Discover Rueil-Malmaison through its historic sites and very varied green spaces: from a former imperial residence and landscaped gardens to a woodland area with opportunities for walking, cycling and jogging. This lets you make culture, gardens or observing nature the focus of your stay, without every outing having to be the same kind of experience.
Residence, Church and Local History
The Château de Malmaison was an imperial residence closely associated with Joséphine de Beauharnais and Napoléon Bonaparte. Furniture, paintings, porcelain and weapons from the early years of Napoléon I’s rule give the collection a specific historical focus. Reconstructed rooms include Napoléon’s mahogany library and Joséphine’s oval bedroom. The collection and rooms offer different ways to explore the history of the château: through the objects on display and through the design of historic interiors.
The Église Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul offers another perspective on the family’s history. It has been listed as a historic monument since 1941 and houses the tombs of Joséphine de Beauharnais and her daughter, Queen Hortense. Its features also include an organ case donated by Napoléon III and signed by Bacchio d’Agnolo. The church therefore combines its own historic-monument status with several specific links to the Napoleonic family.
The Musée d’Histoire Locale de Rueil-Malmaison is housed in the former town hall. Its exhibits cover the town’s history from its medieval origins under Charles the Bald to the present day. The museum holds temporary exhibitions every year. Visitors interested in how the town has developed over a longer period will find a different focus here than at sites more closely associated with the Napoleonic era.
Gardens with Distinctive Character
The Parc de Bois-Préau covers 17 hectares and retains its late-18th-century English garden design. Its central lawn is used for picnics. Historic landscape design and a practical place to spend time outdoors define the park together; its use for picnics also sets it apart from a garden experienced mainly through individual planted areas.
The design elements vary throughout the Parc des Impressionnistes: a small pond and perennial plants are joined by a rose garden and a white garden. This mix offers different garden scenes within a single site. The park is also the starting point for the Parcours Impressionniste, making it a good place to begin if you’d like to combine a garden visit with a topic from art history.
Riverside, Forest and Wildlife Watching
The Forêt domaniale de la Malmaison covers 200 hectares and offers opportunities for walkers, cyclists and joggers. At the Étang de Saint-Cucufa, visitors can observe fish, amphibians and ducks. This brings together two different ways of spending time outdoors: being active in a large woodland area and watching wildlife by a pond.
The Parc des bords de Seine has boules courts, a picnic area and tennis courts. There is also a footpath linking the banks of the Seine, the Plaine des Closeaux and the Forêt domaniale de la Malmaison. This provides a direct connection between the places mentioned; no walking time or distance is specified.
A Walk in the Footsteps of the Impressionists
The Parcours Impressionniste starts at the Parc des Impressionnistes and invites visitors to stroll in the footsteps of Impressionism along the banks of the Seine and through the centre of Rueil-Malmaison. Each stop has a sign featuring text, a work of art and a QR code linking to additional audio content. You can explore the individual stops as you go and listen to the extra audio content if you’d like to learn more about each one.
Visits and Themes at the Ferme du Mont-Valérien
Visits and activities are organised at the Ferme du Mont-Valérien throughout the year. Check the programme before your visit, as individual workshops may vary. One educational theme is the processing of agricultural products, including wheat, flour and bread. This gives the visit a clear focus: it is about processing and products, not a general culinary tradition. When planning, it is therefore worth checking whether the programme matches your interest in this topic.
Discover more destinations: Meudon, Clamart, Vanves, Saint-Cloud, Nanterre, Bois-Colombes, Villeneuve-La-Garenne, Puteaux
For the regional travel overview: Hauts-De-Seine.
