Chateau de Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas' House, Le Port-Marly

By coincidence was rereading count de monte Cristo so was a nice surprise to find this place From Paris we took the RER and than bus 10 (2 Euro each), once you reach what look like the entrance in the map you will need to keep walking up the street then first turn left and again left and in few minutes you will get to ticket/gift shop to enter the place. While most details are in French there is also some in English so best to come with someone that can read French as there are interesting fact and anecdotes.

Interesting place 1h far from Paris by train and bus (RER A from CDG Etoile and bus 10 or Exp1). In a small garden (not super curated) you can visit this tiny and nice castle built by Alexander Dumas almost 200 years ago, composed by 3 floors: if you are passionate of theater and letterature it’s rich of informations! Inside the castle you will fall in love with the Moresque living-room. In front of it there is a small house very picturesque. Everything is enriched by small creeks. There are not a lot of signs to get there, you need to pass after an hospital to arrive to the parking and entrance. Consider 2h to visit everything (on Sunday with guides telling you the story of the caste) and enjoy the garden, no more. PHOTO TIPS: bring a wide angle lens (17-70) with a bit of zoom to focus on some details. The sky brightness vs the shadow below the trees will be challenging, better to underexpose a bit to save the sky (especially if it’s blue or with clouds). If you want to see more pictures or ask question visit my Instagram page: @francesco_bonamassa

Its beatiful! So rich in history and wonder! The gardens look like they belong at a palace! So many little ponds and mini waterfalls, the grass is green and good for little kids. The house of Dumas is very pretty, it looks like a tea cup or something of the sorts from a fairytale!

The garden and house, the living place of the famous Alexander Duma, writer of great books like "Three Mosketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" in 19th century. You can visit his house containing his books convering his life history.

Omg the “château” is so tiny ! And it’s not at all well furnished inside, seems almost empty. It’s the outside that is the most interesting thing to see, amazing architectural work by the way. But I wouldn’t even go as far as saying it’s an Hotel Particulier, the size just doesn’t match. Seems like the original owner just liked the sound of “château” for his house, and probably didn’t spend as much on interior design as he did on the outside… which goes to show on the character I guess. The park is cute, and you should definitely take the time to walk it… Speaking or walk, the way to get there is so annoying. They closed the main entrance, so you have to walk all around the property and go from the back… and then when you want to leave, same circus. Even though the main entrance that gives to the sidewalk is right there ! For pedestrians it’s just so not practical. You don’t need to take the guided tour, best to look around by yourself. The guide talks a lot and there’s so many people following her, that you can’t really look around or move freely because of that : it’s just too small for it. Everything important is already written on the walls.