20230329_132319Château de Chantilly (March 2023)

France is far from being short of châteaux: with over 40,000 of them spread all over the country, they are nearly impossible to avoid visiting while on a trip. Château de Chantilly is no exception: located 30 miles/50 kilometers north of Paris, it’s perfect for a day trip to see and check out while in the French capital.

The château de Chantilly is truly a piece of architectural wonder, given its long construction history: its foundations were laid down in 1358 and initially completed in 1560 for French duke Anne de Montmorency (yes, it’s a man)! Much of the estate got destroyed during the French Revolution and was reconstructed by 1882. Over five centuries of construction, which is truly impressive!

I’ve visited other châteaux within the île-de-France region before (e.g. Versailles, Fontainebleau), but it was my first time visiting château de Chantilly. I’ve heard good things about it, though, and I was up for a day trip outside of Paris– train strikes permitting. Luckily, the trains were working fine the day I went, and I caught an early-morning ride to Chantilly-Gouvieux, the nearest station located two kilometers from the château. The journey only took 45 minutes, and I actually visited the neighboring Senlis first (more on that in the next post) before I returned to Chantilly in the afternoon to visit the château.

After paying the 17€ admission fee, I headed into the château to begin my visit. The estate was quite large, with many rooms throughout. However, the highlights include the Vestibule d’Honneur (Hall of Honor) and les Galeries de Peintures (art gallery), which showcased the opulence that the noble family must have experienced back in the day. My personal favorite, however, was le Cabinet de Livres (Reading Room), filled from top to bottom in centuries-old books and manuscripts, some dating as far back the Medieval Ages.

20230329_122221Dining hall


20230329_123246Le Cabinet de Livres


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20230329_124539Vestibule d’Honneur

Following the visit inside the château, I got a small lunch at the cafeteria within it, as well as tried the famous crème Chantilly. Also known as “whipped cream,” it, in fact, originated in Chantilly in the 1670s; a chef of the royal family created it as part of a banquet for then-King Louis XIV. Light, airy, and sweet, the crème Chantilly is a delight to have with or without cake or ice cream!

20230329_131535Crème Chantilly

I spent the rest of the time strolling the perfectly-manicured gardens outside, as well as admiring the multitude of swans milling about and basking in the sun. Compared to the previously chilly days in France, it was surprisingly very warm that day, nearing 26°C/78°F. Springtime was certainly out and in full-force!

20230329_135730Outside the château

It was then a matter of heading back to the gare Chantilly-Gouvieux to catch the next train back; I took the wooded path over, about two kilometers, and it was a peaceful, half-hour walk back. I reached the train station by 15h30 and took the train back to Paris, returning by the late afternoon. Château de Chantilly was lovely and worth time spent to appreciate another wonderful château in the île-de-France region. I would recommend it to anyone!

Stay tuned for the final post of my trip in England and France from last spring– look out for my post on Senlis soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

50 thoughts on “Destination: Château de Chantilly, France”

    1. The crème Chantilly is whipped cream which, while sort of cold, isn’t cold enough like ice cream…now if I had ice cream with crème Chantilly on top, that would’ve made the perfect refresher on that warm spring day! Hope you can make it over to France soon and enjoy all that the country has to offer 🙂

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  6. What a beautiful and magnificent château, inside and outside! When I was learning French back in my university years, I remember reading about Les château de la Loire and have been intrigued since then. But I never really thought about the châteaux in other parts of the country, like the château de Chantilly. Thanks for ‘bringing’ your readers there!

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    1. You’re welcome, Bama! Yes, les châteaux de la Loire are some of the most-famous ones to visit in France (apart from Versailles), but there are plenty of other châteaux outside of the Loire region worth seeing, Chantilly included! Despite having lived in France and returned many times to visit, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the thousands of châteaux in the country– hope to see more as I keep going back!

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  8. Wow, it looks amazing, Rebecca! What a fantastic way to discover art, history, and culture and enjoy a wonderful day out as it is one of the most impressive palaces and one of the jewels of French heritage. Because the Château de Chantilly houses one of the most extensive libraries in France and has an exceptional collection of books ( it looks like there’s a beautiful fireplace in the reading room, too) – it goes straight on my list of places to see in the country. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. The château de Chantilly is a lovely site to visit. Even though it often gets overshadowed by the more well-known châteaux like Chambord or Versailles, it’s still worth a visit. Especially to see its Cabinet de Livres, which was the highlight! Hope you get to visit to see it for yourself. Thanks for reading, Aiva 🙂

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    1. Chantilly is such a pretty château. Definitely worth a visit, especially for its Cabinet de Livres! Hope you can go some day and explore it (as well as try the crème Chantilly)!

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  15. I surely have to see me a French castle one of these years and this definitely inspires some French-castle-wanderlust. The place looks magnifique, I would also be most drawn to the reading room I think. I had no idea that whipped cream originated in Chantilly, no wonder you tried some.

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    1. Château de Chantilly was gorgeous! The Cabinet de Livres was the highlight of my visit, and the crème Chantilly was a delicious touch. Definitely worth a visit should you find yourself back in France some day. Thanks for reading, Leighton!

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  17. I just ate far too much of a giant cookie, so thinking about eating an entire cup of whipped cream does not appeal at all right now. Ha! But I’m sure it was tasty!

    Lovely photos of the chateau. It seems to be constructed with a more muted kind of elegance, with the dull colors and dim lighting. But ornate, nonetheless.

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    1. Same! I had a lot of food today, so reading about crème Chantilly is the last thing I’d want to do! Château de Chantilly isn’t as extravagant as its bigger cousins like Versailles or Fontainebleau, but gorgeous in its own respect.

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  18. Lovely photos of the chateau’s rooms and its facade, I can only imagine they’re much beautiful ‘in person’. I’m curious about the creme – I thought it was ice cream so I had to read back when you said it was good with or without ice cream or cake. I hope I can get to try it – but a revisit to France is not happening quite soon 🥹

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    1. Château de Chantilly is definitely gorgeous in person: the photos don’t do it justice! Crème Chantilly is essentially whipped cream: it was created at the château centuries ago, and it’s incredible it’s become a staple in sweets today!

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    1. Exactly! There are so many châteaux in France and in all of its regions! Chantilly is a gem in Hauts-de-France and a very-accessible day trip from Paris; definitely worth visiting for its beauty and delicious, eponymous crème!

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    1. The Cabinet de Livres is truly a remarkable room to marvel at; it was the highlight of my visit to château de Chantilly! All the more delightful to enjoy some crème Chantilly in the process. Thanks for reading!

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