Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup

Open all year round

Its inhabitants number lime trees and orchids, as well as rabbits and deer. At the Versailles-Chèvreloup Arboretum, 2,500 species of trees and 8,000 plants in greenhouses from all over the world live together. On foot or by bike, explore the best of what nature has to offer just a stone's throw from Paris...

L'Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup regroupe sur 205 hectares d'importantes collections végétales vivantes à 20 minutes de Paris.

© MNHN - F. Dubos - S. Pagani

Controlled origin

To the north of the Château de Versailles, on 200 hectares open to the public, exceptional plant collections flourish. But please note, to enter this sanctuary, the trees must show their credentials... All of them, with a few rare exceptions, belong to wild species, spontaneously present in nature. And in all cases, the trees are tracked! A database, coupled with a map, makes it possible to find them in the wild.

Vue de l’Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup

© MNHN - F.-G. Grandin

For those who love to stroll

Go around the world without leaving the Ile-de-France! Along the paths of this veritable living museum of trees, you can meet oaks, rhododendrons, giant sequoias, larches, maples, hollies, magnolias and lilacs. The only indigenous species are the herbaceous vegetation and the fauna (birds, rabbits, pheasants, hedgehogs, foxes, roe deer, martens, etc.)!

And much, much more!

With 2,500 species of trees, the Versailles-Chèvreloup estate has the most bountiful collection of its kind in continental Europe. To avoid getting lost in this abundant nature, the planting plan has been carefully thought out. In a first zone, covering 120 hectares, the trees are grouped according to their geographical origins. Another area of 50 hectares brings them together by botanical affinity, with notably majestic formations of plane trees, American black walnut trees and Atlas cedars. Finally, in the centre of the park, cultivars - species developed by man which do not exist in the wild - display their beauty... or their strangeness!

Greenhouse(s) effect

Although the trees in the park are well adapted to the Parisian climate, other plants find refuge in two groups of greenhouses covering 6,000 m2. There, the gardeners take great care of the 5,000 tropical and Mediterranean species: orchids, pelargoniums, fuchsias, etc. In addition to these greenhouses used for conservation and research, there are areas reserved for the 60,000 seasonal plants grown each year to adorn the Parisian flowerbeds, as well as a nursery dedicated to the Jardin des Plantes collections. Note that the Arboretum's greenhouses only reveal their treasures when there is an open house. Make sure you plan your visit!

Picea abies Koreana ou Sapin de Corée à l’Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup

© MNHN - S. Gerbault

Araucaria araucana ou Désespoir des signes - Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup

© MNHN - S. Gerbault

La vie en vert

During your wanderings, you may come across a very special tree: the Jussieu sophora. It was planted by the famous botanist in 1747 - almost half a century after Louis XIV bought the Chèvreloup farm (in 1699), and almost two hundred years before it was given to the Museum to create an arboretum (in 1927). Bearing witness to this exceptional epic story, it has survived a few upheavals. Felled by the storm of 1999, which destroyed more than 1,000 trees, a small root cutting began to grow in 2002. A tireless tercentenary!

Science with a conscience

Quercus des Pyrénées à l’Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup

Quercus des Pyrénées à l’Arboretum de Versailles-Chèvreloup

© MNHN - V. Briand

Heir to this history, the Arboretum plays an essential role in the conservation of species. For some of them, threatened with extinction, it represents a last refuge. It is also a splendid research area in genetics, pharmacology, ecology or physiology, thanks to the presence on the same site of plants from all over the world. Finally, it is a formidable tool for raising awareness of biodiversity. Would you like a life-size experience?

How to find us

30 route de Versailles
78150 Rocquencourt

chevreloup@mnhn.fr
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