20230329_101220Fausse-Porte (March 2023)

Along with château de Chantilly, the small town of Senlis was my final stop during my two-and-a-half week trip in England and France. While it’s tiny at just 14,000 inhabitants, Senlis holds a lot of charm and royal history in its walls that it merits a trip over– it’s easy to double as a visit with Chantilly while in the region.

I visited Senlis during my final full day in Paris. I caught an early-morning train over to Chantilly-Gouvieux, the nearest station. I spent the morning visiting Senlis and the afternoon at the château de Chantilly. To get to Senlis from the train station, I caught the first regional bus over, as it was still a 10 kilometer/6.2 mile distance between the two towns.

After a short ride through the green countryside, I arrived to Senlis 20 minutes later, where I was dropped off at the now-defunct Senlis train station. It was about a 5-10 minute walk into the town center; as I’d arrived early at 9h30, not a lot of places were open yet, but the cathédrale Notre-Dame was, and I had a pop-in before heading next door to the château royal de Senlis. The 12th-century grounds are mostly ruins, save for a few buildings standing– today, those buildings house several museums, including the musée de la Vénerie (hunting museum). Again, it was too early, so the museums weren’t open– I continued my visit elsewhere.

20230329_094245Springtime flowers at the castle ruins


20230329_094803Castle ruins

I wandered the cobblestone streets of Senlis, every once in a while chancing upon a charming alleyway with potted plants. I also saw le Cachot (medieval tea room) and the distinctive Fausse-Porte, which was part of a much-larger rampart for the city all the way back in the 3rd century BCE. As I was visiting during the weekday and low-tourist season, there were virtually no people out yet, so it felt as if I had Senlis all to myself!

20230329_095525


20230329_100145Half-timbered houses along the shopping street


20230329_101220Fausse-Porte

Given the limited times for regional buses, I returned to the bus station by noontime to catch the bus back to Chantilly, in order to visit the château in the afternoon. That said, I only spent two, maybe three hours in Senlis. But given just how small it was, I saw a good handful of the sites in town. Overall, a charming and quaint place that’s worth part of the day to visit, especially for the fortified walls.

…and that concludes my entire trip throughout England and France (and a bit of Luxembourg) last spring! It was my first trip back to Europe since the pandemic and honestly, since I left France in 2019. I had an incredible time revisiting London after so many years, as well as getting to see my friend and visiting the surroundings in southern England. Paris was a wonderful time, too, and I was glad to use my French again (still got it!) and met up with so many friends in town…the best was I got to celebrate my 30th birthday in the French capital! Truly a memorable one, and I plan to return to Europe sooner than later to experience it all again. 🙂

Thanks for reading my epic England-France series, and I promise more adventures are coming really soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

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

56 thoughts on “Destination: Senlis, France”

    1. I know! Three countries in two-and-a-half weeks is a lot, but I still got to see and do so much! You’ll be seeing several more travel posts this summer about some domestic trips I took in the US last year, so stay tuned!

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  13. Senlis seems like a proper hidden gem with its ruined castle and quaint streets. You had a wonderful two week birthday trip. I wonder what will be your next European destination

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  14. It does look like you had the town pretty much to yourself! I can imagine how nice it must have been to be able to return to a country in which you spend quite some time in the past. Merci for the visual tours!

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    1. Yes! As much as I have a love-hate relationship with France, I admit I always come back to it to see how it’s changed (and how much I’ve changed)! Merci de lire cet article– plus des aventures à suivre!

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      1. It’s been ages since I learned French. But I’m happy to find out that I can understand what you wrote without having to look up Google Translate. 😄

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  15. A great trip with a great ending! I had two Spanish-speaking newcomers as students this year, which forced me to resurrect my long-dormant Spanish, and I was pleased at how much was still there. It’s gratifying when it all comes back, isn’t it?

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    1. Absolutely! Languages are a continuous learning journey that requires consistent practice to, well, stay consistent. But as long as you mastered the basics of it, you can still get by even after years without practice! Muchas gracias for following my adventures! 😉

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  20. I love the photos, the charm of the place was obvious. I am curious as to what drew you there? The closure of the museums must have held some disappointments.

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    1. I randomly heard about Senlis while perusing online articles of day trips I could take from Paris. I didn’t mind the museums being closed; that gave me more time to wander around town!

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  22. Such beautiful photos from a place I haven’t even heard of, Rebecca. Senlis looks like the kind of French town you could find yourself lost in for hours, wandering along the narrow, cobblestoned alleyways and soaking up the history. Given how close it is to Paris, I’m surprised it’s not mentioned more often as a good alternative to the more popular day trips like Versailles and Fontainebleau. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful day 🙂 Aiva xx.

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    1. Senlis is a bit harder to get to if you don’t have a car. Public transport is feasible, but it does take some time to reach town! But it’s absolutely worth a visit, and I appreciate you reading, Aiva!

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  25. Happy Birthday! And what a hidden gem you found in Senlis. I did my junior year abroad in Paris and like to learn about these more off-the-beaten-path places in France… so nice to see it is still possible to find quiet places to wander.

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    1. Merci! Similarly, I did a summer study abroad in Paris while at university; while I only focused on the main sites and attractions, it wasn’t until later visits I really got to go deep and see more of the city. There are so many little spots throughout the French capital you could spend a lifetime seeing them all!

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      1. So true! I feel the same and I was there for a full academic year! It seemed I was studying a lot while I was there and then on breaks would travel to other countries on my Eurail pass (I’m not even sure that people even travel with those passes anymore, I’m old!).

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