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Chantilly

The elegant old town of Chantilly, 50km north of Paris, is small and select. Its imposing, heavily restored château is surrounded by parkland, gardens and the Forêt de Chantilly, offering a wealth of walking opportunities. Chantilly’s racetrack is one of the most prestigious hat-and-frock addresses in Europe, and deliciously sweetened thick crème Chantilly was created here.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Chantilly.

  • Chateau

    Château de Chantilly

    A storybook vision amid an artificial lake and magnificent gardens, the Château de Chantilly contains a superb collection of paintings within the Musée Condé. Left shambolic after the Revolution, the restored château consists of the attached Petit and Grand Châteaux, entered through the same vestibule. The estate’s Grandes Écuries (Grand Stables) are just to the west. From Easter to October, visit the estate aboard a little 'train' (adult/child €5/3.50, 11am to 6pm) or hire four-person golf carts (€32 per hour).

  • Stables

    Grandes Écuries

    The Grandes Écuries, built between 1719 and 1740 to house 240 horses and 400-plus hounds, stand west of the château near Chantilly’s famous hippodrome (racecourse), inaugurated in 1834. The stables contain the Musée Vivant du Cheval, included in domain-only and domain and show passes; displays span riding equipment to rocking horses. Visitors big and small will be mesmerised by the half-hour equestrian show included in the combined domain and show pass. One-hour shows take place from late March to October.

  • Gardens

    Château de Chantilly Gardens

    Sprawling over 115 hectares, the wondrous gardens of the Château de Chantilly encompass the formal Jardin Français (French Garden), with flower beds, lakes and a Grand Canal all laid out by Le Nôtre in the mid-17th century, northeast of the main building; and the ‘wilder’ Jardin Anglais (English Garden), begun in 1817, to the west. East of the Jardin Français is the rustic Jardin Anglo-Chinois (Anglo-Chinese Garden), created in the 1770s.

  • Forest

    Forêt de Chantilly

    Once a royal hunting estate, the 63-sq-km Forêt de Chantilly is criss-crossed by walking and riding trails. Long-distance trails here include the GR11, which links the Château de Chantilly with the town of Senlis; the GR1, 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. Chantilly's tourist office stocks maps and guides.

  • Museum

    Musée Vivant du Cheval

    Inside the Grandes Écuries (Grand Stables), west of the château near Chantilly's 19th-centrury hippodrome (racecourse), the Musée Vivant du Cheval's displays range from riding equipment to rocking horses, artworks and objets d'art. Entry is included in domain-only and combined domain and show pass admissions.