Réouverture du Désert de Retz
June 13 at 2pm
Wander through one of France's last surviving 18th-century Anglo-Chinese gardens, where crumbling temples, a ruined column, and a Tartar tent create an aristocrat's fantastical escape from court life.
Walking Tour
Walking TourDésert de Retz
Chambourcy
Wander through an 18th-century aristocrat's dreamscape where a ruined column hides a residence, a Tartar tent sits near an Egyptian pyramid, and a temple to Pan completes the Anglo-Chinese fantasy. The Désert de Retz was built as a retreat from courtly formality: seventeen hectares of architectural follies designed to spark wonder and quiet contemplation.
Architectural follies
18th-century garden
Remarkable trees
Surreal atmosphere
Tips
🎭"you REALLY have to take the guided tour"
🌳450-year-old linden tree, 35+ meters tall
🏛️the broken column was Monville's actual home
Upcoming at Désert de Retz
Saturday, Jun 13
Saturday, Jul 18
Sunday, Sep 20
Journées européennes du patrimoine au Désert de Retz
September 20
Wander a secret 18th-century garden where crumbling temples, pyramids, and ruined columns hide among ancient trees. The Désert de Retz is a landscape of deliberate surprises: each "Fabrique" holds symbolic meaning, from numerology to esoteric philosophy.
Désert de Retz
ChambourcyOpen
Walking TourWalking TourWander through an 18th-century aristocrat's dreamscape where a ruined column hides a residence, a Tartar tent sits near an Egyptian pyramid, and a temple to Pan completes the Anglo-Chinese fantasy. The Désert de Retz was built as a retreat from courtly formality: seventeen hectares of architectural follies designed to spark wonder and quiet contemplation.
Architectural follies
18th-century garden
Remarkable trees
Surreal atmosphere
Tips
🎭"you REALLY have to take the guided tour"
🌳450-year-old linden tree, 35+ meters tall
🏛️the broken column was Monville's actual home
Upcoming at Désert de Retz
Saturday, Jun 13
Saturday, Jul 18
Sunday, Sep 20
Journées européennes du patrimoine au Désert de Retz
September 20
Wander a secret 18th-century garden where crumbling temples, pyramids, and ruined columns hide among ancient trees. The Désert de Retz is a landscape of deliberate surprises: each "Fabrique" holds symbolic meaning, from numerology to esoteric philosophy.