Less than an hour's drive from Paris, there are a host of places that welcome companies for meetings or events. The Monuments Nationaux, for example, open some of their buildings to companies and have a department specially dedicated to this clientele. It's a great opportunity to discover the Ile-de-France and nearby regions while surprising your employees. To showcase the tremendous potential on the doorstep of the capital, we have selected around thirty sites, classified into three main themes: classic, unusual and nature. All are equipped for a working session and sometimes offer team-building activities, or even accommodation in some cases.
THE CLASSICS
The Château of Versailles: if Versailles were told to me
Gathering under the gilding of the sublime Château de Versailles undoubtedly takes on a dimension unmatched by any other historic site in France! Just thirty minutes by car or train from Paris, this fabulous architectural treasure offers an exceptional setting for work, prestigious gala evenings, extraordinary team-building events or any other MICE event. Designed by Le Vau and Mansart, this UNESCO-listed monument offers companies a unique ensemble: royal flats, chapel, royal opera house, royal stables and equestrian academy, orangery, not forgetting the immense park dotted with statues, fountains, groves and exceptional buildings such as the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, Temple of Love and the Queen's Hamlet. Some areas can be made completely private, such as the Battles Gallery, the Crusades Room, the Hercules Salon, the Orangery and the Cotelle Gallery. Special tours, lasting around an hour and a half, can also be organised under the guidance of a lecturer. As in the time of Louis XIV, everything is possible at Versailles, day and night: gourmet dinners, concerts, balls, water games and fireworks, horse shows, royal cooking classes... It's impossible to be disappointed.
DATA SHEET
Place d'Armes, 78 000 Versailles, France - Tel: 01 30 83 74 04
Email : evenements@chateauversailles.fr - Internet : www.chateauversailles.fr
How to get there By car: A13 exit Versailles (47 mins) - By train/underground: RER C stop Versailles Rive Gauche. Trains from Gare St Lazare (Versailles Rive Droite stop)
and from Gare Montparnasse (Versailles Chantiers stop).
Number of rooms : 8. Capacity up to 1200 p.
Chateaubriand's house: great romanticism
Chateaubriand's house nestles in the heart of the Vallée-aux-Loups park in the Hauts-de-Seine department. When the writer bought it in 1807 with his wife Céleste, it was just a simple gardener's cottage. In ten years, he transformed it into a romantic residence. It was here that he wrote the first draft of his famous Mémoires d'Outre-tombe. Dedicated to literature, this residence has preserved the bedrooms of Chateaubriand and Juliette Récamier in their period décor, and can be reserved for private dinners for no more than ten guests. Its library can accommodate around twenty people, its projection room up to 36 participants and its outdoor area 200 guests.
DATA SHEET
Domaine départemental de la Vallée-aux-Loups - Chateaubriand Park and House. 87, rue de Chateaubriand. 92 290 Châtenay-Malabry - Tel : 01 55 52 13 00 - Email : locationespaces@cg92.fr - Internet: maison-de-chateaubriand.hauts-de-seine.fr
How to get there By car: A86, Châtenay-Malabry exit (45 mins) - By train/metro: RER B, Robinson stop (45 mins)
Number of rooms : 3. Capacity up to 200 p.
Château de Vincennes: a fortress on the edge of Paris
With its castle-like appearance, the Château de Vincennes, on the outskirts of Paris, has undergone many transformations over the centuries, going from a simple hunting lodge for the kings of France to a manor house, then to a fortress under Charles V. Its dungeon was used as a prison by such famous figures as Nicolas Fouquet, the Marquis de Sade and Mirabeau. Later, Napoleon I er transformed it into a barracks and arsenal. From its past, the château has preserved its walls, its medieval towers, its Sainte-Chapelle and its 14th-century keep.e century, the highest in Europe. Various spaces for up to 300 people can be hired all year round.
DATA SHEET
1, avenue de Paris. 94 300 Vincennes - Tel: 01 44 61 20 30 -
Email : location@monuments-nationaux.fr - Internet : www.vincennes.monuments-nationaux.fr
How to get there By car: Porte de Vincennes, then avenue de Paris - By train/underground: line 1 station Château de Vincennes or RER A stop Vincennes.
Number of rooms : 4. Capacity up to 300 p.
Villa Savoye: Corbu architecture
The Yvelines region is home to one of the masterpieces by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier. This weekend house, built a stone's throw from Paris in Poissy, completes the cycle of the architect's white villas. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the house, known as "Les heures claires", was built between 1928 and 1931 on a seven-hectare site for the Savoye family. It illustrates the five points of modern architecture: stilts, garden roofs, a free plan, long windows and a free facade. It's true that this astonishing house, rising above a vast lawned area, overturns all traditional codes. The openings and symmetry of the facades dispel any notion of front and back. The interior is equally surprising. As soon as you enter, an oar leading to the first floor opens onto a bright, open landing and a large bay window, while a spiral staircase leads from the cellar to the solarium. A national monument, the villa can be viewed privately, just as it can be visited exclusively. Adjacent is the Maison du Jardinier, one of Le Corbusier's first experiments with housing units, restored to its original state by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux.
DATA SHEET
82, rue de Villiers. 78 300 Poissy - Tel: 01 44 61 20 30 - Email : location@monuments-nationaux.fr - Internet : www.villa-savoye.monuments-nationaux.fr
How to get there By car: A13 and A14 towards Poissy (40 mins) - By train/underground: RER A to Poissy, then bus 50 to Villa Savoye (50 mins).
Number of rooms 2 levels (ground floor and 1st floor). Capacity Up to 200 people (100 per level).
The Château de Rambouillet: presidential residence
Nestled between Versailles and Chartres, in the heart of more than 20,000 hectares of forest, this 14th-century fortified castle is a must-see.e The château was gradually transformed into a residence, first royal, then presidential. The Château de Rambouillet was given a facelift in 2016 under the auspices of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, and the richness of its interiors - the Marble Room, the rococo decor of Marie-Antoinette's flats and the neo-Pompean décor of Napoleon's suites - is well worth a visit in itself. Outside, the château is surrounded by a French garden, with canals cutting through six islands that can be used to stage a variety of events. There are two unusual features in the grounds: the Chaumière des coquillages, with its decoration of mother-of-pearl and shells, and the Laiterie de la Reine, built by Marie-Antoinette. The Château de Rambouillet is the perfect venue for events: cocktails, dinners, meetings, concerts, incentives...
DATA SHEET
Domaine national de Rambouillet. 78 120 Rambouillet - Tel. 01 44 61 20 30 - Email : location@monuments-nationaux.fr - Internet : www.chateau-rambouillet.fr
How to get there By car: A13/A12 or A6/A10, then RN10 (1 h) - By train: from Montparnasse station, stop at Rambouillet (45 mins).
Number of rooms : 2. Capacity up to 140 p.
The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte: the largest in France
It is the largest private château in France to be listed as a Monument Historique. Built by three of the most famous artists of the XVIIe Built in the 19th century by the architect Louis Le Vau, the gardener André Le Nôtre and the decorative painter Charles Le Brun, it stands proudly some fifty kilometres from Paris, near Melun in the Seine et Marne region. Its bold architecture inspired Louis XIV to build the Château de Versailles. The building houses Nicolas Fouquet's private flats, the ceremonial salons, the grand kitchen and vaulted cellars. Its French-style garden is punctuated by veritable plant sculptures, water features and skilfully orchestrated flowerbeds. The estate welcomes groups for seminars and receptions alike, with the art of French-style entertaining as its guiding theme. Private tours, including one on the theme of 'Art and Management', team-building events, tableware workshops and gourmet dinners are all on offer.
DATA SHEET
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. 77 950 Maincy - Tel.: 01 64 14 41 98 -
Email : evenements@vaux-le-vicomte.com - Internet : www.vaux-le-vicomte.com
How to get there By car: A4/A5, then N104 (50 mins) - By train: from Gare de l'Est, Verneuil l'Etang stop (35 mins).
Number of rooms available for private hire : 8. Capacity up to 800 p.
The Chantilly estate: the kingdom of the horse
The Chantilly estate is home to the treasures of the Duc d'Aumale, son of Louis-Philippe and considered to be the greatest collector of his time. The site covers 7,800 hectares, in the heart of one of the largest forests in the Paris region, and comprises a château, parkland and gardens, large stables - the largest in Europe - with a living museum of the horse, and a racecourse. The château is home to the Condé museum, with its collection of old paintings by some of the greatest names, including Botticelli, Raphaël and Delacroix, while the park lends itself to prestige evenings or outdoor team-building events. Finally, in the wooded area, a very bucolic place, Sylvie's house, has five rooms with a capacity of 110 people.
DATA SHEET
7, rue du Connétable. 60500 Chantilly - Tel: 03 44 27 31 70 -
Email : evenementiel@domainedechantilly.com - Internet : www.domainedechantilly.com
How to get there By car: A1/A3, Chantilly exit (40 minutes) - By train: from Gare du Nord, Chantilly-Gouvieux stop (25 minutes).
Number of rooms : 12. Capacity up to 600 p.
Les Vaux de Cernay Abbey: Cistercian simplicity
Situated in the Vallée de Chevreuse, in the Rambouillet forest, the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, a former Cistercian monastery dating from the 12th century, is one of the world's most famous abbeys.e The cloister, the reading gallery, the mill, the dovecote and the monks' chapter house bear witness to its monastic past. The abbey, which is a listed building, is now a hotel-restaurant and a member of the Hôtels Particuliers. Some of the rooms have been redesigned while preserving the traces of their history. The cellar, for example, has become a music room, and the former refectory of the lay monks, with its two bays of Gothic vaults, houses a restaurant called "La Table du Prieur". Other rooms house meeting rooms, while the park and its pond are perfect for outdoor incentive activities.
DATA SHEET
Domaine de l'Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay. 78 720 Cernay-la-Ville - Tel : 01 34 85 34 03 - Email : cernay@leshotelsparticuliers.com - Internet : www.abbayedecernay.com
How to get there By car: A6B, A10, then D149 (1 hour) - By train: RER B stop Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (45 minutes).
Number of rooms : 15. Capacity up to 350 p.
Giverny and the Impressionists: an extraordinary garden
The charming village of Giverny is a wonderful place to bring your staff together. Located 75 kilometres from Paris, at the gateway to the Eure, on the right bank of the Seine, the village is world-famous thanks to Claude Monet, who lived here from 1883 until his death in 1926. You can visit the master's home, with its gardens of flowers and water. The water lilies and the Japanese bridge are immortalised in his works. A stone's throw away, the Musée des Impressionnismes highlights this artistic movement in France and abroad. The building welcomes companies for all types of events: meetings, seminars, dinners, cocktails or prestige evenings. A range of options are available, from simple space hire to privatisation of the premises, including special tours of the museum and even conferences tailored to the company's needs. It's a discovery with a definite painting-painting label!
DATA SHEET
99, rue Claude Monet. 27 620 Giverny - Tel : 02 32 51 94 65 - Email : contact@mdig.fr - Internet : www.mdig.fr
How to get there By car: A13/A14/A86/A15 (1h24) - By train: from Gare St Lazare stop Vernon - Giverny (45 mins).
Number of rooms : 3. Capacity up to 800 p.
THE INSOLITES
La Gentilhommière The charm of the 19th centurye
This beautiful manor house, built in 1830, is nestled in magnificent grounds planted with trees several hundred years old, at the end of a gravel driveway leading to a wide porch. The mistress of the house welcomes guests in person. With its fuchsia walls, the huge entrance hall adorned with family portraits leads to the living room, bar and dining room. Beautiful objects, sofas, a large fireplace and pretty paintings give a cosy feel to the place, which is very warm in winter and, on the contrary, cool in fine weather. Depending on the season, groups can enjoy a meal, aperitif or coffee in the garden. In the park, a small blue house hides a theatre seating around sixty, which companies can use. Only the roe deer disturb the peace!
DATA SHEET
560, rue de Feucherolles. 78 630 Orgeval - Tel : 01 46 47 20 02 - Email : contact@revezdailleurs.fr - Internet : www.revezdailleurs.fr
How to get there By car: A13 or A14, exit Poissy/Orgeval (53 mins) - By train: RER A stop Saint-Germain en Laye, then bus 21 (1h15).
Number of rooms : 3. Capacity up to 60 p.
La Cité du Cinéma: a Seventh Art atmosphere
During the filming of Léon, director Luc Besson spotted a derelict power station on the outskirts of Paris, in Saint-Denis. He came up with the idea of converting it and dedicating it to the cinema. The Art Deco style of the building, with its metal girders and overhead travelling cranes, has been preserved, while other elements have been given an identical makeover. Today, the Cité du Cinéma's immense central nave of glass and steel, 22O metres long and 18 metres high, serves 20,000 m2 offices, including film production, the Louis Lumière school, the Ecole de la Cité and nine production studios. Along this gigantic avenue are two cars used in the films The Fifth Element and Michel Vaillant. Although the Cité is closed to the public, it is open to companies, either for guided tours including a visit to a film studio, or for private use of some of its areas, i.e. the nave, the auditorium, the restaurant or the mezzanine.
DATA SHEET
20, rue Ampère. 93 413 Saint Denis - Tel. 01 55 90 59 49 - Email : contact@moma-selection.com - Internet : www.moma-selection.com
How to get there By car: A1/A86 or périphérique exit Porte de Clignancourt - By train/metro: line 13 station Carrefour Pleyel or RER B and D stations Plaine Saint-Denis.
Number of rooms : 4. Capacity up to 1500 p.
La Ferme du Bout des Prés: go West
In the heart of the Chevreuse Valley, in a park covering several hectares, stands an American ranch! It was built in the purest tradition by Olivier van Hecke, an equestrian and western enthusiast. Entirely made of wood, the ranch is decorated with saddles, animal skins, Indian collars... A change of scenery guaranteed! The ranch, which can be privatised for study days or team building events, can accommodate 70 to 130 people. On the same site, you'll find the Bout des Prés farm inn, built in the 17th century.e It has been run by the Van Hecke family from father to son since 1928. Housed in former stables, the inn has a hall that can accommodate up to 300 guests. A variety of activities are on offer, including a mechanical bull to give you the thrill of a rodeo, an introduction to country dancing and a hilarious lasso throwing lesson.
DATA SHEET
Ferme du Bout des Prés. 78 720 Cernay La Ville - Tel: 01 34 85 29 04 -
Email : contact@lafermeduboutdespres.com - Internet : www.lafermeduboutdespres.com
How to get there By car: A3/A6 (1h) - By train: REC C stop Cernay (1h30).
Number of rooms : 3. Capacity up to 130 p.
Auberge Ravoux: Van Gogh's genius
It was at the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise, some thirty km from Paris, that Vincent van Gogh spent the last months of his life, living in a 7 m2 rented for 3.50 francs a day and lit by a single skylight. Since then, his room has remained as it was: a bed, a chair, a chest of drawers, a basin and a jug. Nothing else. It is visited in small groups, almost religiously. Like the village, moreover, most of whose narrow streets inspired the master: nearly 80 works painted in 70 days! The inn's dining room has also preserved its late 19th-century decor.e. The menu includes coq au vin, gigot de sept heures and oeufs en meurette. Groups of up to 45 guests can dine here, or opt for the Guinguette, a wooden structure evocative of the painting La Sirène, which can accommodate around fifty people, or even 100 for a cocktail party. Another venue on offer is the Maison des Amis, also depicted in one of the painter's paintings, which has a room for eight people.
DATA SHEET
Place de la mairie. 52-53, rue du Général de Gaulle. 94 430 Auvers-sur-Oise - France
Tel.: 01 30 36 60 60 - Internet : www.maisondevangogh.fr
How to get there By car: A5/A115 exit Méry-sur-Oise centre (45 mins) - By train: from St Lazare or Gare du Nord stations, stop at Auvers (1 hour).
Number of rooms : 3. Capacity up to 100 p.
Cirque Franconi: a trail to the stars
The two circus tents of the Franconi circus, one of the oldest in France, stand in a green setting. This family-run troupe, based year-round at the Torcy leisure park, invites groups to discover the magic of a show, as well as what goes on behind the scenes. Acrobats, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, jugglers, magicians... One act follows another against the backdrop of the adventures of Boboss, the clown who used to brighten up the TV show L'île aux Enfants. There are a number of options available to companies: private use of the circus tents, a day out to discover the circus arts, a dinner and show, etc. The spaces can be adapted to suit all requirements, including meetings. Meals are held in the spirit of the TV show Le Grand Cabaret, with a two-part show and adapted acts.
DATA SHEET
Base de Loisirs de Vaires-Torcy - 77 200 Torcy - Tel. 06 09 18 22 26 - Email : cirquefranconi@hotmail.fr - Internet : www.espace-franconi.fr
How to get there By car: A4 and A 104 (37 mins) - By train/underground: RER A station Torcy - from Gare de l'Est stop Vaires sur Marnes (35 mins).
Number of rooms : 2. Capacity up to 1,500 p.
Nomade Lodge: Mongolian yurts
Just 45 minutes from Paris, the Brie countryside looks like the steppes of Central Asia. A Mongolian camp made up of around twenty authentic yurts stands on the edge of the Villefermoy forest, opposite an old traditional Brie farm! The structure houses traditional colourful furniture and cosy sleeping accommodation. Their round shape and friendly atmosphere are ideal for socialising. There's even a huge yurt specially designed for meetings of around twenty people, or even 40 for a cocktail party. In this colourful environment, incentive groups can also take part in various challenges, some of which have a Genghis Khan or Marco Polo theme. Activities include Mongolian cooking workshops, tai chi, martial arts initiations and even a discovery of kokédama, a Japanese plant decoration technique! Accommodation and meeting and reception facilities are also available in the adjoining farmhouse.
DATA SHEET
77 720 La Chapelle Gautier - Tel. 06 16 23 46 68 - Email : seminaire@nomade-lodge.com - Internet : pro.nomade-lodge.com
How to get there By car: A4/A5B, then D227 (1 h) - By train: from Gare de Lyon stop Melun (25 min) or Nangis (1 h).
Number of rooms : 8. Capacity up to 300 p.
House of Jean Cocteau: the soul of the poet
In 1947, Jean Cocteau bought the Maison du Bailli in Milly-la-Forêt, a former outbuilding of the Château de la Bonde that had belonged to the 15th century.e century to Admiral Louis Malet de Graville. In La Difficulté d'être, Jean Cocteau spoke of his new home as the house that awaited him: "I live in its refuge, far from the bells of the Palais-Royal. It is an example of the absurdly magnificent stubbornness of plants. I rediscover memories of the countryside where I used to dream of Paris, just as I would dream later, in Paris, of fleeing". Today, as both a writer's house and a museum, the residence offers companies two rooms that can accommodate up to 80 people, as well as a pergola and a 1.5 hectare landscaped garden. Milly-la-Forêt is also the perfect place to discover Cyclop, a monumental work of art located 2 km from Cocteau's house. In the heart of the forest, this concrete and metal sculpture, partly covered in mirrors, rises to a height of no less than 22.5 metres! A collective creation by Jean Tinguely, his wife Niki de Saint Phalle and their artist friends, including César, Arman and Jean-Pierre Raynaud, it represents a giant's head planted in the ground, scanning its surroundings with its unique eye. The ear conceals a labyrinthine path lined with works of art, sound sculptures, a small automatic theatre and astonishing machinery. Groups of 25 can enjoy a guided tour of this surprising museum of contemporary art!
DATA SHEET
Maison Jean Cocteau: 15, rue du Lau. 91 490 Milly-la-Forêt - Tel: 01 64 98 11 50 - Email : c.dubois@maisoncocteau.ne - Internet: www.maisoncocteau.net
How to get there By car: A6, exit 13 (1 h) - By train: RER D stop Maisse (1h15).
Number of rooms : 1. Capacity up to 70 p.
Ici Montreuil: ideas box
Ici Montreuil is a gigantic creative factory for artists, craftspeople, entrepreneurs and start-ups. Comprising coworking spaces and workshops, this 1,700 m2 space is located in part of the former Dufour electrical equipment factory. Totally atypical, it houses the offices of nearly 161 residents representing some sixty areas of expertise! They will find on-site facilities for the design, modelling, prototyping and machining of connected objects, intelligent furniture, robots, digital art installations... Everything is done to let the imagination run riot. Companies wishing to organise seminars, conferences, team buildings and creativity workshops are welcome. There are several rooms at their disposal, with the added bonus of being able to sample the cuisine of Michelin-starred chef Bruno Viala at a very reasonable price.
DATA SHEET
135, boulevard Chanzy. 93 100 Montreuil - Tel: 06 81 21 94 32 -
Email : nicolas@madeinmontreuil.com - Internet : www.icimontreuil.com
How to get there By car: Porte de Montreuil or Porte de Bagnolet. - By metro: line 9, Robespierre station.
Number of rooms : 15 - Capacity up to 400 p.
Aérokart: turning your head upside down
It's the first wind tunnel in Europe! Two and a half minutes of freefall will turn your head upside down, and the thrills are guaranteed to last a lifetime. It's in Argenteuil, where groups can discover 17,000 m2 In addition to skydiving and indoor parachuting, the complex has the largest indoor go-karting circuit in the Paris region, ideal for full-throttle races. The site also offers a new activity, Winscape, a sort of futuristic Fort Boyard that takes place in 11 rooms. To move from one room to another, groups of four to six participants have to unlock them. To do this, they have to use all their senses, as well as their memory, their logical mind and their sporting skills, the aim being to accumulate as many points as possible to help their team win.
DATA SHEET
199-203, route de Pontoise. 95 100 Argenteuil - Tel. 01 30 25 72 97/88 - Email : contact@aerokart.com - Internet : www.aerokart.com
How to get there By car: A86 (46 min) - By train: from Gare Saint-Lazare, Cormeilles en Parisis stop (20 min).
Number of rooms : 7. Capacity up to 600 p.
Brasserie La Parisienne: the mysteries of beer
Passionate about craft beers, Jean Barthélémy Chancel, owner of Louis Barthélémy champagnes, founded his first microbrewery in 2011, producing organic, unfiltered and unpasteurised beers: Brasserie Artisanale du Lubéron. Three years later, he opened a second establishment, this time in Paris, at the foot of the Butte-aux-Cailles, before moving to a former compressor factory in Pantin. It was here that he developed La Parisienne, a craft beer brewed and bottled in Greater Paris. Companies can discover all the stages in its production, enjoy surprising pairings or take advantage of tailor-made tours. They can also organise meetings for groups of up to 20 people.
DATA SHEET
29, rue Cartier Bresson. 93 500 Pantin - Tel. 09 52 34 94 69 - France
Email : info@brasserielaparisienne.com - Internet : www.brasserielaparisienne.com
How to get there By car: Porte de Pantin - By train/underground: line 7 Aubervilliers-Pantin-Quatre Chemins station or RER E Pantin station.
Capacity up to 20 p.
NATURES
Château de Raray: Beauty and the Beast
Made famous by Jean Cocteau's film Beauty and the Beast, the Château de Raray, a listed historic monument, exudes peace and tranquillity, just 45 minutes from Paris. Mysterious, even bewitching, with its hunting hedges adorned with sculptures depicting scenes of hunting with hounds, it has four centuries of history within its walls since Nicolas de Lancy, a close friend of Henri IV, acquired the estate to make a hunting lodge, before building the edifice as we see it today. The estate is also renowned for its 9- and 18-hole golf courses, laid out in the middle of the forest and ranked among the best in Europe. Other attractions include seventeen tree houses, accessible by wooden staircases or secure ladders. All have running water, electricity and a bathroom with shower. Some even have a wellness area where you can enjoy a 40°C bath eight metres off the ground! Some have original shapes, like the Lov'Nid Spa. The bedroom is in a kind of large wooden egg with a panoramic roof so you can watch the forest from your round bed. Others are built 13 metres high and dominate the entire estate! What they all have in common is their respect for the environment, and in particular for the oak trees that host them, monitored by a forest ranger. The cabins are regularly adapted to their growth.
DATA SHEET
4, rue Nicolas de Lancry. 60 810 Raray - Tel. 03 44 60 01 94 - France
Email : contact@chateauderaray.fr - Internet : www.chateauderaray.fr
How to get there By car: A1 Lille Senlis-Creil exit (45 mins)
www.chateauderaray.fr - By train: from Gare du Nord stop Chantilly or Crépy-en-Valois (25 min).
Number of rooms : 5. Capacity up to 100 p.
Les Roches de Nucourt: cave dwellers
The French Vexin Regional Nature Park covers 71,000 hectares of unspoilt countryside in the north-west of the Ile-de-France region. Within this park is a network of underground quarries from which limestone was extracted, largely for use in Parisian buildings. The last quarries were used to build the top floor of the Arc de Triomphe. Today, a few galleries are open to the public under certain conditions, including the extraordinary Roches de Nucourt site, made up of troglodyte rooms. These caves, hidden deep in the forest, have been converted to host all types of meetings and special evenings. As part of a seminar, they can also be used as a base for outdoor team-building activities: mountain biking, orienteering, archery, etc.
DATA SHEET
2, route de Serans. 95 420 Nucourt - Tel.: 01 346 7 41 22/06 82 19 84 10 -
Email : lesrochesdenucourt95@gmail.com - Internet: www.lesrochesdenucourt-95.fr
How to get there: By car: A 15 (1h) - By train: from Gare St Lazare, Chars stop (1h).
Number of rooms : 4. Capacity up to 300 p.
Les Prés d'Ecoublay: meetings in a caravan
Just 40 minutes from Paris lies a little heart of the countryside: the Château des Prés d'Ecoublay, a pretty 17th-century residence that is just a stone's throw from Paris.e century castle set in the centre of a park planted with orchards. From 1981 to 2000, it was home to a brotherhood of monks before being bought by the Châteauform' group and transformed into a site reserved for corporate seminars. Everything is designed to allow you to work in peace, relax in one of the 80 rooms and unwind in the greenery. Groups can take advantage of a golf practice range, indoor swimming pool, archery range, wellness centre with hammam and cookery workshops. But one of the special features of the site is its nine wooden trailers set in the middle of the park, which have been completely refurbished to create sub-commission rooms for eight people. Bohemian bliss!
DATA SHEET
Château des prés d'Ecoublay. 77 610 Fontenay Trésigny - Tel: 01 30 28 69 69 -
Internet : www.chateauform.com
How to get there By car: A86 (50 mins) - By train: RER A to Chessy-Marne or RER E to Tournan en Brie (45 mins).
Number of rooms : 25. Capacity up to 95 p.
Parc de St Cloud: outstanding garden
Owned by Philippe d'Orléans, the younger brother of Louis XIV, the national estate of Saint-Cloud lost its château when it burnt down in 1870, but retains 460 hectares of gardens, ponds and wooded areas that reflect one of the finest expressions of classical garden design. Designed by Le Nôtre, it is also one of the most beautiful parks in the Paris region and a listed historic monument. Companies can make use of some of these areas and hold a meeting for around sixty people in a private flat with terrace and garden. Special tours can be arranged to discover the techniques used by the fountain-makers to stage the gushing waters of the park, or the Historical Museum located in the Lower Stables, where the flats of Richard Mique, Marie-Antoinette's favourite architect, were once situated.
DATA SHEET
Conservatoire du domaine national de Saint-Cloud. 92 210 Saint-Cloud - France
Tel: 01 44 61 20 30 - Email: location@monuments-nationaux.fr -
Internet : www.saint-cloud.monuments-nationaux.fr
How to get there By car: Porte de Saint-Cloud - By train/underground: line 10 Pont de Saint-Cloud station; line 9 Pont de Sèvres station; tramway 2 Parc de Saint-Cloud; train from Gare Saint-Lazare Saint-Cloud stop.
Number of rooms : 1. Capacity up to 60 p.
Pavillon Jardy: a breath of fresh air
A bubble of oxygen comprising France's leading equestrian centre, 21 tennis courts and a nine-hole golf course, all just a few minutes from Paris. That's the Haras de Jardy estate, set in 75 hectares of meadows and woods. Opposite the Carrière Olympique stands the Pavillon de Jardy, owned by the Paris Country Club. Built in the purest style of metal, glass and steel architecture, the pavilion can be booked for turnkey events or simple hire. It can accommodate up to 1,500 people for a cocktail party or 700 for a conference. Surface area: 1,100 m2 with 7,000 m of private green space.2 and 700 m2 terraces.
DATA SHEET
182, bld de Jardy. 92 430 Marnes-la-Coquette - Tel : 01 47 95 47 95 - Email : event@pariscountryclub.com - Internet : www.pariscountryclub.com
How to get there By car: A13, Versailles Château exit (35 min) - By train: from Saint-Lazare station, Vaucresson stop, then Phébus line F bus (45 min).
Capacity up to 1,500 p.
