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Starting point and access: Brimborion tram station.
- Tram - Line T2, between Porte de Versailles and Pont de Bezons.
Take Exit 2 Chemin des Lacets, at the front of the tram on the platform when travelling towards Porte de Versailles (if arriving in the opposite direction, go to the rear of the tram and cross the track carefully at the designated crossing).
No signposts
(S/E) Climb a staircase and, at the top, follow Chemin des Lacets to the left. As the name suggests, climb the winding path and, at the various turns, ignore the dead-end tracks. Pass by the foot of a large industrial-looking building with a tall chimney. When you reach Place Aristide Briand (fountain), follow Avenue du Général Galliéni to the left and cross the railway line.
Red and white + red and yellow markings
(1) At Bellevue station, cross Avenue Galliéni and continue along it (to the left) for about 25 metres. Then turn right onto Rue Paul Houette.
No markings
At the roundabout (not shown on the map), continue straight ahead on the same street, which soon turns right. At the stop sign, turn left and walk past a school. Turn right at thefirst street, Rue du Bassin, and follow it to a large roundabout. Then take thefirst left, Avenue du 11 Novembre 1918. Walk up this wide avenue, preferably on the right-hand pavement.
(2) At the junction with Rue des Coutures, take a path that branches off to the right (forest barrier).
Red and white + yellow markings
Pass another forest barrier, cross Rue Montaigne on the right-hand side and continue straight ahead on a gravel path. Cross Rue des Bruyères and take the bridge over the N118 (view of Paris and the La Défense towers on the right). At the end of the bridge, turn left onto Route des Postillons.
(3) After a pedestrian crossing, leave the road and take a path on the right, entering the woods again (plot no. 57). Go down a steep slope, ignore two paths on the right and climb steeply up the opposite side. At a crossroads (wooden steps on the left), continue straight ahead.
No markings
Cross a tarmac road and continue along the path opposite, slightly to the right, and descend.
Yellow markings
N.B. At the next junction, the purple line on the IGN map, which is supposed to represent aPR® trail, is not up to date.
(4) At the crossroads (houses), turn left onto a wide path (forest barrier). After a few dozen metres (plot no. 55), turn right onto a path that enters the undergrowth (be careful to spot this start). Climb under the chestnut trees and, a little further on, turn left onto a wider path. At the crossroads (plot no. 55), go straight ahead.
At Carrefour du Renard (plots nos. 53 and 54), take thesecond path on the right and followPR® no. 5 downhill (ignore anotherPR® that branches off to the left). At the bottom, turn right and follow the railway line below on the left.
Red and yellow + yellow markings
After about 50 metres, take the footbridge over the railway line. At the end of the footbridge, turn left onto Rue de la Porte Dauphine. Turn right onto this street, cross Rue du Lac on the left-hand side and continue straight ahead. At the bottom, cross a wide avenue at the traffic lights and follow it to the left for about 30 metres.
(5) Then turn right onto Rue des Sources. Go up this stairway, cross a perpendicular street, climb another stairway and continue along Rue des Sources. Go through a tunnel under a railway line (
n narrow passage). At the end of the tunnel, turn left onto Rue des Mortes Fontaines (named Rue de la Monesse on the IGN map). After a pedestrian crossing, turn right at an acute angle onto a path that leads into the forest.
(6) At the crossroads (not shown on the IGN map), take thefirst path on the left (west) and climb uphill.
Yellow markings
At the next crossroads (elevation 119), continue straight ahead onPR® no. 5 (leaving theGRP® on your right).
No markings
At the next junction, continue straight ahead on a wide path and ignore the vague tracks on either side.
Red and white markings
At the crossroads, turn left onto a wide path and follow theGR®2south-southwest.
Yellow markings
(7) At the next crossroads, take thesecond path on the right and follow the slight bend. At Carrefour des Relais, go straight ahead (west) and descend. Cross a small tarmac road (no vehicles allowed) and continue straight ahead. Cross two more crossroads (beautiful beech tree on the right atthe first, plot no. 111 atthe second).
No markings
(8) At the next crossroads, turn diagonally left (west-southwest) onto a path (ignore the signpost pointing straight ahead). At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead on the path.
Red and yellow markings
At the next junction, rejoin theGRP® and continue straight ahead.
No markings
(9) At the crossroads (plot no. 114), take thefirst path on the left, heading south. After a slight incline, climb a steep slope. Cross a small tarmac road between plots nos. 123 and 117 and continue straight ahead. At the crossroads immediately ahead, continue straight ahead and descend. At the next junction (plots nos. 117 and 122), turn right. Ignore a turning on the left (plots nos. 121 and 122).
(10) At the crossroads (plot no. 121), turn left and, at the fork that immediately appears, take the path on the right (south-west). After winding through the undergrowth, cross a large crossroads (tall oak tree in the centre) and continue straight ahead on the path that starts between a tree marked no. 120 on the left and a bench on the right. Wind your way through the undergrowth again, ignoring a path on the right and then a path on the left (not shown on the map), pass at the foot of a large oak tree and exit the woods.
Then follow the street to the right. At the fork, turn left onto Rue Joseph Bertrand and enter Versailles. At the roundabout, takethe first left onto Rue Saint-Symphorien. Continue straight ahead, ignoring two streets on the left. Take the bridge on the left over the railway line and then turn right. Cross Rue Alexis Foucault on the right-hand side. At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard de la République and follow Rue Champ Lagarde opposite.
(11) At the roundabout, turn right, still on Rue Champ Lagarde. Continue straight ahead on this street, ignoring the dead ends on either side, and cross Rue Saint-Charles and then Rue Pasteur. Continue on Rue Champ Lagarde, which soon turns left and ends at Avenue de Paris.
Follow this very wide avenue on the right, using the pedestrian lane. Continue straight ahead, passing the Yvelines Prefecture on your right and noting the Town Hall on your left. At the end, cross at the traffic lights and walk past the equestrian statue of Louis XIV. Walk up Place d'Armes to the castle's main gate.
N.B. Beyond this gate, the Cour d'Honneur and the château gardens are freely accessible, but you must pass through a security check. See the practical information section for further details.
(12) With your back to the gate and the château, take the paved path diagonally to the right that crosses a car park. At the end, cross at the pedestrian crossing on the left. Go straight ahead onto Avenue de Sceaux. Atthe first crossroads, turn left, cross the bus station and cross Avenue du Général de Gaulle at the traffic lights. You will arrive at Versailles-Château-Rive Gauche station (E).
To return home:
- RER - Line C, towards Paris.
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