Date: 24th June 2023
Travelled: 115 kms from Melun to Saint Julien du Sault
Visited: Château de Courances
Stayed: Saint-Julien du Sault Aire CC. Free, N48.02920, E03.30050
Budget: 33 days @ €100 per day
Our second night on the Seine at Port de Roy was even quieter than the first night, no duff, duff and we were the only one there. Another long walk along the Seine but in a different direction this morning.
We chill out over a long breakfast and second coffee. The Château de Courances does not open to the public until 2 pm. So once where on the road we find a boulangerie on our way and arrive in time to have lunch in the shade of a grove of plane trees opposite the château.
The Château de Courances has been a marker on our Google map for a couple of years now. It featured on an episode of Monti Don’s Gardens, one of the finest example of a Renaissance water garden in France and here we are.
The château was built in 1630 the Courances estate and the gardens have been in constant development since then. It’s privately owned by the Ganay family and opens only on the weekends from 2-6pm, entry is €12 pp.
There are 17-18 lakes and canals and the château itself is moated. You have to give it to the French garden designer who 3-400 years ago were able to work out the hydraulics to have all these lakes interconnect with a constant flow of water.
Our mistake was doing a tour of the château which we knew would be in French but what we didn’t know was that we could not take photos. So we were disappointed and a little bored as it was slow going.
The Japanese garden with its fire red maples and bonsai shaped shrubs were amazing.
We spend another 90 minutes walking the manicured lawns, groves of mature trees and lakes. Takes a while the le grande canal alone is 500 metres long.
Our visit to Courances complete we put the Hymer on the road once again. It’s nearly a two hour drive to Saint-Julien du Sault which is a bit of a struggle after a long day, but the aire de camping-car is shady, quiet and free.
Michael + Pam
2 thoughts on “Domaine de Courances, France 🇫🇷 2023”
Fancy owning something like that!!!! The upkeep must be enormous. Reminds me of my own garden, we have a magnolia tree just like the one in your first photo 😛 🙂
What a beautiful place, I do remember seeing it on Montis Garden ,you are having a great time
Safe travels Johannes ❤️