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JANDDBritinParis
Although advertised as opening until 6pm we were told the chateau was only open until 4.15 on the day we visited , no apology or explanation offered ; so we had a whistlestop visit . The upstairs rooms are beautifully laid out in either 1st or 2nd Empire style . There is an audioguide at an extra cost but there are good explanatory panels in all the rooms . There is an interesting carriage museum . Lovely formal gardens (free entry ) and the forest goes on for ever !
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AtlStew
I traveled with a friend in late October for a full day to attend an exhibition by Rodin's mentor at the Palais Imperial de Compiegne. It was an hour and 10 minute trip by the TER network from Paris Gare du Nord to the Picardie region, and suddenly you find yourself in a magnificent city full of wonderful sightseeing and walking. The highlight of the day was the visit to the exhibit along with a visit inside the Palais itself. Built for Louis XV, it was stripped of its finery during the French Revolution, restored as a royal residence by Napoleon and frequently visited by Napoleon III and his Empress Eugenie. It's a study in gorgeous Empire furnishings and the architectural style is without equal. One of the special surprises on the grounds is the magnificent covered gardens, the rose garden and the wonderful little tea house which serves a tantalizing lunch with exquisite desserts. Do not miss the opportunity to lunch there, and take a walk up to the dessert display as you will be tempted by the multiple choices. This is a little known day trip to many who visit Paris, and as a Paris resident of over 14 years, it's the first time that I have ventured out to the Picardie region. Don't miss it!
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Aides17
This is one of the museum style of places we attended that our 6 yo daughter just LOVED!Its full of history and gold and costumes and dresses etc....sort of Princess stuff that little girls love and dream of! Hide and search down many corridors, and even the possibility of secret tunnels my daughter told me!In addition adults can walk around for hours is full of soo much information and the gardens are large and super to walk in.Food can be purchased at the usual tourist prices, from outlets and restaurants, along with the usual coffees!An amazing place I have to say!!
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DianneS167
It was raining on the day we visited so we didn't get to see too much of the gardens but what we did see was fantastic! The cafe at the rose garden serves the best cakes and their hot chocolate is to die for! The palace is filled with furniture and items from the era. There was also a sculptural exhibition.
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Anna_mji
We spent a rainy day exploring the palace with our 3 an 6-year-old children. We saw the car museum first, which was small but of good quality. Guide at the mandatory tour had loads of stories in French, which we couldn't really follow - no tours available in English. Then we had good lunch at the garden's stylish Tea room, highly recommended! After lunch we walked through the appartments, which competed well with those we'd seen in Swedish royal palaces before. The children enjoyed as well!
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sharonj402
This was a rainy day visit from Berny Riviera although once we got up the palace it was a beautiful day. The price got get in for a family of four was extremely reasonable although we didn't pay for the tours due to them being in French the rest if the palace had audio guides which had English (I think this would be useful to do on the guided tour). I loved the main palace and the beautiful peaceful gardens. Would definitely visit again. My toe children aged 5&11 enjoyed it too
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664RichardF664
The apartments give an insight into the time of week-long parties of the rich and nobility. This is not a big museum so even the kids enjoyed it. The gardens were only worth a quick look. We also visited the 5km long forest clearing at the far end (on the way there). Tea or coffee in the rose garden is worth the price, the cake selection was astounding.
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LJBBucks
the grounds of this beautiful chateau are free to enter and we could have easily spent a day walking around or having a picnic. peak season, but so quiet. didn't pay to go into the chateau but would definitely like to do it, we just ran out of time. we did however find the rose garden tea room which is magical. A ruin of a building, but laid out with perfect little tables, old fashioned china teapots & cups, serving all types of tea plus delicious cakes & lunch, listening to classical music! hard to convey but it really is a must if you go to compiegne
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Pomerols
If you like history and knows about the Second Empire, this castle is a must. Be sure to take the visit to the "Musee de l'Imperatrice. It is an extra cost but focuses more on the life of the Empress Eugenie. It is a glimpse into the private life and feelings/relationship of a fascinating woman who became the last Empress of France. Compiegne was her fall residence and the life (and etiquette of the court) was a lot more relaxed. They invited friends, artists, authors to join them. The "Musee de l'Imperatrice" has private mementos of the imperial family as well as clothes, toys of her only son, the Imperial Prince who died in battle against the Zulus.
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PeterandJinx
For reasons not clear to us, our visit to the Palais Imperial found us with a marvelous "Palace" almost all to our selves. We had been clued to take a guided tour (by our favorite tipster Ina Caro) and she was, again, spot on. There were four couples, although when we were almost ready to start there were only the two of us and we had explained that if she spoke slowly we would probably get most of what she was saying. Even with the addition of the three French couples, she managed to speak slowly enough for us to get most of what she had to say, and she went out of her way to point things out to us based on the questions that we asked in the first couple of rooms we visited. The Palais is another of Louis XV's gifts to the world, and both Napoleon I and Napoleon III enriched its rooms, gardens, furnishing, art, etc. We spent as much time as we could in the gardens, before our tour started. And then there is the foret! One could easily spend a day in its environs and I suspect that on good days it is full of walkers, birders, etc.Compiegne is on L' Oise, one of our favorite rivers in France (there is so much history along its banks). And my summer academic home away from home is also on its banks. The town of Compiegne is a very inviting walking ville with sites that take its visitors back to Charles the Bald and forward to a jumping off place to a visit that had escaped our prior stays in France but was appropriate in 2014 -- the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War. And so, we hired a taxi and took a short trip out to the Clairere de l'Armstice. In the midst of a wonderful forest clearing, on November 11, 1918 Marshall Foch accepted the surrender of Germany. An exact replica of the car (it is a sister car built at the same time) in which the ceremonies took place (Hitler took the original back to Germany in one of his first acts on French soil, and it was destroyed by allied bombing four years later) provides visitors with a sense of what the circumstances were like on that fateful morning (when, in my view, the seeds of World War !! were sown). There is also a little museum with all sorts of artifacts, newspaper clippings, etc. If you are a history buff, this is worth the trip. One hour later, as pre-arranged, our cab driver was back to pick us up and return us to the train station for our 45 minute ride back into Paris. The next time we will plan for two or more hours.
