Field Trip: Chateau de Maisons

We’re going to: the Chateau de Maisons, a gorgeous, 17th-century estate within easy each of central Paris!

Is the Chateau de Maisons Worth Visiting?

Yes. Not for nothing did Charles Perrault, inventor of the fairy tale and author of Cendrillon, declare that Chateau de Maisons was “of such singular beauty that there is not a curious foreigner who does not go there to see it as one of the most beautiful things we have in France.” Louis XIV liked it enough that he visited it for the first time in April 1651 and used it as inspiration for Versailles.

Chateau de Maisons is not a top-tier castle — it can’t compete with, say, Versailles, and it has fewer furnishings than some of its competitors, like the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne. But it’s low-key and beautiful, and if you don’t like crowds, it’s a straightforward way to get a taste of the French aristocratic lifestyle without any hassle if traveling by public transport.

How to Get to the Chateau de Maisons from Paris

It’s easy!

Just hop on the RER A — it’s eight stops from the Gare de Lyon to Maisons Laffitte, where you’ll disembark.

From there, you have a 900m walk to the chateau entrance — figure 10-15 minutes. The total travel time from Paris will be about 40 minutes.

How Long Do You Need?

This is not a full-day castle experience. It is, though, the perfect morning castle experience — the sort of castle you can visit after breakfast in Paris and safely be back in the city in time for an afternoon museum trip (or nap).

Ninety minutes is probably just fine, with an extra 30 if the time of year/weather permits a trip through the garden.

Best Time to Visit the Chateau de Maisons

Speaking of the best time to visit: This is actually a great wintertime destination, since you can explore a bit beyond Paris with minimal discomfort (and no switching trains on cold and windy platforms, since it’s a direct trip on the RER A.)

The one downside is that, obviously, the gardens will be at their best during the spring and summer. That said, these are not the best castle gardens near Paris: I would rather go to the Roseraie du Val-de-Marne if the roses are in bloom, or Versailles for formal French gardens, or even farther afield to Chenonceau for its magnificent landscaping.

The Chateau de Maisons Vs. the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne Vs. Versailles

Chateau de Maisons is what it is: It is easy. It is beautiful. It is low-key.

It is not Versailles, even if it might have been used as its inspiration. Versailles is magnificent, it is humungous, it is besieged with tourists nearly all year long. Versailles has iconic attractions like the Hall of Mirrors — an incomparable space — and a role at the center of French history. (Marie Antoinette’s ghost wouldn’t have it any other way.) Versailles can be an overwhelming, exhausting experience — worth it, once.

Chateau de Maisons is more comparable to a smaller estate like the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne. The latter is likely the better castle: This chateau isn’t stuffed with furniture the way that the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne is — and modern urban planning has meant the that castle is cut off from its former hunting grounds (now parkland). This is not, now, the best sited chateau near Paris, given that it opens onto some highways and backs onto a residential street — pretty, but it’s certainly not the jardin remarquable of Champs-sur-Marne. So a visit here really is about the house itself, and the furnishings that remain.

tl;dr: Crowds are higher at Champs-sur-Marne, but not perilously so. Chateau de Maisons is easier.

Versailles is the necessary castle visit. But if I wanted to optimized for ease above all things, the Chateau de Maisons is a terrific option. The first time I visited the Chateau de Maisons, I was there for an hour and saw precisely three other people, plus the cashier. You’ll know if that is compelling enough reason to visit.

Three Must-Dos at the Chateau de Maisons

• Taking many pictures in the incredible, four-story staircase in the east wing
• Reveling in the lack of Versailles-sized crowds
• Visiting during the special events planned for Rendez-vous aux Jardins (in early June) and Journées européennes du patrimoine (in late September)

A Bit About the History of the Chateau de Maisons

The architect of the Chateau de Maisons was Francois Mansart, whom you may remember from his eponymous “Mansard roof” but probably don’t because the BBC never made a TV show about him in which he was constantly naked (like Chateau de Maisons visitor Louis XIV). He does, though, occasionally get an entire Pinterest board for his roofs. As it concerns us here, he was commissioned by René de Longueil to design this estate, which promptly fell into the hands of a variety of owners.

In the 18th century, the house came into the possession of Louix XVI’s brother, the Comte d’Artois, who later ruled France as Charles X. His rule ended in the July Rebellion of 1830, which handed the monarchy from one family (the House of Bourbon) to another (the House of Orléans) but also created the conditions for the anti-Orléanist June Rebellion of 1832. Which is Les Misérables! 

A few more design notes here. The herringbone floors: sigh. All the gilded moldings: Sigh. And how simple — almost Art Deco! All those right angles and rectangles, swoon.

The lower-floor vestibule is pretty empty of furniture but it’s still beautiful.

There is a billiards table in the game room.

FAQ: The Chateau de Maisons

1. Is Château de Maisons worth visiting from Paris? Yes, though you are trading opulence and drama for a more relaxed experience.

2. How do you get to Château de Maisons from Paris by train? It’s a direct trip on the RER A.

3. How long do you need to visit Château de Maisons? This is an easy half-day, with lunch in Maisons-Lafitte (the town, not the castle, which has no restauration.)

4. Is Château de Maisons a good alternative to Versailles? Yes and no. It’s easier to navigate, but Versailles is home to iconic sights like the Hall of Mirrors, which simply can’t be replicated and are not here.

5. When is the best time to visit Château de Maisons? I love this for a wintertime visit, as there are other destinations with better gardens that should rank higher come summer.

6. What is there to see at Château de Maisons? This is a beautiful example of a 17th-century chateau, with a beautiful staircase and lovely interiors that are actually a little easier to see clearly since many rooms lack furnishings.