SNCF from Gare du Nord, www.chantilly-tourisme.com. Although it has lent its name to whipped cream and lace, Chantilly’s chief business is horse racing. The first official race took place in 1834, and the prestigious annual Prix de Dianne and Prix du Jockey Club flat races provide a splendid excuse for le tout Paris to parade around the elegantly appointed race track opposite the châteàu. Over 3,000 horses ride out on morning exercises along sandy tracks through the surrounding forest. Trials are held in strict secrecy, but early-rising enthusiasts may catch a glimpse of gold-plated horseflesh riding out at crack of dawn.

Reflected in an artificial lake, Château de Chantilly dates from the 16thC when it was owned by the legendary Anne de Montmorency, Connetable de France, who served under six kings. Later it passed to the equally illustrious Condé family who employed Le Nôtre to lay out the formal gardens. Largely rebuilt in the 19thC, the Petit Château houses the Musée Condé with paintings by Holbein, Raphael and Reynolds, marvellous miniatures, Cellini jewellery and a facsimile of Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a glorious 15thC illuminated manuscript, displayed in the library.

Just across the corner of the park, the palatial Grandes Ecuries (stables) were built in the 18thC by a Condé who reckoned he would be reincarnated as a horse. Once home to 240 horses and 500 hounds, the buildings now house the Musée du Cheval. Paintings and displays detail every aspect of equine life from blacksmithing to dressage, and there are regular horse-riding demonstrations.