The chateau of Maintenon dates from the Middle Ages and was enlarged and refurbished in the 16th century by

Louis XII's finance minister. The estate was purchased in 1674 by Françoise d'Aubigné (with a little help from the new man in her life, Louis XIV).  Previously the nanny to his illegitimate children with Madame de Montespan),

the king gave her the title of Marquise de Maintenon after the name of her estate. She soon had so much influence

on the king that, after Queen Maria-Theresa died, Louis XIV secretly married her and she ruled over his heart and habits for the last 32 years of his life!  Even though she lived only a few years at Maintenon (Versailles was "a tad" more comfortable and prestigious), she made some interesting improvements and the king visited her there a few times (he even lent her Le Nôtre, his garden designer). Since Madame de Maintenon had no children (she was 48 when she said "yes" to the king, (he was just 45)), she gave the property in 1698 to her niece to use as her dowry. The chateau then stayed in the same family until 1983 when the last heirs gave the estate to the region.

This gem of a chateau (pictures of it here) is sadly not well known, even to the French. The reason is that it's

a little out of the way for lazy Parisians (and bus tours) as it's 52 miles southwest of Paris. 52 miles is not that far

away but we need 2 hours from the center of Paris to get there so it's impossible to make it a half-day tour.

That's why I combine it with another worthwhile place to visit to make it a full-day excursion.

And what better, unique, completely different place than the Chartres cathedral which is only a half hour drive away?

This tour will also appeal to some of you who might think that one whole day just to discover a cathedral

might be too much and who'd rather combine it with something different.

Transportation and entry ticket included

Duration: 9 to 10 hours (9 am to 6/7 pm)

€1600 for 1 - 3 people by car

€2050 for 4 - 6 people by van