"The most exciting travel guide I've read in years." - Huffington Post This classic guidebook, full of the little-known treasures of the Île de France, is now fully updated and revised, with two new chapters. Discover half-hidden chateaux and artists’ country houses; walk, boat or dance by the river; explore old towns and country footpaths; and eat in family-run restaurants with 1950s décor. Based on over 20 years’ experience of exploring the Paris countryside by train, each visit includes the essential historical context and practical information to help you discover places unknown to many Parisians. Written with humour and a flair for the unusual and authentic, the text is illustrated with original photos and local maps. It includes a unique guide to using the excellent local train network.

Table of Contents:
Contents Map showing journey times from Paris Map of the Ile de France Rail map of the Ile de France Preface Preface to the Fourth Edition The Ile de France: past and present How to use this guide Gare du Nord 1. Montmorency Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s house/museum, market, Renaissance church 2. Ecouen Château-museum of the Renaissance, woodland walk 3. Chantilly Château-museum, horse-racing, canal walk 4. Auvers-sur-Oise Vincent Van Gogh and the Impressionists, village and river walk 5. Royaumont St Louis, Cistercian abbey, concerts, country walk 6. Luzarches Erik Satie, country walk 7. Senlis The first French kings, cathedral, rampart walk Gare de l’Est 8. Crécy-la-Chapelle Corot, Gothic church, moats, river walk 9. La Ferté-Milon Racine, La Fontaine, Leonardo da Vinci, ruined castle, canal walk, boat trip 10. Provins Medieval tournaments, ramparts Gare de Lyon 11. Moret-sur-Loing Alfred Sisley and the Impressionists, river walk to port of Saint Mammès Gare de Montparnasse 12. Rambouillet Château, park : Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, De Gaulle 13. Montfort-l’Amaury Simon de Montfort, Maurice Ravel, Victor Hugo, country walk Gare St Lazare 14. Poissy St Louis, Monet, Le Corbusier, Emile Zola’s house-museum, river walk 15. Conflans-Sainte Honorine River port, boat museum, island restaurant accessed by speedboat, island and river walk St Michel-Notre Dame RER 16. Sceaux Château, park : Colbert, Le Nôtre, walk to Chateaubriand’s house and garden Châtelet-Les Halles RER 17. Champigny-sur-Marne Traditional French music/dancing by the river, Abbey ruins at St Maur, island, river bus to Joinville 18. The islands of Créteil Victor Hugo, island walk 19. Champs-sur-Marne Menier chocolate factory, river walk, Madame de Pompadour’s château and park 20. Saint Germain-en-Laye Le Nôtre, Debussy, Maurice Denis’ house-museum, château On the Tourist Trail Versailles, Giverny, Fontainebleau Getting around the Ile de France: The cultural context getting into the local rhythm, the pleasures of provincial life, the love of numbers, the French attitude to information Practical details public transport, maps, useful sources of information, books, bookshops Best days to visit markets, museums and châteaux, other attractions Glossary Train traveller’s glossary Chronology of French rulers Acknowledgements Picture credits Index