VAL D’OISE HOLIDAY TRAVEL GUIDE

Now partly absorbed into the Paris suburbs, the department of Val d’Oise to the north has all the advantages of being within easy reach of the major attractions of France’s romantic capital city. The magnificent Basilica of Saint Denis on the edge of the city is where almost all the French kings are buried.

Val d’Oise is home to the Regional Nature Park of French Vexin, a vast rural area dedicated to preserving the natural landscape and heritage of a century ago so loved by the Impressionist painters. Admire the colourful images from many of his paintings on a trip to Monet’s famous gardens and Museum of American Art at Giverny in the Seine Valley. Val-d’Oise is also close to picturesque forests and countryside, with fine chateaux full of history, art and culture. Visit Malmaison, the home of Empress Josephine, Louis XIV’s magnificent Chateau at Versailles and the immense Abbaye de Royaumont with the largest Cistercian cloisters in France.

Travel into neighbouring Seine-et-Marne to cycle and picnic in the fabulous Forest of Fontainbleau after visiting the Chateau loved by French kings for its closeness to the hunting forest. The woodland is great for walking, cycling horse riding and rock climbing.

Families can find a thrilling day out with fun for everyone at Disneyland Paris near Marne-la-Vallee.