The 10 most beautiful castles in Essonne
10 châteaux
Chosen among 142 recorded castles
What to see in Essonne when you only have a weekend: the 10 most visited castles according to their visitors’ reviews, among those open to the public whose visiting conditions we checked on the official website. For each: what you see, the entry price, the link to the full entry.
Ranked by renown: how often their name is searched on Google each month, and how many reviews visitors have left. “Beautiful” is your word; what we measure is what visitors choose.
No. 1
Château de Courances (Courances Castle)
Courances
Courances castle stands at the edge of the Fontainebleau forest, in the Essonne department, surrounded by an 86 hectare park laced with canals and water mirrors. Built in the 17th century and later reworked in the Louis XIII style at the end of the 19th century, it keeps a brick and stone structure ringed by moats.
No. 2
Château de Chamarande (Chamarande Castle)
Chamarande
The château de Chamarande stands in the Essonne department, less than an hour from Paris, within a 98-hectare park owned by the local council.
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No. 3
Château de Dourdan (Dourdan Castle)
Dourdan
In Dourdan, in the Orge valley, stands a fortress built between 1220 and 1222 on the orders of Philip Augustus, the last military project of his reign. Its square layout, flanking towers and freestanding keep are typical of the Philippian style of fortification, comparable to the medieval Louvre.
No. 4
Château de Janvry (Janvry Castle)
Janvry
The château de Janvry stands at the heart of the village, in the Essonne department, some thirty kilometres from Paris in the Hurepoix region. Built in the first half of the 17th century, it displays typical Louis XIII architecture, with a U-shaped courtyard, a moat and a poplar-lined approach.
No. 5
Château de Courson (Courson Castle)
Courson-Monteloup
In Courson-Monteloup, in the Essonne department, this seventeenth century château stands within an extensive landscape park awarded remarkable garden status.
No. 6
Château de Farcheville (Farcheville Castle)
Bouville
In Bouville, in the Essonne, the Château de Farcheville stands behind a fortified rectangular enclosure dating from the 13th century, built when Philippe le Bel reigned for one of his royal chamberlains.
No. 7
Château du Marais (Marais Castle)
Le Val-Saint-Germain
In the Essonne department, in Le Val-Saint-Germain, the château du Marais is a neoclassical building erected in the 1770s for a wealthy financier, Jean Lemaistre de la Martinière, to designs by architect Jean Benoît Vincent Barré.
No. 8
Château de Dommerville (Angerville)
Angerville
The Château de Dommerville stands in Angerville, in the Essonne department, some sixty kilometres from Paris. Built in the late 18th century for a lieutenant general in the royal army, it later passed through the hands of several owners, including Napoleonic general Rochambeau.
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No. 9
Saint-Cheron
Saint-Chéron
The château de Baville stands in Saint-Chéron, in the Essonne department, displaying Louis XIII style architecture with its classical lines. The estate spreads beyond Saint-Chéron alone, part of its grounds extending into the neighbouring communes of Breuillet and Breux-Jouy.
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No. 10
Château de Villiers, Draveil
Draveil
In Draveil, near the Seine and the Sénart forest, the Château de Villiers was rebuilt in the late 18th century after a fire, for the Count of Bombelles.
Every castle in Essonne (142)Which ones open this weekend?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most beautiful castle in Essonne?
- The most visited in Essonne is Château de Courances, first in this selection according to its visitors’ reviews. All 10 castles listed are open to visitors with checked hours.
- How much does a visit cost?
- The adult entry price is shown under each castle when the official website publishes it; 0 of these castles are free.
- How is this selection made?
- Among the 142 castles recorded in Essonne, we keep those open to the public with a photo, then rank by number of Google reviews. No castle pays to appear.