Discover Magny-Les-Hameaux

Magny-Les-Hameaux offers a cultural and historical focus for planning your trip: Port-Royal brings together monastic and museum history, alongside sacred art, a cultural venue for visual arts, and a named walking route. If you are looking for a hotel, it helps to first sort out the themes and opening conditions of the places you plan to visit. This way, you can shape your itinerary around the places you want to include.

Port-Royal: Monastic history and museum

The Abbaye de Port-Royal was founded in 1204 and classified as a historic monument in 1947. Since January 5, 2002, the Musée de Port-Royal des Champs has held the French designation “Musée de France.” It preserves national public collections on the history of Port-Royal and Jansenism from the 17th to the 19th century. The dates refer to different aspects: 1204 is the abbey’s founding year, while 1947 is the year it was classified; the collections cover a later period.

The museum also displays several paintings by Philippe de Champaigne created for Port-Royal. This connects the historical context with specific works of art. The collection themes and the paintings offer different ways to explore Port-Royal: you can learn about the history of Jansenism or focus on works created for Port-Royal.

Sacred art and visiting conditions

The Chapelle Lacoste houses an old 66-centimeter-tall Virgin in Majesty dating from the 15th century. It is open to the public every day. The ruins of the Abbaye de Port-Royal have more limited opening hours: they are open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays; they are closed on Tuesdays. Since opening conditions differ, check access information for each place you plan to visit before your trip.

The Église Saint-Germain de Paris also preserves a connection to the former abbey: around thirty tomb slabs from the former Abbaye de Port-Royal are located there. Along with the church in Voisins-le-Bretonneux, the Église Saint-Germain de Paris is the only church still surrounded by its cemetery. The tomb slabs and the cemetery setting are two distinct aspects of this place.

Art, walking route, and local products

The Maison des “Bonheur” is a cultural venue for visual arts, with exhibitions and meetings with artists planned. Its focus therefore differs from the museum collections on the history of Port-Royal and Jansenism.

Another option is the named “Balade à pied de Port-Royal à la Vallée de la Mérantaise,” a walking route between Port-Royal and the Vallée de la Mérantaise. It adds a walk to the range of options and thus differs from the cultural and historical and artistic themes.

Visitors can stop at the farms in Magny-les-Hameaux to explore and buy products offered for direct sale, such as honey, rapeseed oil, flour, and bread. If you plan to shop there, it is best to check visiting arrangements with the farm in advance. Fishing is permitted without a license at the private Étangs de Romainville; check local fishing rules before your trip.

Planning priorities for your trip

When choosing what to visit, you can weigh different interests: the museum and ruins offer a connection to Port-Royal through collections, history, and a historic site; the chapel and church feature individual sacred works and tomb slabs. The Maison des “Bonheur” focuses on visual arts and meetings with artists, while the named route is a walk. Take the respective opening conditions into account when planning. You can then search for hotels in Magny-Les-Hameaux for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Sailly, Le Mesnil-Le-Roi, St Rémy Lès Chevreuse, Les-Loges-En-Josas, Bailly, La Celle-Les-Bordes, Saint-Léger-En-Yvelines, Versailles

For the wider travel overview: Yvelines.