Just south of Seine-et-Marne, an hour by train from Paris’ Gare de Lyon, the Nemours château-museum has reopened its doors on April 11, 2026 with a brand-new exhibition titled "Water Landscapes". And frankly, it’s the perfect moment to swing by. This isn’t just any museum you’d casually visit: it’s one of the few urban medieval fortresses in Île-de-France that has stood through the centuries almost intact, proudly perched above the Loing for more than 800 years, right in the heart of the town. And around it, a whole natural and heritage landscape that makes you want to spend the whole day there.
Unlike most fortresses built in the same era, the Château de Nemours did not fall victim to the royal dismantling that affected others. The privileged relationship these lords maintained with the crown spared it that fate. Built around 1120, the edifice is the work of Gauthier Iᵉʳ de Villebéon, the king of France’s chamberlain, who had a rectangular keep erected, flanked by four corner turrets, one of which still houses a remarkable Gothic oratory. In the Renaissance, the castle became the residence of the Dukes of Nemours — including the famous Jacques de Savoie, the inspiration for the hero of Madame de Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves. Louis XIV later presented it to his brother, Philippe d’Orléans, before the building entered a long period of decline.
In 1901, a group of Nemours artists led by sculptor Justin-Chrysostome Sanson took on the mission of saving the castle from demolition. Two years later, in 1903, the Château-Musée opens its doors, designated as a Musée de France. Today, it houses more than 25 000 œuvres: paintings, sculptures, and prints by Dürer, Goya, and Rembrandt, along with major works such as La Morphine by Albert Matignon.
The exhibition "Water Landscapes" invites visitors to explore the many spaces that water carves out in nature and in art. Paintings, drawings, engravings and sculptures respond to one another along a route that runs across the length of France, from its sea shores to its inland rivers. A theme that resonates especially at this château perched on the banks of the Loing, as if the place itself had inspired the idea. Let’s take a closer look.
Beyond the exhibit, the castle-museum keeps reinventing itself, and you can see it. A free, interactive audio guide is available on smartphones via the Wivisites platform, offering three itineraries: exterior architecture, interior history, and a tour of the collections. Family scavenger hunts are built in, a practical way to get kids involved in the adventure. For an even more immersive experience, a virtual reality headset lets visitors explore spaces usually closed to the public and retrace the steps of Gauthier Iᵉʳ in 360°. On the contemporary-art front, the castle partners with the Fondazione Claudia Cardinale for new installations in the oratory, blending medieval heritage with today’s creative expression.
For students, workshops led by a cultural mediator offer a fun, engaging way to explore art and history—from kindergarten through high school. Groups can also opt for guided tours, which can be paired with a city discovery stroll organized by the Pays de Nemours tourist office.
What’s appealing here is that the visit doesn’t stop at the museum walls. The pelouse du château, a park along the Loing, is freely accessible every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the castle serving as a backdrop. It’s an ideal setting to catch your breath after the tour, have a picnic on the grass, or simply enjoy the panorama of the river. Dogs are allowed on a leash. It’s the kind of place you linger without any particular reason, just because the air is good and the surroundings truly pleasant.
Just steps from the château, the moulin de Nemours is one of the city’s quiet treasures. A roughly one-kilometer promenade laid out behind the mill, which the town bought in 2014, runs along a marshy area that supports local biodiversity. Open from March to October, it offers observation decks with views of the château and the Loing: an educational route as much as a restorative stroll. Already open, the terrace of the Moulin de Nemours beckons right beside it to turn the spot into a summer guinguette with a food market, sun loungers and a breathtaking view of the fortress. Every evening from 6 p.m., electric boats can be rented from the terrace for a floating apéro along the Loing. And if you’d rather stay on land, the bar-pizzeria on the château forecourt offers a tasty break facing the fortress, right in the medieval heart of town.
Just steps from the mill, another treasure awaits walkers. The Île du Perthuis, dubbed the “green lung of the town center,” is a Natura 2000 site that hugs the banks of the Loing and the old mills. A wooden walkway over 200 meters lets you observe the plant and animal biodiversity of this wetland, with a unique vantage on the river and the castle. Reachable by a pontoon from the Cour des Moulins, this five-hectare oasis in the heart of Nemours offers total calm and refreshment, just a short stroll from the museum. An unexpected nature interlude, especially welcome since it’s completely free.
Good news: you can enjoy the site without spending a single euro. The The castle's surroundings are freely accessible, and a simple stroll around the building, along the Loing riverbanks and across the lawn, already conveys the beauty of the place. For those who want to step through the museum doors at no cost, entry is free on the first Sunday of every month, year-round. A good reason to plan your visit accordingly, and to find the Château de Nemours among the free museums in Paris and free monuments in Île-de-France that we’ve selected for you.
The château-musée de Nemours sits on Rue Gautier Iᵉʳ in Nemours (77140), reachable at 01 64 28 27 42. Admission costs 6 euros for full price, 4 euros for a reduced rate (for ages 19–25 and those over 60), and free for under-19s, jobseekers, and RSA beneficiaries. The museum is closed on Mondays, and Tuesdays are reserved for groups by appointment. Note that it is not wheelchair-accessible due to its status as a historic monument. From Paris, expect about an hour's journey from Gare de Lyon via the Transilien line R to Nemours-Saint-Pierre station.
Our view: Nemours’ château-museum speaks to both families and serious history-and-art enthusiasts. Visitors come for the richness of the collections and the current exhibition, then make a day of it exploring the Loing’s banks, Perthuis Island, and the moulin’s guinguette. It’s a getaway well worth the trip from Paris, and it even won’t cost a dime on the first Sunday of the month.
Two places to check out in the area:
- The Musée de Préhistoire d'Île-de-France in Nemours, for a deep dive into the region's origins
- The Château de Fontainebleau, about twenty kilometers away, offering another perspective on the royal heritage of Île-de-France
Dates and Opening Time
Next days
Thursday:
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- from 02:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Friday:
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- from 02:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Saturday:
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- from 02:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Sunday:
from 02:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Wednesday:
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- from 02:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Location
Nemours Castle Museum
1 Rue Gautier 1er
77140 Nemours
Access
Transilien line R "Nemours - Saint-Pierre" station
Prices
Billets: €0 - €6
Official website
www.tourisme-paysdenemours.fr
Booking
www.tourisme-paysdenemours.fr
