Presles: Hiking, Nature and Neolithic Heritage

Presles offers several distinct themes to help you plan your trip: Neolithic monuments, wetlands and hiking routes. If you are looking for a hotel in Presles, you can first decide whether cultural history, nature or a hike will be the focus of your stay. The range extends from stone burial monuments to a route with a specified length and duration.

Forest and Wetland

La Pierre Plate lies on the edge of the Forest of L'Isle-Adam. Another natural attraction is the Marais du Moulin Neuf: this municipal wetland includes open wetland habitats with reed beds, sedge marshes and ponds, and is rich in biodiversity. It has been classified as an “Espace naturel sensible” (ENS) since 2017. The Marais also acts as a rainwater retention basin, helping to prevent flooding.

Neolithic Monuments

La Pierre Plate is the most complete Neolithic covered gallery in Presles and measures 13 metres. Le Blanc Val is a Neolithic covered gallery on Mont-Joly and is about 6.5 metres long, making it roughly half the length of La Pierre Plate. The Coffre de Bellevue presents a different type of structure: a Neolithic megalithic burial chest made from four limestone slabs. The remains of three women, two men and three children were found inside it. The Coffre is in a landscaped clearing behind the cemetery, decorated with boulders. Thus, two covered galleries of different lengths are set alongside a megalithic burial chest. The burial chest contained the remains of eight people.

Church and Protected Park

The local history extends beyond the Neolithic period. The northern part of the church in Presles dates from the 12th and 13th centuries—a much later historical marker than the Neolithic monuments. The Parc du château de Courcelles is located on Rue Alexandre-Prachay in Presles and is protected as a “site inscrit”.

Hiking Routes in Presles

The “Les Trois Dolmens” hiking route focuses on Neolithic heritage and runs from Église Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Presles to Presles-Courcelles station. Another route is the PNR route “De Luzarches à Presles en passant par Royaumont!”: it runs from Luzarches to Presles via Royaumont and goes from station to station. The route is of moderate difficulty, 20.5 kilometres long and takes three hours. You can choose whether to focus on the Neolithic theme and the named endpoints, or on a tour with a set distance, duration and difficulty level.

Getting There and Cycling

Presles-Courcelles is the SNCF station on the Gare du Nord–Persan-Beaumont line. The first cycling facility in Presles has also been completed between the station and the church.

Discover more destinations: Magny-en-Vexin, Auvers-Sur-Oise, La Frette-Sur-Seine, Génicourt, Pontoise, Theuville, Soisy-Sous-Montmorency, Éragny

For the main travel overview: Val-D'oise.