Ooh la la! Ile-de-France is the richest region in the country – as you’d think, considering it contains both capital city Paris and the Palace of Versailles, built by Louis XIV in a valiant effort to almost bankrupt France. (We think Louis Fourteen is the French equivalent of our Henry Eight.)
Have a duke too at the Château de Vincennes east of Paris: one of many castles in the region based on royal hunting lodges for regents taking breaks from the city; at Fontainebleau, where Napoléon renounced his throne, and at the thousands of other things to see and do in Ile-de-France, like the famous flea market of Saint-Ouen and the Vexin Français Regional Nature Park which inspired Cézanne and Van Gogh (bring paints).
But as you’ll know if you have personnes petite in the family, camping in Ile-de-France is a base for Disneyland Paris, the most visited attraction in Europe (if you’d like to Mickey Mouse about at more, our guide to French theme parks is here). Book an Ile-de-France campsite to be close to the big-eared rodent and his team; inspiration on what to do after your several days there are in all our campsite listings and include features like local cycle routes and nearby bathing waters.
