Abbey & Museum · Ermenonville Forest · 40km North of Paris
Domaine de Chaalis & the Paris Museum Pass
Cistercian abbey ruins from 1136, a 13th-century chapel with Renaissance frescoes, and 6,000 works of art collected by the great 19th-century patron Nélie Jacquemart-André — in the Ermenonville forest.
Individual ticket
€9
With Museum Pass
Included
Timed slot
Not required
Open
Daily
Hours
10am–5:30pm (winter) · 10am–6pm (summer) · Museum: from 11am
Last updated: February 2026 · Prices and details verified
Is the Domaine de Chaalis — Abbaye Royale et Musée Jacquemart-André included in the Paris Museum Pass?
Yes — the Paris Museum Pass covers full entry to the Domaine de Chaalis including the abbey ruins, the chapel with Renaissance frescoes, and the Musée Jacquemart-André, saving you €9 per person. No reservation required. Chaalis requires a car or organised transfer — it is not practically accessible by public transport.
Domaine de Chaalis — Abbaye Royale et Musée Jacquemart-André — Fast Facts
Address
Domaine de Chaalis, 60300 Fontaine-Chaalis
Nearest Metro
By car: A1 motorway northbound, exit 7 direction Saint-Witz and Ermenonville — 40 min from Paris (By car recommended)
The Domaine de Chaalis is one of the most atmospheric and least-known pass-covered sites in the Île-de-France region. Founded in 1136 as a Cistercian abbey by King Louis VI, it became one of the wealthiest religious houses in France before its destruction during the Revolution. What survived — elegant Gothic ruins, a 13th-century chapel with extraordinary Renaissance frescoes, and a large 18th-century convent building — was acquired in 1902 by Nélie Jacquemart-André, widow of the Paris banker Édouard André. She filled the château with her extraordinary art collection: 6,000 works spanning Ancient Egypt to the 20th century, including paintings by Giotto, Boucher, Philippe de Champaigne, and Houdon. She bequeathed everything to the Institut de France in 1912.
No reservation required. No reservation required. The park and abbey ruins are open from 10am. The Musée Jacquemart-André (in the château building) opens at 11am. Check chaalis.fr before your visit as the museum has reduced winter hours. The site is best reached by car — from Paris take the A1 motorway northbound, exit 7 towards Saint-Witz and Ermenonville.
Note: The annual Journées de la Rose (Rose Days) take place on the second weekend of June — a major horticultural event attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the 3,500m² rose garden, classified as a ‘Remarkable Garden’. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who spent his final weeks at the nearby Château d’Ermenonville, was deeply attached to Chaalis; a dedicated Rousseau gallery holds 400 objects, 500 manuscripts, and 600 books associated with the philosopher. The Mer de Sable desert-themed adventure park is directly opposite the Chaalis entrance.
Collection Highlights
Nine centuries of history in a single estate — from Cistercian monks to one of France’s greatest 19th-century art collections.
Highlight 1
The Chapelle Sainte-Marie
a 13th-century chapel (1255) with an extraordinary cycle of Renaissance frescoes by the court painter Nicolo dell’Abbate, depicting Old Testament scenes in vivid colour and surprisingly well-preserved after 500 years
Highlight 2
The Musée Jacquemart-André
6,000 works of art in the 18th-century château building: Giotto’s Presentation at the Temple, sculptures by Houdon and Rodin, Boucher paintings, Egyptian antiquities, Oriental weaponry, and Renaissance enamels — an eclectic masterpiece of 19th-century collecting
Highlight 3
The Cistercian abbey ruins and rose garden
the romantic Gothic ruins of the 13th-century abbey church, surrounding a 3,500m² rose garden classified as a ‘Remarkable Garden’ and at its peak in mid-June
Visitor tip: Come in mid-June for the Journées de la Rose — the rose garden is at its spectacular peak and the event includes perfume workshops, plant sales, and concerts. If you visit off-season, the combination of Gothic ruins, Renaissance frescoes, and the eclectic art collection makes for a deeply satisfying half-day. A car is essential — Chaalis is not accessible by public transport.
Getting There
A car is strongly recommended. By car: A1 motorway northbound from Paris (Porte de la Chapelle), exit 7 towards Saint-Witz and Ermenonville — approximately 40 minutes. From the exit, follow signs for Ermenonville (D126). The Domaine de Chaalis is signposted from the village. No practical public transport connection from Paris.
Ready to Visit Domaine de Chaalis — Abbaye Royale et Musée Jacquemart-André?
€9 entry included with the Museum Pass. Plus 50+ more venues across Paris.
Chaalis is in the Ermenonville forest and has no practical public transport connection from Paris. The nearest train station is Survilliers-Fosses (RER D), from which there is no direct bus to the abbey. A car is strongly recommended. From Paris, the A1 motorway northbound to exit 7 (Saint-Witz/Ermenonville) takes approximately 40 minutes. Organised day trip coaches from Paris sometimes include Chaalis — check tour operators for current offerings.
Nélie Jacquemart (1841–1912) was a celebrated portraitist who painted the royal houses of Europe and married the wealthy Paris banker Édouard André in 1881. Together they assembled one of the finest private art collections in France, housed in their Paris mansion (now the Musée Jacquemart-André on Boulevard Haussmann). After her husband’s death, Nélie acquired Chaalis in 1902 and spent her remaining decade filling the château with a second vast collection. On her death, she bequeathed both properties to the Institut de France. Her Chaalis collection contains 6,000 objects spanning Giotto to Rodin — extraordinary in its range and quality.
The Chapelle Sainte-Marie (1255) contains one of the finest surviving cycles of Renaissance frescoes in France, painted by Nicolo dell’Abbate — an Italian court painter who worked for Henri II. The frescoes depict scenes from the Old Testament in vivid, humanist style and are extraordinarily well-preserved for works of the 16th century. The chapel itself is a delicate example of 13th-century Gothic architecture and rarely crowded, making it possible to examine the frescoes in detail and at leisure.
