The Monte-Cristo estate is situated on the hill of Port-Marly, between Marly-le-Roi and Saint-Germain-en-Laye.  A walk in the park and a tour of the château give an intriguing insight into the life of the famous author of the Three Musketeers.

In 1844, at the peak of his success, Alexandre Dumas bought land in Port-Marly, an area of woodland on the side of a hill.

“You can design an English park for me here, and in the middle I want a Renaissance house.  For my writing studio, I want a gothic pavilion surrounded by water…  There are local streams which you can use to make waterfalls.”

And this was how an elegant residence with entirely sculpted facades came into existence.

Don’t miss:

Park: a lush, verdant treasure trove hiding a precious jewel, the park conceals many other delights: an open-air theatre, the Haydée garden (small maze of greenery), rockeries, ponds and waterfalls.

Château d'If: the author’s studio is a small château where various architectural features dwell alongside each other, such as Gothic arches and other Gothic elements, rose windows, half-timbering and even a drawbridge as the main entrance!  This miniature château concentrates the quintessence of the writer’s imagination.  A number of stones are embedded into the walls, each one bearing the title of the author’s works, and on the bas reliefs on the facades are more scenes illustrating Dumas’ novels.

Château de Monte-Cristo: after a vast restoration project, the château can now be seen in all its splendour, just as Dumas’ guests would have seen it when they came to celebrate its house-warming on 25^th July 1847.  The two-storey residence is in the Renaissance style; the façade bears features inset portraits of great writers admired by Dumas.

Moorish room: this room was designed in accordance with Dumas’ wishes after he returned from a trip to North Africa with two Tunisian craftsmen.  The Moorish room is undoubtedly Monte-Cristo’s masterpiece.