The château that inspired Vaux-le-Vicomte and Versailles.
Largely dominating a bend on the River Seine, Maisons Château was built in the 17th century by the eminent architect François Mansart at the pinnacle of his artistic craft. This outstanding residence is one of the masterpieces of the period due to its majesty, symmetry, and balanced forms. Were it not for this château neither Vaux le Vicomte nor Versailles would exist. The château, which lies very close to the Forest of Saint-Germain, was built to receive the King. Louis XIV resided here on several occasions.
Exceptional opening: discover the château of Maisons and its small apartments! Come and visit these rooms, which are normally closed to the public, and see where Mansart, Lafayette, and Voltaire spent their days when they stayed here.
Unaccompanied tour with guide booklet
French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese
Reservations
Duration: from 45 min to 1 hr
Guided Tour
French, English
Reservations
Audio-guide tour (free)
French, English, German, Spanish, Dutch
Lecture tour
French
Reservations:
tel.: (33) (0)1 44 54 19 30 - fax: (33) (0)1 44 54 19 31
visites-conferences@monuments-nationaux.fr
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Visits to the small apartments, terraces, secondary staircases,
attic rooms, moats and the underground passage
French, English
Private visit, with or without catering service,
outside standard opening hours
Reservation (Tuesday and in the evening)
Line A, station "Maisons-Laffitte"
Train at Saint-Lazare station
From Paris-La Défense : underground passage to Cergy-Pontoise, A 86, exit Colombes ouest, Bezons to Poissy by N 192 then N 308
Useful addresses:
Maisons-Laffitte Tourist Office
tel.: (33) (0)1 39 62 63 64
www.maisonslaffitte.net
Yvelines Tourist Board
tel.: (33) (0)1 39 07 71 22
www.tourisme.yvelines.fr
Île-de-France Regional Tourist Board
tel.: (33) (0)1 73 00 77 00
www.tourismepro-paris-idf.com