There is so much to see and do when based in Saints. Almost 50% of France's greatest monuments are located within day-trip distance of the Thibault Villa Vacation Property and Rental Home. A small sampling is below, and a larger one can be found by clicking on different selections to the left of this paragraph.
FONTAINEBLEAU
Fontainebleau is perhaps the second most famous and beautiful chateau in France. It is about 1 hour away from the house and can be combined as part of a day trip to Vaux le Vicomte (see below). Be sure to see Napoleon's bed with the little stairs leading up to it from the... floor. Fontainebleau is a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Saints.
PROVINS
Old Médieval Town, about 20 minutes away, with huge ramparts and pleasant cafes. This was one of the most important medieval cities. Provins is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was once the domain of the Counts of Champagne who were Thibaults. Also the Thibault family come from Provins to Saints nine generations ago. UNESCO writes that Provins "The fortified medieval town of Provins is situated in the former territory of the powerful Counts of Champagne. It bears witness to early developments in the organization of international trading fairs and the wool industry. The urban structure of Provins, which was built specifically to host the fairs and related activities [and] preserves to a high degree the architecture and urban layout that characterize these great medieval fair towns." The towns of Laon and Provins are wonderful rampart towns. I recommend Laon the most of the two. But Provins is only 20 minutes or so away from Saints and is well worth the visit. Laon is two hours away. If you go to Provins, you can combine that with some other driving further down to towns such as Troyes, Avallon, Vezellay - another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Auxerre, etc. All of them have either nice views, cathedrals, ramparts and/or beautiful monasteries, etc.
CHARTRES
Chartres is another UNESCO World Heritage site. Built to house a great relic, many say that this is the most beautiful cathedral in the world. It is certainly one of the most interesting with its two completely different towers, built at different times using different architectural styles. There is also a very famous maze which the faithful used to complete in about one hour while moving around on their knees.
EuroDisney, DISNEY PARKS AND CAMP DAVY CROCKET
EURODISNEY: The Thibault Villa is ideally located for Euro Disney and is about 20-25 minutes (25 kms/16 miles) away; it's all traffic free bee-line roads to get there, so it's fast traveling. I have done that road quite a few times myself, and it's a fun drive. The SNCF TGV goes there too - to England in one direction and the South of France in the other. Cars can be rented directly at Eurodisney from AVIS, Hertz, Europecar, etc.
CAMP DAVY CROCKET : Approx. 20 kms/12 miles.
VAUX LE VICOMTE
Château de Vaux le Vicomte was the setting for novel « The Man in the Iron Mask » and the recent Leonardo diCaprio hit movie of the same name is about 45 minutes away. It's the chateau that made Louis XIV jealous enough to build Versailles and with the same team of designers.
Golf
There are at least three courses nearby. They are...
Golf de la Brie / 77580 Crecy la Chapelle
About 15 kms from the house, people we know talk highly of it and the site is beautiful. There is also a pool and a restaurant. We were particularly impressed when we visited. It is also called: golf de Montpichet. www.domainedelabrie.com
Golf Bussy St Georges, a little further, set within the newly built town of Bussy St Georges, right next to Disney. www.golfbussy.com
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