Château de Ferrières
Twenty kilometres south-west of Marne-la-Vallée, the Château de Ferrières is one of the most spectacular Second Empire châteaux in France — a 19th-century Rothschild palace set in a 1,000-hectare English-style park designed by Joseph Paxton, the man who built London's Crystal Palace. It is barely known to foreign visitors and genuinely jaw-dropping.
The Architecture
Built between 1855 and 1859 for Baron James de Rothschild, the château was designed by Joseph Paxton in an Italianate style that blends Renaissance and French classical elements. The scale is extraordinary — it was the largest private residence in France at the time of its construction, and Empress Eugénie reportedly wept with envy when she first saw it.
The exterior can be admired freely from the park; the interior (now owned by the University of Paris) opens for guided tours on selected weekends and during European Heritage Days in September. The grand salon, with its original Rothschild furnishings and painted ceilings, is as opulent as anything in Versailles.
The Park & Lake
Paxton's landscaped park surrounds a large ornamental lake and is threaded with walking paths through mature woodland. The lakeside perspective of the château — turrets and mansard roof reflected in still water — is one of the great unsung architectural photographs in the Paris region.
The park is open to walkers and joggers most days without charge; the grounds cover enough terrain for a proper two-hour circuit. In autumn, the beeches and oaks turn copper and gold, making it one of the most beautiful woodland walks within an hour of Paris.
Visiting Practically
The château is in Ferrières-en-Brie (77164), about 20 minutes by car from Marne-la-Vallée. There is no direct public transport; a taxi or rental car is the practical option. The drive through the Brie plain farmland is itself scenic.
Guided interior tours are available on the first Sunday of each month (confirm via the Université Paris-Est website before visiting) and during Journées du Patrimoine (third weekend of September). Exterior and park visits are free and require no booking.
More of Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée)
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée) →
