Chateau de Villette

Château de Villette: A Château Wedding Venue Near Paris Fit for Le Petit Versailles

Sleeps 23 on-site | 9 Bedrooms | Hosts up to 500 guests | Exclusive Hire, Condécourt, Île-de-France

This château wedding venue near Paris carries a nickname it has earned twice over: Le Petit Versailles. Château de Villette was designed by François Mansart for the Count of Aufflay and completed by his great-nephew Jules Hardouin-Mansart, chief architect to Louis XV and simultaneous architect of Versailles itself, while the formal gardens were laid out by André Le Nôtre — the same designer behind Versailles’ own grounds. Classified a historical monument since 1942 and set 40 minutes northwest of central Paris, the château has hosted salon hostess Sophie de Grouchy and her husband the Marquis de Condorcet, whose 18th-century guest list ran to Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin; in more recent decades it has sheltered John Travolta, Tom Cruise and Lenny Kravitz, and gave Dan Brown the room in which he wrote The Da Vinci Code.

On-site accommodation sleeps 23 across nine bedrooms: six in the main château, each individually decorated by interior designer Jacques Garcia in Louis XV style with period furniture and art sourced from Sotheby’s and Christie’s, some of royal provenance, and three more in La Grenouillère, a cottage in the grounds. Wrought-iron staircases, gilded wall sconces and cut-stone interiors run throughout the main house, alongside an 18th-century kitchen still fitted with its original AGA cooker.

The estate sits within 75 hectares of woodland park, with two lakes for rowing and fishing, a cascade fountain, a glass house and an orangery, all framed by Le Nôtre’s clipped parterres and tree-lined allées. A wedding here can run from an outdoor ceremony in the formal garden, fireworks included, to vows exchanged in the original 18th-century chapel, a cocktail hour in the orangery and a seated dinner for up to 500 in the courtyard garden or historic dining room. Beyond the wedding itself, guests can take a pool party by day, a horse-riding lesson, or a day trip to Giverny, Versailles, Deauville or Reims.

Full exclusivity is included with every booking, along with in-house catering and an in-house chef; cooking workshops in the original kitchen and on-site wine tasting are available to build into a wedding weekend. Rates start from $28,800 for peak-season (June–September) venue hire, with catering arranged separately according to guest count.

Château de Villette Château Amenities:

• Full exclusive-use hire with in-house chef and catering
• 75 hectares of parkland with two lakes, cascade fountain and orangery
• Formal gardens designed by André Le Nôtre, designer of the Versailles grounds
• Original 18th-century chapel available for ceremonies
• Nine bedrooms sleeping 23 across the château and La Grenouillère cottage
• Swimming pool, tennis court and horse-riding on the grounds
• Historic kitchen with AGA cooker, available for cooking workshops
• Wine tasting and shuttle service for guests
• Reception capacity for up to 500 guests, indoors or in the courtyard garden

From $28,800 for peak-season exclusive hire; on-site accommodation for up to 23 guests. Located at Rue de la Maison Blanche, 95450 Condécourt, 40 minutes from central Paris — enquire for availability and a tailored quote.