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The Bois (Park) Is a Place for Children
hquittner Says: Not only is there the chateau to visit but there is the Parc Floral de Paris, a modest sized Zoo and play activities and cycling (and places to eat or drink) enough to make any child happy. That is why we visited and it was a smart choice. This was long ago (1992) and...
Wander Through the Parc Floral
hquittner Says: The flower gardens are one of the development features of the Bois. It has been much expanded since we were there but the features remains the same lots of growing flower arrangements, a small lake with water lilies and lotus, fountains and at the edge an extensive...
Tour the Living Quarters of the Keep-Castle
hquittner Says: The ancient castle (keep) is at the center of the most fortified area and has three very similar levels that consist of a central chamber and corner small rooms. There is a central pillar that sustains the Gothic vaulting which anchors at console high on the walls,...
See the Defensive Elements of the Castle (Keep)
hquittner Says: The castle is a defensive structure, heavily built with a moat and an angled base to prevent sapping.It is superior height promoting visibility. It is surrounded by a thick and tall outer wall that has covered walkways and corner turrets. Today the entry is by a walkway and...
Examine the 17C Pavillons and Porticos
hquittner Says: The pavillons and porticos occupying the southern section of the larger enclosure were designed and built by LeVau. Marie de Medici ordered the first one in 1610 (East; the King's) and some years later had it doubled by replicating its form in line. (She hated the Paris'...
The Chapel Has Fine Stained Glass Windows
hquittner Says: There are original mid 16 C stained glass windows preserved in the apse. They depict scenes from the Apocalypse but I am not qualified to read them. I can see trumpeting angels, Prophets, Sufferers etc and a dedicatory King kneeling (in the first pane). You may see more. We...
See the Outside and Inside of the Chapelle Royale
hquittner Says: The Chapel was started in 1379 by Charles V and grew bit by bit until Henri II had it finished by Philippe de l'Orme (1552). It is patterned on Ste.-Chapelle and was awarded a thorn of the crown to improve its sanctity. The style is Flamboyant Gothic with many fine...
Proceed to the Medieval Chateau
hquittner Says: One enters the chateau complex from the North through the Tour du Village which exhibits the slots from an old drawbridge. This takes you inside the lower outer walls that were added later. Almost at the middle of the area, on the right (West) is the well-built original...
cochinjew Says: in keeping with its past as an intellectual hang out, there are good art galleries and one of the best is Fremaux..picasso miro among others, but what was most surprising was the affordability of these original and prints.
Helpfulness
You can either take the Metro Line 1 la defense-vincennes or take RER A which brings you here within about twenty minutes from the centre of Paris
Written Jun 29, 2007
Helpfulness
Our grandson was only a novice cyclist and we had not ridden for over 2 decades so this four wheeled vehicle best served our purpose in the Bois. (The three of us pedaled when we were not taking pictures). Even some of the park police used bicycles. When we were leaving the Bois we encountered at the parking these entrepreneurs working from a van. The rates on the bikes they were renting were dependent upon the style and quality, just like auto rentals. According to the Bois website, there are several places in the park for rentals and over 15 km of paths (pistes). There is also a place to rent saddle horses and paths.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Favorite thing: The Hippodrome is in the Southeast part of the Bois. It is devoted to trotting races (standardbreds). The two other race courses in Paris are at the Bois de Boulogne (Longchamp for flatracing and Auteuil for steeplechase --thoroughbreds). It is best to lookup the seasons in contemporary reports as the seasons are very limited. We have never gone to any of thses, but I found these pictures, taken by my father on one of many travels; these in 1963. There was no RER at that time and they took a bus). The RER stop today is Joinville-le-Pont(A2, Zone 3).
Written Apr 3, 2008
Site of a Great Medieval Castle in a Woods (Park).
The suburb Commune (banlieu) of Vincennes is barely out of Paris to the SE, just beyond the Peripherique. It is a dense bedroom community hugging the Bois of the same name which it ceded to Paris in...
Cultural Past and Intellectual Nostalgia
The ambience was certainly different eventhough a fast rail journey brings you here within half an hour from the centre of Paris. there is an intellectual air to the place, rightfully so since it was...
Build your own Bois de Vincennes page
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