Paris is the center of a curious landlocked island known as the Ile de France. Shaped roughly like a saucer, it's encircled by a thin ribbon of rivers: the Epte, Aisne, Marne, and Yonne. Fringing these rivers are forests with famous names -- Rambouillet, St-Germain, Compiègne, and Fontainebleau. These forests are said to be responsible for Paris's clear, gentle air and the unusual length of its spring and fall. This may be debatable, but there's no argument that they provide the capital with a fine series of day trips, all within easy reach.
The forests surrounding Paris were once the domain of royalty and the aristocracy, and they're still sprinkled with the magnificent châteaux of their former masters. Together with ancient villages, glorious cathedrals, and cozy country inns, they make the Ile de France irresistible. In this chapter, we offer only a handful of the possibilities for day jaunts. For a more extensive list, see Frommer's France 2008.
