Experience the Chevreuse Valley road cycling event!

There are only good reasons to get on a bike. Whether it’s for your daily commute, a regular workout or a Sunday ride in the countryside… And if you want to follow in the footsteps of cycling legends, that’s even better! So here are the various communes in the Yvelines that the professional cyclists will pass through on the occasion of the 2024 Olympic Games, with the tourist points of interest  for each, to discover along the way. Combining sport and culture!

What to see in Buc

Buc Aqueduct: 45m high and 580m long, this aqueduct, built between 1682 and 1686, brought runoff water from the ponds on the Saclay plateau to Versailles. With its nineteen arches, it spans the Bièvre valley and remains the valley’s most remarkable monument.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste church: built on foundations dating back to the 13th century. It houses Adélaïde, a bell cast in 1775, and an 18th-century statue of the Virgin and Child, both of which are listed as Historic Monuments.

Guyancourt, land of the Olympic Games

Le Golf National at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines: Comprising its legendary courses, the 18-hole Albatros (Albatross), the Aigle (Eagle) and the short nine-hole Oiselet (Birdie), it will host the golf events of the 2024 Olympic Games.

Committed to sustainable commercial management of its site, Le Golf National has held GEO certification since hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup.

Tourist stop at Voisins-le-Bretonneux

Les Templettes: built in 1984 and designed by Ricardo Bofill, Les Templettes represents for the architect “the Versailles of the People”, a neighbourhood of around 100 social housing units distinguished by the originality of its arched architectural forms.

The shape of the building also creates visual effects with water: reflections of the building in the water, reflections of the water on the windows. 

Something unusual at Mesnil-Saint-Denis

Le Skit du Saint Esprit: An unexpected discovery awaits you in the heart of the Bois du Fay in Mesnil-Saint-Denis! The Holy Spirit skit is an Orthodox monastery built by Russian monks in 1938. A magnificent site built in the pure Byzantine tradition in the heart of the Yvelines! Visit by appointment.

Discover Levis-Saint-Nom

Notre-Dame de la Roche Abbey: according to popular tradition, Notre-Dame de la Roche Abbey was built in the late 12th century to house a statue of the Virgin Mary miraculously unearthed by a bull. In fact, it was Guy de Lévis, following a victory over the Albigensians, who had the buildings constructed in the 13th century.

A must-see in Les Essarts-le-Roi

Jardin de la Grenouillère: The history of the Grenouillère garden dates back to 1988. At the time, the 2,500 m² garden was nothing more than a marshy field with the Yvette River running through it. The owners then undertook drainage work. Françoise Lacaze then called in a neighbouring landscape gardener: Sonja Gauron.

Today, the garden is organised around ponds at the source of the Yvette River. With an emphasis on water, it brings together heathland plants and aquaphilous plants.

Auffargis favourites

Jardin des Aubépines: in the heart of the Upper Chevreuse Valley, the Jardin des Aubépines is an English-style garden. Covering 3,000 m², it features collections of rare trees and a wide variety of interesting shrubs in autumn bloom and colour.

The village: as you stroll through the heart of the village, you’ll see a 17th-century house with a vaulted cellar, the Saint-André church, the oak Saint-Benoît cross, erected on a Gallo-Roman base, and the cast-iron fire hydrant in Place de la Mairie. It was donated to the commune by the famous Rothschild family. 

Visit Cernay-la-Ville

Petit moulin des Vaux de Cernay: in the heart of the Chevreuse Valley lies the emblematic Vaux de Cernay site, an example of natural and landscape preservation. Surrounded by mills of great historical interest, cascades and ponds, the Vaux de Cernay site, a listed historic monument, is of extremely high heritage interest. 

Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay: set in a valley, bordered by 1,000 hectares of woodland legendary for royal hunting, the 12th-century Cistercian abbey rises up from the valley, an extraordinary architectural ensemble, a stone canticle with Gregorian resonance, the power and mystery of a monastery.

Exploration in Dampierre

Domaine de Dampierre-en-Yvelines: The Domaine de Dampierre reveals the beauty of its park and gardens, attributed to landscape architect Le Nôtre. A natural, historical and cultural site. Relax with a stroll through a romantic park where water plays a key role: grand canal, water features, ponds, canals…around the château built by the architect of the Château de Versailles, Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

New this year, the Domaine offers guided tours of the château’s interior, visit!

Cultural stopover in Choisel

Château de Breteuil: this château, which has seen illustrious ancestors pass through its doors – three royal ministers, several ambassadors, a woman of science – is now richly decorated with high-quality 18th-century furniture. Within its walls, fifty wax figures created by the Musée Grévin await you to relive the de Breteuil family’s past. 

As you stroll through the remarkable gardens, you’ll be accompanied by other heroes, those from Perrault’s fairy tales. And since 2020, an escape game has taken up residence in this grand monument.

Chevreuse, pearl of the eponymous valley

Château de la Madeleine: proudly overlooking the Chevreuse Valley, the Château de la Madeleine is a fortified castle built between the 11th and 14th centuries. The building dominates the Yvette valley with its majestic stature, comprising a rectangular keep and ramparts with towers. Here, archaeology, history and the environment come together in perfect harmony.

Château de la Madeleine was added to the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1948. 

Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse, artists’ village

Raymond Devos Museum: in keeping with the humorist’s wishes, the house where he lived for over 40 years in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse is now open for visitors to discover the world of Raymond Devos. The museum spans the 3 floors of the house and allows visitors to (re)discover the comedian through numerous personal effects, his 17 musical instruments that he knew how to play and used on stage, his notes, and also to rediscover emblematic sketches!

Magny-les-Hameaux, the cradle of Jansenism

Domaine de Port-Royal des Champs: in the mid-17th century, Magny-les-Hameaux was a centre of Jansenism, with the presence of the Port-Royal des Champs monastery until 1709, when it was closed by order of Louis XIV. In the Musée National de Port Royal des Champs, you can admire a rich collection of engravings, old books, portraits and other works that bear witness to the history and drama of conscience that took place here centuries ago.

Châteaufort, a haven of peace

Domaine d’Ors: in the 17th century, the Château d’Ors stood in the middle of a vast 850-hectare estate and was Châteaufort’s main fiefdom. Now a nature reserve, it is the starting point for numerous nature walks, during which you can still see the outbuildings of the old castle and the mill.

Unusual at Toussus-le-Noble

Hangar Farman: this suspended, balanced metal hangar measuring 120 x 40 metres was built by architect Marcel Blot around 1920 to build commercial aircraft.