Move over Versailles! Yes, you’re one of the most famous attractions in Europe.
But the Chateau de Chantilly art collection and storybook turrets are worthy competition for the oohs and ahhs you elicit!
We’ve discovered that river cruises are a delightful way to visit sites and attractions we might not otherwise see if touring independently.
So we’re glad that on our Seine River cruise with Scenic Cruises, the Normandy itinerary included a guided tour of this chateau’s palatial rooms and art.
One of the loveliest fairytale castles in Europe, the chateau turned out to be every bit as impressive as Versailles – but without the elbow-jabbing hordes of tourists.
Chateau de Chantilly
The estate (Domaine de Chantilly) dates back the 14th century.
It last belonged privately to Henri d’Orleans, the Duke of Aumale and hugely wealthy son of the last king of France, Louise-Philippe.
It’s made up of two attached buildings, one a smaller 17th century chateau in Renaissance style, with a second larger 19th century building behind.
The whole edifice is surrounded by a moat – look down and you can see large black carp swimming in the water.
Chantilly lace and…
You’ve probably heard the rock-and-roll song Chantilly Lace?
France’s Chantilly district is indeed famous for its delicate Chantilly lace – along with its sweet Chantilly cream and horse racing (it’s home to the largest horse stables in the country, a boarding school for jockeys and even a private hospital to treat jockey-specific conditions).
The Musee Conde art collection
Less well-known – at least perhaps to visitors from outside France – is the Chateau de Chantilly.
Yet it houses marvelous artworks. The collection of art is the second finest collection of classical paintings in France after the Louvre.
Visitors are often surprised to discover that the chateau’s art gallery (Musee Conde) is home to works by the famous Italian Renaissance artists Botticelli and Titian, as well as three original Rafael paintings.
Other names you might recognize, whose paintings are also displayed in the art museum, include Flemish painter Van Dyck, French landscape painter Corot and Ingres (who painted one of the best known images of Napolean Bonaparte).
Gallery of Paintings
The Gallery of Paintings is the largest room in the chateau.
It’s absolutely splendid, with 85 paintings hung at different heights on Pompeii red walls.
The canvasses are lit by natural light streaming through the soaring glass ceiling.
Several Italian Renaissance masterpieces – including Raphael’s “The Madonna of Loreto” and “Simonetta Vespucci” by Piero di Cosimo – are displayed in the Rotunda at the end of this gallery.
Other rooms and galleries
Other smaller rooms in the Conde Museum contain lots more art, including many portraits of princes, kings, princesses and so on.
(Without Facebook and email, sending out portraits was important when arranging royal marriages centuries ago, so the prospective spouse could get an idea of who they were marrying!)
And is that Marie Antoinette? Yes, there’s a large portrait of her here too.
Pssst! Save this post!
Bonus! You'll get our free guide on how to save up to 25% on luxury travel!
The Duke of Aumale designed the arrangement of his paintings himself.
He apparently liked showing his guests his art collection after a banquet in the chateau’s Gallery of Stags. No doubt they were impressed!
The reading room
As well as having a passion for art, the Duke of Aumale loved to read, confessing in a letter to a friend: “I think I’m suffering from bibliomania!”
The library or “reading room” is filled with almost 19,000 books (some 3,000 are books in German and Italian on math, botany and other scientific subjects).
There are also 1,500 beautiful medieval manuscripts; several are displayed in glass showcases.
(Before the printing press was invented in Europe in the mid-1400s, books were handwritten; they were often colorfully decorated and illuminated with real gold and silver.)
The oldest illuminated manuscript in the Chantilly castle collection dates back to the 11th century.
The Duke’s legacy lives on
Sadly, the Duke of Aumale’s two sons died of yellow fever in Africa at the ages of 18 and 21.
With no other living descendents, he bequeathed the Chateau de Chantilly to the learned society Institut de France on the condition that it be opened to the public and the layout of the art remain unchanged.
What you see today is how it was at the time of the Duke’s death in 1897.
How to visit the Domaine de Chantilly
We toured the chateau while on a Seine River cruise on the deluxe Scenic Gem, operated by Scenic Cruises.
The guided tour is one of the included shore excursions on the Paris-to-Honfleur river cruise.
The Chateau de Chantilly can also be visited on a day trip from Paris.
If you have the luxury of time, give yourself a day to appreciate all the chateau’s art along with the estate’s grand stables and extensive gardens.
We wished we had more time than the few hours we had. (But we had so many more sights to see on our cruise!)
For more information, see the Domaine de Chantilly website.
Other things to do in Chantilly?
Check out the Chantilly Tourism Office website.
If you stay in Paris
Discover what to do and where to stay and eat, so you can have an incredible 3 days in Paris.
Our top travel tips and resources
Hotels: Booking.com is great for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. We especially like Booking’s flexible cancellation policy!
Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
Flights: To book the cheapest flights, search on Google Flights or Expedia. (Just be aware Expedia tickets may be non-refundable.)
Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!
Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.
Car rental: Renting a car is often one of the best ways to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the best rates.
eSIMS: Stay connected affordably with Airalo eSIMS covering 200+ countries and trusted by 10 million+ users, including us! (No more huge roaming bills!)
Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.
Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)
Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.
If you make a booking or purchase through our site, we may earn a small commission (at no cost to you). Thanks!
Photo credits: © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase (except where noted)
We cruised with Scenic Cruises on assignment for various publications. The views expressed and words written are always our own.
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!
Irene Levine
Monday 18th of December 2017
Loved reading about Chateau de Chantilly. There are so many beautiful chateaux in France that Versailles, indeed, has competition. We were dazzled by this one, too, Chateau de Vaux Le Vicomte, just outside Paris.
Janice and George
Tuesday 19th of December 2017
We visited Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte too on this Scenic Cruises river trip! Also very impressive! Too bad Nicholas Fouquet (who owned it) got tossed in prison for life by Louis XIV for building such a show-stopping place. At least it inspired Louis to build Versailles...
Victoria
Tuesday 12th of December 2017
The Chateau de Chantilly looks marvellous although I still wouldn't say it's grander than Versailles. Haw! Haw! But you're right. It's certainly in the running lol!
'Love the photography. Excellent as usual!
Janice and George
Tuesday 12th of December 2017
Yes, we have to admit that Versailles is still the iconic palace. Louis built it to impress - and that it certainly does! Chateau de Chantilly is more intimate (though the grounds are expansive). It's probably because we've seen Versailles a couple of times (and both times were crowded) that Chateau de Chantilly made such a positive impression on us.
Becky
Tuesday 12th of December 2017
Well it definitely looks very beautiful -- a great under-the-radar find!
Janice and George
Tuesday 12th of December 2017
Apparently if you live in Paris or France, you've likely heard of Chateau de Chantilly (or Domaine de Chantilly). But for many outsiders like us, it's new :-).