A large protected estate
A witness to the art of gardens for three centuries
The National Estate of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is located 20 minutes from Paris and offers 40 hectares of preserved spaces bordering a gigantic forest of 3500 hectares.
Adjacent to the former royal forest, the National Estate of Saint-Germain-en-Laye offers a journey through the history of gardens. Moreover, this exceptional heritage area is managed in an ecological manner.
The Domaine National is inseparable from the château, which has become the National Archaeology Museum, and is classified as a "remarkable garden". This popular walking area allows visitors to admire the French gardens designed by André Le Nôtre for Louis XIV or to stroll in the English garden created in the 19th century and home to several rare trees. The jewel in the crown is André Le Nôtre's Great Terrace, which offers a superb panorama of western Paris.
The park is classified as a historical monument since 1964.
The public is welcome all year round and the numerous events that take place there tend to make them aware of this heritage and natural legacy.
The domain seen from the sky by Jérémie Lippmann
Discover the history of gardens
The gardens of André Le Nôtre
In the early 1660s, the gardens of the royal residence of Saint-Germain-en-laye were in poor condition due to lack of maintenance. Louis XIV asked André Le Nôtre to restore them to their former glory. As always, the king's gardener worked wonders.
The English garden
The arrival of the railroad in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the 1840s, was at the origin of the creation of the English garden. This romantic haven heralded the emergence of urban gardens in the 19th century.
The Great Terrace
The Great Terrace designed by André Le Nôtre in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, for Louis XIV, is one of his most beautiful creations. Today, it still offers a superb view of the Seine valley and the west of Paris.
The garden today
Adjacent to the former royal forest, the national estate of Saint-Germain-en-Laye offers a journey through the history of gardens. Moreover, this exceptional heritage area is managed in an ecological manner.
Biodiversity in the national domain
The gardeners want to offer walkers a haven of peace that respects our heritage by adopting an ecological approach.
ecological approach.
For example, when pruning the estate's trees, one of the oaks was transformed into a nesting box for wildlife. Instead of
we decided to give it a second life.
To find out more
Stroll the avenues of the English garden
Follow the ArchéoMAN application trail "Discovering the bark in the landscape garden of the Domaine national de Saint-Germain-en-Laye".
Saint-Germain-en-Laye".
Download the tour
- Opening hours of the Grand Bassin water jets
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Entre 10 h et 15 h
Chaque heure pendant 10 minutesMode "basique"
En semaine
Fonctionnement en alternance de l’une des deux couronnes des petits jets d’eau
Mode "Grandes eaux"
Le week-end
Fonctionnement total y compris le jet d’eau central
Au titre de la sobriété, en fonction des annonces faites relatives aux plans qui ont pour objet des économies d’eau, aucun jet d’eau n'est mis en fonction.
- Visiting tips
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The Domaine National is a State-owned estate reserved for public use, recreation and enjoyment.
- Bicycles are allowed at reduced speed, without disturbing the pedestrian public, for access to the large terrace, where traffic flows along the central aisle.
- Dogs kept on a leash are tolerated. Owners must ensure that no damage is done to the grounds, and must pick up after their pets.
- Access to the lawns is regulated.
- Picnics on tablecloths are tolerated (without additional equipment) on the lawns of the parterres au gazon, the pré-creux and the demi-lune, with due respect for the public and the environment: numerous garbage cans are available to the public. The Domaine National may forbid picnics to anyone who does not respect these conditions, or for service reasons.
- The organization of events is subject to authorization by the estate's management. For all inquiries, please contact Fabien Durand, Head of Communications.
Estate supervisors may, if they deem it necessary, remind you of these instructions and, in the event of non-compliance, ask you to leave the park.
The "remarkable garden" label testifies to the quality of certain gardens and the efforts made to present them to the public. It can be awarded to gardens that are protected as historic monuments or not.
Further information
