La Verrière The Originals City

How about taking a tour of France? Not on a bike, but on foot, for a few hours' stroll in the largest miniature park in Europe. Spread over a vast 5-hectare map of France, this park will amaze you with its faithful reproduction of the monuments and landscapes of the Hexagon.

Symbol of the absolute power of the Sun King, the Palace of Versailles continues to dazzle its visitors. Besides the magnificence of the palace, one must especially get lost in its gardens and groves, admire the pink and green marbles of the Grand Trianon, and imagine oneself as Marie-Antoinette, dreaming of being a shepherdess in the timeless setting of her Petit Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet. If I were to be told about Versailles, once, twice, a hundred times... It's a visit that never gets old (and it's only a 20-minute bus ride from the hotel).

Forget the urban jungle for the one offered by the more natural Zoo Safari of Thoiry. In your car (or in a safari truck), you will observe bears, giraffes, rhinoceroses, zebras, ostriches... up close. The 90-hectare park brings together more than 750 animals! In addition to the safari, you can explore the Land of Gorillas, the Ark of Small Creatures, the Farm of the World, the Australian Territory, the LemurTrek, and even the Glass Tunnel, the favorite observation post for the big cats, where one really wonders who is watching whom.

Princely, royal, and republican (did you know that more than half of the French Presidents have stayed here?), the Château de Rambouillet is a discreet gem that deserves a visit. Built during the Middle Ages, the building still retains a somewhat defensive aspect, softened by numerous modifications made over the centuries, including the latest ones by Napoleon I. Not to be missed: the park with its many exotic species brought back in the 18th century, the royal sheepfold (now National) with its Merino sheep, and let's not forget Marie-Antoinette's dairy, a gift from Louis XVI to his royal shepherdess.