Hameau de la Reine at Versailles. Crème Chantilly - cream beaten with icing and vanilla sugar and dolloped on everything sweet that doesn't move in France - was bo…
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Forêt de Chantilly
South of the château is the 63-sq-km Forêt de Chantilly , once a royal hunting estate and now crisscrossed by a variety of walking and riding trails. Long-distance trails here include the GR11, which links the château with the town of Senlis and its wonderful cathedral; the GR1, which goes from Luzarches (famed for its cathedral, parts of which date from the 12th century) to Ermenonville; and the GR12, which heads northeast from four lakes known as the Étangs de Commelles to the Forêt d'Halatte.
The area is covered by IGN's 1:25,000-scale Forêts de Chantilly, d'Halatte and d'Ermenonville map (number 2412OT; €10), available from the tourist office.
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Musée Vivant du Cheval
The Grand Château’s Grandes Écuries (Grand Stables), built between 1719 and 1740 to house 240 horses and over 400 hounds, are next to Chantilly’s famous Hippodrome (Racecourse), inaugurated in 1834. Today the stables house the Musée Vivant du Cheval, whose 30 pampered and spoiled equines live in luxurious wooden stalls built by Louis-Henri de Bourbon, the seventh Prince de Condé, who was convinced he would be reincarnated as a horse (hence the extraordinary grandeur). Displays, which were under renovation at the time of research, cover everything from riding equipment to horse toys to portraits, drawings and sculptures of famous nags. The last tickets for the museu…
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Appartements des Princes
The Petit Château contains the Appartements des Princes, which are straight ahead from the entrance. The highlight here is the Cabinet des Livres, a repository of 700 manuscripts and more than 30,000 volumes, including a Gutenberg Bible and a facsimile of the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, an illuminated manuscript dating from the 15th century that illustrates the calendar year for both the peasantry and the nobility.
The chapel, to the left as you walk into the vestibule, has woodwork and stained-glass windows dating from the mid-16th century and was assembled by the duke in 1882.
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Musée Condé
The Grand Château contains the Musée Condé. Its unremarkable 19th-century rooms are adorned with furnishings, paintings and sculptures haphazardly arranged according to the whims of the duke, who donated the chateau to the Institut de France at the end of the 19th century on the condition that the exhibits not be reorganised and that they remain open to the public. The most remarkable works are hidden away in a small room called the Sanctuaire, including paintings by Raphael, Filippino Lippi and Jean Fouquet.
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Château de Chantilly
Left in a shambles after the Revolution, the Château de Chantilly is of interest mainly because of its superb paintings and gardens. The château consists of two attached buildings, the Petit and Grand Châteaux, which are entered through the same vestibule.
Containing the Appartements des Princes (Princes' Suites), the Petit Château was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency (1492–1567), who served six French kings as connétable (high constable), diplomat and warrior, and died doing battle with Protestants in the Counter-Reformation. The highlight here is the Cabinet des Livres, a repository of 700 manuscripts and more than 30,000 volumes, including a Gutenberg Bi…
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Le Boudoir
Spread across two floors, the quirky salons here – Marie Antoinette, Palme d’Or and the Red Room – are individual works of art with a style befitting the name. The menu runs from upscale bistro to more adventurous creations such as grilled tandoori scallops and saffron rice with mango. In a move towards yesteryear decadence, a private smoking room is hidden on the premises. The prix fixe lunch is an excellent deal.
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La Capitainerie
Enviably nestled beneath the vaulted stone ceiling of the château kitchens, La Capitainerie captures history's grandeur and romance. Fare is traditional and includes crème Chantilly at every opportunity. Its weekend formule buffet à volonté (help-yourself buffet deal; €24) allows unlimited starters and a plat du jour or the latter plus unlimited desserts. The lot costs €31.
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Petit Château
The Château de Chantilly consists of two attached buildings, which are entered through the same vestibule. The Petit Château was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency (1492-1567), who served six French kings as connétable (high constable), diplomat and warrior and died fighting Protestants in the Counter-Reformation.
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Theatre de la Faisanderie
Less in demand but equally entertaining are the plays and theatrical pieces staged during July and August in the open-air Theatre de la Faisanderie of the Potager des Princes, which is part of the Grand Château’s parkland. Arrive before 5.30pm, when the last tickets of the day are sold.
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Le Vertugadin
Old-style and elegant, this ode to regional cuisine – think meat, game and terrines accompanied by sweet onion chutney – fills a white-shuttered town house. A warming fire roars in the hearth in winter, and summer welcomes diners to its walled garden.
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Aux Goûters Champêtres
A wonderful spot for a summery lunch in the sun, this fine restaurant sits in the windmill of the Château de Chantilly park’s hameau (hamlet). Its chief claim to fame is its crème Chantilly, which of course was invented on site.
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Grand Château
Attached to the Château de Chantilly is the Renaissance-style Grand Château, which was rebuilt 100 years after the Revolution by the Duke of Aumale, son of King Louis-Philippe. It served as a French military headquarters during WWI.
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Grandes Écuries
The Grandes Écuries of the chateau, built between 1719 and 1740 to house 240 horses and more than 400 hunting hounds, stand apart from the chateau to the west and close to Chantilly's famous Hippodrome (racecourse), inaugurated in 1834.
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L’Atmosphère
A refreshingly youthful spirit pervades this contemporary eating space, the restaurant of Café Noir around the corner on place Omer Vallon. Interior décor is funky and Mediterranean dining is beneath a glass roof or in a cobbled courtyard.
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Le Goutillon
With its red-and-white checked tablecloths, simple wooden tables and classic bistro fare, Le Goutillon is a cosy, very friendly French affair much loved by local expats. It's as much wine bar as munch place.
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Trattoria Giorgio
Spacious and popular with locals, this very central Italian restaurant is just the ticket for a pizza or more ambitious meal en route to the train station.
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Présentation Équestre Pédagogique
The 30-minute Présentation Équestre Pédagogique is included in the entry price to the Musée Vivant du Cheval.
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Atac
The large Atac supermarket is midway between the train station and the chateau.
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