Rambouillet

Rambouillet is one of the sub-prefectures of Yvelines, located in the south of the department and in edge of the area Ile-de-France.

Medium city surrounded by the forest of the same name, 50 km in the South-West of Paris, Rambouillet is in the center of a vast territory of 20.000 ha of forests and 500 ha of arable lands.

The castle of Rambouillet, the construction started in 1375.

Rabelais, the king's doctor and François Ier liked to stay there.
On March 31, 1547, it died there in the tower of the castle which kept since its name.

Property of the Angennes, of Joseph Fleuriau d'Armenonville, Minister of the Justice, then of the count de Toulouse, legitimated son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, then of his son the Duke of Penthièvre, it was acquired by Louis XVI who made build the dairy of the Queen in the park for Marie-Antoinette.

After the revolution, Napoleon 1er made it restored. He spent there his last night before leaving for Sainte-Hélène. Charles X, runing away from Paris after the insurrection of the "Trois Glorieuses", came with his family on July 31, 1830. Two days later, the king and his son, abdicated in favour of the Duke of Bordeaux.

The President Felix Faure made of Rambouillet the presidence summer residence in 1896. Since then Rambouillet remains one of the President of the Republic residence, specially used for International Conferences (like G6, in 1975) and honorable foreigners visitors.

The Palace of King de Rome was built from 1784 on the order of Louis XVI to be used as Government Palace, it was restored by Napoleon 1st who made it the residence of his son the King of Rome.

The Government Palace was thus renamed in 1812 “King of Rome Palace” and kept this name until the Restoration.

In 1989, the Town of Rambouillet bought the western wing of the building and the garden, in order to organize cultural events and create on April 2001 the Museum of the Goose Game (Dietsch collection).

The Palace of the King of Rome in Rambouillet has been classified as a historic monument since 1993 and has now been used for temporary and various exhibitions.

The minibus drives each Sunday and bank holidays and takes you to discover of the National Sheepfold, Espace Rambouillet, the Green Odyssey, and the Elsa Triolet-Aragon house with Saint-Arnoult in Yvelines.

Two stops of town centre : in front of the railway station and Place de la Libération (in front of the Hotel Mercure).
With a single ticket, you can make  your way all day long.
It is easy, cheap and environment friendly !

Starting at the railway station, another Baladobus takes you to the Valley of Chevreuse to visit the Chateau de Breteuil or Chateau de Dampierre.