On RER line A. As the Seine loops its way west out through the suburbs of Paris, it passes close by Château de Malmaison where the First Consul and his wife made their home when they were plain Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte. The pretty country house is set in glorious gardens full of roses cultivated by the lonely Empress after her divorce, and the interior has been faithfully restored using original furnishings, such as the tented Council Chamber, and belongings which include Josephine’s hairbrushes and Napoleon’s books. Further Napoleonic memorabilia is on show in the neighbouring Château de Bois- Préau.

Near Métro Rueil-Malmaison, the Pont de Chatou gives access to the lle de Chatou, a waterside rendez-vous popular with the Impressionist set. One of their favourite guinguettes (dining and dancing haunts), La Maison Four-naise (which featured in Renoir’s Le Déjeuner des Canotiers), is still here beside a small museum devoted to visiting artists such as Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh.