Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Louis XIV was born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5, 1638. It was there that he spent his childhood, held his first festivities, and kept the court until 1682—before moving to Versailles, which he is said to have chosen in part because the bell towers of Paris, visible from Saint-Germain, reminded him of his father’s death. Louis XIII was also born there, as was Henry II. The list of royal births at this palace serves as a measure of the significance this place held in the geography of monarchical power for two centuries.

The current castle, rebuilt under Francis I in the 16th century on the foundations of a 12th-century fortress, has housed the National Archaeology Museum since 1867. Founded on the initiative of Napoleon III to bring together France’s prehistoric and Gallic heritage, it holds one of the world’s most significant collections of prehistoric art: the Lady of Brassempouy (a 25,000-year-old ivory sculpture depicting the earliest known human face), and thousands of artifacts ranging from the Stone Age to the Merovingian period. Please note that in 2026, renovation work on the museum’s exhibition layout will keep the Paleolithic, Roman Gaul, and Early Middle Ages galleries closed. Only the collections from the Neolithic period through the Roman Gaul era will be accessible.

Le Nôtre’s terrace, 1,945 meters long, runs along the edge of the forest and overlooks the bend in the Seine, offering views of Paris on clear days. The Gothic Saint-Louis Chapel, built into the château, is one of the few remaining structures from the 13th century.

The museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, and December 25). Free admission to permanent collections. Temporary exhibitions: €8 for adults. Free on the first Sunday of the month. Access from Paris via RER A to the Saint-Germain-en-Laye station (about 20 minutes from Châtelet). Official website: musee-archeologienationale.fr