Chateau de Maisons 

In order to reach the first chateau all we needed was a metro ticket for 2.55 euros.  We had to take two trains.  The second had lovely views of the countryside.  Chateau de Maisons was located in Maisons-Lafitte. We walked from the train station to the Chateau through a small town with lots of appetizing storefronts.  The park had a carousel from the 1800s (it was closed up when we walked by it).  It was a quiet town and when we arrived at Chateau de Maisons we didn’t see anyone else there.  

The pamphlet we received, after paying 9 euros each to enter, claims it is “the most well preserved work by architect Francois Mansart.  It was built in 1640 for a high magistrate who, like a lot of people today, wanted to raise their children in the country. It was later owned by the future Charles X and visited by some incredible people in French history, including several kings, Voltaire, and Napoleon.

The audio tour was in French so we got our information about the rooms from the pamphlet and descriptions in the rooms themselves. You can visit the basement, ground and second floors as well as the gardens (those are free).  The first room had a beautiful pool table from the 1800s. 

The Captives Room, named from this decoration on the mantelpiece, was carved in tribute to King Louis XIII.  That fireplace was so huge that I could stand inside it (I didn’t) and I am 5’5.  

The Grand Entrance Hall was impressive with the columns, eagles, and carvings of the four elements.  

The most interesting part of this section of the house, which was originally for the lady of the house were the ceilings. 

We then went up an incredible staircase, both for the size and number of stairs to enter the Great Hall and the King’s apartment.  

My favorite room in the house was the King’s bedchamber.  I am a fan of velvet on the walls and furniture.  

The desk and wardrobe were beautiful pieces. 

The Mirror Room had an amazing floor made with both bone and tin, an interesting combination. 

The Lafitte room has furniture from the Restoration and gives you an idea of an elegant room mid 1800s.  

My second favorite room was the Marshal Lannes’ bedchamber because I think there should be more purple furniture in the world. 

The basement is interesting because you get to see the kitchen area and an old bathing area.  The bathtub was massive and had a secret staircase up to the bedroom.  It was tough to get a picture that showed the depth.  

We briefly went outside to take a picture of the Chateau from the garden.  There were several people hanging out in the gardens, but we only saw one person touring the house with us and then a group of three people in the basement.  It was amazing because we could take all the pictures we wanted. 

I really enjoy seeing old houses/mansions/castles/chateaus with furniture so I can imagine what it was like living there. This was the only chateau we saw today where I got that chance. 

Chateau de St Germaine-en-Laye

The Chateau de St Germaine-en-Laye was 19 minutes away by car. We took a ride share to get there, which I enjoyed because we can see more of the towns and countryside.  It is very impressive from the outside.  

When we reached the ticket office we were given a choice to see the permanent exhibit for free or pay 8 euros each to also see the special archeology exhibit. We wanted to see more of the inside, so we chose to pay to see it all.  

We started with the permanent exhibit.  It was not terribly interesting to me mostly because everything was in French and I had no idea what the objects on display were used for in the past.  Some things were easy to figure out, but were not that exciting.  I thought looking at the wooden beams on the ceiling and random statue in the staircase was far more interesting. 

We did get to go out on the balcony and take this picture of the inside area of the Chateau.  I also found out later that we didn’t get to see the entire permanent exhibit due to remodeling. 

The archeological exhibit was a little more interesting because it had some English explanations, but was not exciting enough to download the audio guide.  I liked the ceilings inside.  

Since we paid for the special exhibit we were able to view the chapel.  

This gargoyle rain spout looked so strange at this angle. 

The stonework in the chapel was lovely. 

We walked around outside and you can see the chapel with the gargoyle in place. 

Chateau de Monte Cristo

Our last chateau was the Chateau de Monte Cristo, which was owned by Alexandre Dumas, the author of the Count of Monte Cristo as well as The Three Musketeers. We took a ride share to this and they dropped us off at the wrong spot, which is a problem for many visitors.  We had to walk uphill about half a mile to get to the entrance.  It opened at 2pm and cost 9 euros each.  They had an audio tour in English that you could download on your phone.  Make sure to do so at the ticket/souvenir shop because the one at the chateau is only in French.  

You have a choice to walk directly to the house through the gardens or you can stop at the Chateau d’If, which is where Dumas would do his writing.  You can see and easily walk down to his chateau from the writing house. 

The writing on the outside of the house are all characters from Dumas’ works.  

You cannot enter this chateau because it is TINY!  You can walk up and look at it through the window. You will also see a stone dog in his stone house right next to the steps. The original is inside the house.  

I loved this tiny house so much.  It was surrounded by this tiny moat and it was adorable. Dumas had to write there because there were so many visitors in his house at any time that he could not concentrate.

We walked down to his chateau and I was very disappointed in the house.  It was filled with memorabilia of Alexandre Dumas, which is fine, but not for me.  I prefer when it is outfitted with furniture.  

One room was incredible and that was this Moorish style room.  I loved the architecture.  It looked liked in belonged in another country.  It also looks very comfortable. 

We decided to walk out of the area the opposite way we came in (which was a private drive) to see if we could get a ride share easier.  We ended up in a hospital parking lot, which was a perfect explanation as to why drivers cannot find this chateau.  The driver took us to the train station, which would have been a 25 minute walk.  

It was a beautiful cloudless day with a light cool wind and viewing all these chateaus in one day was amazing. We were back to our hotel by 4pm.