The Château de Chantilly has lots of activities for children.
Telephone for information: +33.3.44.27.31.80
Reservations are required before visiting the Château.

Download our information document designed for teachers

For advance registration, click here.

Map of the Château
Map of the grounds

A princely day
Exploration tours
Secondary school juniors
For younger children
Workshops
Older secondary school children
Museum workshops
Whole day events
Resources for teachers
Explore the grounds
The boats
The little train
Rates
Catering

To start your visit, explore the Chantilly estate by using the giant model (5 x 2.7 metres) in the Jeu de Paume room (lien vers page Jeu de Paume).

Give your children a princely day: passes

Discover all the treasures of the Chantilly domain
The “Domaine de Chantilly” pass
Visit the château, the grounds and the Living Museum of the Horse (Musée Vivant du Cheval®).

Discover the cultural and natural treasures of the chateau and the grounds
Visit the castle, the grounds and take a ride in the little train or the boat

To find out the price of these trips click here


“Standard” visit

Unguided tour of the Painting Galleries, the chapel and the Cabinet des Livres guided tour with a museum guide to the grand apartments.
Time: 1½ hours
Rate: visit without a supplement

The private apartments of the Duke of Aumale>
Guided tour. Ask at the Château’s reception desk to find out the days and times of the tour.
Allow about 30 minutes for the tour.
Additional tickets required.
Nursery school, Primary school and playschool: €3
Secondary schools: €3

Exploration tours

Each young visitor receives an exercise book to be filled in during the tour, with the help of a supervisor. The supervisor bases his/her talk on the exhibits in the museum and presents items taken from his/her teaching kit.

All levels

Painted landscapes The visit consists of observation of the perspective and techniques for creating an impression of depth in the paintings in the Condé Museum.
Costumes in the collections (with teaching aids) We look at the way in which fashion and tastes change by studying the costumes in the Condé Museum collections.
The horse in the collections Exploring the world of horses and riding, the horse being the emblem of the town of Chantilly, through studying the paintings in the collections.
Flowers and fruit in the collections (with teaching aids). Discovering the flowers and fruit hidden in the items in the collection. Deciphering their meanings and symbolism.
Grounds of the Château de Chantilly Looking from the grounds at the various Châteaux built from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. A walk in the grounds makes it easier to understand the organisation and styles of the various gardens.

Secondary school juniors

The Duke of Aumale and the nineteenth century The Duke of Aumale initiated the reconstruction of the Château de Chantilly and the Condé Museum. The itinerary, looking at the work he did during his lifetime, explores his character and the time in which he lived.
A trip to the Orient The items in the so-called “Oriental” collections take us to the distant lands which fascinated travellers and painters in the nineteenth century.
Italian paintings This tour presents the Italian masterpieces in the collections. The stylistic revolutions of the Renaissance and the history of the period are covered.
The French Renaissance The origins of the period, humanism, religious conflicts and historical figures will be studied through the items in the collection.
The Middle Ages A tour of the items in the collection looking for details that inform us and enlighten us about this period in history.
The portrait Looking at poses, proportions and the specific nature of this type of painting.

For younger children

(Nursery school and primary school) Animals in the collections (with teaching aids)
Following a route and observation to find wild or domesticated animals and pets in the paintings in the museum’s collections.
(Primary school and junior school)
The life of Jesus in the collections of paintings Mainly through the Italian paintings in the Condé Museum, we can follow the life of Jesus and the main events of His life.

Workshops

For all levels

Museum workshops:
Decorating china (1/2 day)
Inspired by the subject-matter and styles of Chantilly porcelain, the participants will trace their own decoration on a medium supplied to them. The china is then fired in a kiln, and the children can take home with what they have made.
Decoration on wood, La Grande Singerie (the Monkey-house) (whole day)
After a visit to the Grande Singerie, where they learn about its history and the techniques used to create it, the participants will be invited to paint a design on prepared wood, reproducing a model of a monkey inspired by the Grande Singerie


Junior school and younger secondary school children>
Workshops in the grounds:

An introduction to digital photography (Whole day)
The workshop begins with a presentation about the rules of photographic composition. The participants then go to the park and take photographs using digital cameras loaned to them. They then work on the shots taken and look at reproductions of photographs in the Duke of Aumale’s collection.

An introduction to looking at the landscape (Whole day or 1/2 day)
During an exploration walk, the participants identify the various gardens in the grounds and make sketches of them. The set of gardens is then studied in a workshop with the help of a teaching model of the park. The workshop ends by creating an imaginary garden.

Older secondary school children

Workshops in the library:
Introduction to calligraphy (1/2 day)
After a presentation about the history of the manuscript book, the participants are given prepared sheets on which they have to write in Gothic script using a quill pen and Indian ink.
Introduction to illumination (1/2 day)
After a presentation about the history of the manuscript book, the participants choose a detail from the illuminations in the Condé Museum, such as an illustration from the Très Riches heures du duc de Berry and copy it onto parchment paper using colours they make themselves.

Museum workshops:
Painting on glass, Galerie de Psyché (whole day)
The adventures of Cupid and Psyché are told in stained glass in the windows of the Château. The participants then make their own stained glass in the workshop, painting a motif taken from the cycle. After the glass is fired, the pupils can take home what they have made.
Drawing from masterpieces (whole day only)
The workshop begins with a presentation about the main rules of classical drawing. The participants then visit the collections of paintings with the materials supplied and choose a portrait from which to make a sketch.

Whole day events

Grounds and landscapes

A workshop: Landscape (three possible choices) A sketching walk / or / Understanding the grounds with the use of a teaching model/ or / Drawing the statues in the grounds

A discovery tour: The Château grounds


Middle Ages and antiquarian books

A workshop: Manuscript (two possible choices) Introduction to calligraphy / or / Introduction to illumination
A discovery tour: The Middle Ages in paintings


Sketches and portraits

A workshop: Drawings copying the Old Masters
A discovery tour: The portrait in painting


Flowers and fruit

A workshop: Botanical drawing in the grounds
A discovery tour: Flowers and fruit

Whole day rates
Nursery schools: €137.65
Primary and secondary schools: €160.5

Resources for teachers

Download all the teaching materials that teachers will need from the website of the Centre Régional de Documentation Pédagogique

CD-ROM of the Condé Museum
This CD-ROM makes it possible to prepare a trip to the Château de Chantilly-Condé Museum. It presents an overview of the museum, a selection of its exhibits and datasheets for your pupils. It would be the perfect tool to review the visit in the classroom, look at some of the paintings again and study their details.
Unit cost: €5
To be obtained from the education department
Tel: +33.3.44.58.24.30
Fax: +33.3.44.57.62.01
Email serveduc.chantilly@ac-am

Itinerary for exploring the collections
These are designed for teachers and pupils to be able to tour the estate alone with the help of the documents for downloading here:
The French Renaissance:
- introduction to the itineraries
- architecture datasheets
- painting datasheets

Travelling exhibitions for schools:
The Renaissance in the collections of fine art in the Condé Museum. Exhibition that can be borrowed for free for your CDI. (12 panels measuring 80 X 120 cm). You will be responsible for paying the carriage. Information and reservations at +33.3.44.58.24.30 or by emailing serveduc.chantilly@ac-amiens.fr
Downloadable teaching material for the exhibitions in pdf format:
- Teaching booklet
- Itinerary n° 1
- Itinerary n° 2
- Itinerary n° 3
- Datasheets for reading

Explore the grounds in a unique way!

The grain maze (New for 2007!!) (Opening in May – June, 2007)

While awaiting restoration of the original mazes, a maze of grains and flowers will be created in the Prairie de Candie in the Hameau. This maze will consist of two parts inspired by the designs of the historic mazes in the grounds, one of them with plants a metre (about 40 inches) high for young children, the other about 1.50 metres (3 feet) high for older people. In the centre there will be a cairn of flat stones that can be dismantled and used by children to build and demolish their own “château”.

The boats

The boats with their electric engines are modelled on the pirogues that sailed on the Grand Canal designed by Le Nôtre in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They sail silently amid the wild aquatic fauna and enable you to get a magnificent and different view of the park.
Time: about 20 minutes.
An additional ticket is required.
Children 4 – 17 years: €3
Adults 18 years and over: €5
Boat trips are held between 31 March and 5 November
Reservations required.

Timetable:
Weekdays
From the Château to the Hameau: 10.45 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 1.30 p.m., 2.30 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 4.30 p.m., 5.30 p.m.
From the Hameau to the Château: 1.00 p.m., 2.00 p.m., 3.00 p.m., 4.00 p.m., 5.00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and 9 April, 1 May, 8 May, 17 May, 28 May, 15 August and 1 November
From the Château to the Hameau: 11.00 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 12 noon, 1.00 p.m., 1.30 p.m., 2.00 p.m., 2.30 p.m., 3.00 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 4.00 p.m., 4.30 p.m., 5.00 p.m., 5.30 p.m.
From the Hameau to the Château: 1.00 p.m. 1.30 p.m., 2.00 p.m., 2.30 p.m., 3.00 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 4.00 p.m., 4.30 p.m., 5.00 p.m., 5.30 p.m., 6.00 p.m.

The little train

Take a ride in the little train to discover the hidden treasures of the park in peace and quiet. You can see the gigantic “goose game” (similar to snakes and ladders) played by the Princes of Condé, statues of the four Emperors, the archery range, the waterfall and its birds, the hamlet (le Hameau), the fountains and the park designed by the famous landscape gardener, Le Nôtre. With a little luck, you will get a glimpse of the deer, does and bucks.
The train has room for 54 passengers
Duration: about 30 minutes.
An additional ticket is required
Children 4 – 17 years: €3
Adults 18 years and over: €5
The train is running from 31 March to 5 November
Reservations required.

Rates

Rates fo the 2007 season	Nursery school	Primary school and playschool	Secondary schools and Lycées
Grounds	2	2.2	3
Grounds + boat or train	5	5.5	8
Grounds + boat + train	8	8.5	13
Château + grounds	3.5	4	4.5
"Nature and Culture" Pass : Château + grounds + boat or train	6	6.5	9
Boat or train	3	3	5
Small apartments	3	3	5
“Domaine de Chantilly” Pass	7	8.5	10
Living Museum of the Horse	4.5	5.5	6.5

Rates for discovery visits

Time: 1½ hours.
Rate: supplement for discovery tours of 30 pupils
30.50 euros for primary schools and secondary schools
7.65 euros for nursery schools
Reservations: telephone +33.3.44.27.31.80.
Workshop fee: (entrance to grounds and museum included)
€160 for half a day
€270 for a whole day
Free entry:
Teacher and three adults for nursery school groups
Teacher and three adults for primary schools, junior schools
Teacher and 1 adult for secondary schools
Additional adults: 10 € per person


Whole day rates

Nursery school: €137.65
Primary and secondary schools: €160.5

Catering

The Carrousel restaurant offers menus that are adapted for children

To find out what they are, visit the site:
http://www.restaurantfp-chantilly.com/fr/img/dejeuner_gp/groupes_2007.pdf

You can also picnic on the lawns in front of the entrance to the grounds, close to the riding ring.