Discover Anet: Renaissance, art and walking trails
Accommodation in Anet
In Anet, different ways of exploring history and nature come together: the Château d’Anet, the Église Saint-Cyr et Sainte-Julitte, an art collection and the signposted Le domaine de Diane walking trail. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, you might first consider whether you want to focus mainly on architectural history and art, or also set aside time for a longer walk.
Château d’Anet: Renaissance architecture and surviving features
The Château d’Anet was built between 1547 and 1552. Diane de Poitiers commissioned it, and it was designed by Philibert de l’Orme. It was decorated by leading French Renaissance artists, including Léonard Limosin, Jean Goujon and Jean Cousin. The château’s history can also be read in its surviving features: only the left wing of the original building remains today, and it was altered in the mid-17th century. The site also includes the entrance gatehouse, casts of the clock group and the chapel.
The grounds of the Château cover an extensive area: the classification as a historic monument by decree of 25 March 1993 includes built and unbuilt areas, fixtures and hydraulic installations. Guided tours are offered at the Château. As dates may change, check the latest information before your visit. The Chapelle funéraire de Diane de Poitiers houses Diane de Poitiers’s tomb; it can be visited with a valid admission ticket for the Château.
The Centre d’Interprétation de la Renaissance gives visitors a glimpse inside the Château d’Anet. It explores the king’s daily routine and the layout of a Renaissance château. The Centre also includes a bookshop with a wide selection of books about the Château, Diane de Poitiers and the Renaissance. In addition to architectural history, it focuses on how a château was used and what life there was like.
Church and art collection
The Église Saint-Cyr et Sainte-Julitte reveals a different layering of periods: its nave and side aisles were built in the mid-16th century, while the apse belongs to a structure dating from the 12th or 13th century. The church was classified as a historic monument by decree of 29 December 1960. It is open to visitors free of charge every day, except during services. For those interested in architecture, the contrast between the building elements from different centuries offers a distinctive perspective on the history of the area.
The Pierre-André Gourgand collection is on display in two designated reading rooms at the L’Atelier d’Anet library; admission is free during library opening hours. The works include pieces by Picasso, Miró and Vlaminck, a drawing by Marie Laurencin and a Chinese funerary figurine nearly 2,000 years old. The collection thus brings modern art together with a much older object. Fishing is also one of the leisure activities in Anet.
Le domaine de Diane walking trail
Le domaine de Diane is a signposted 9.7-kilometre walk through the Dreux state forest; it takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. The trail starts in Anet and follows marked paths along the edges of villages and through sunken lanes. This makes it quite different from a visit focused on architectural and art history: here, the emphasis is on walking through forest and countryside.
The route leads to the Vallée des Cailles, a 45-hectare nature reserve crossed by the GR22, and then returns to the centre of Anet. The distance and stated duration give you a clear timeframe if you want to include the walk in your travel plans. Whether you focus on the Château, the church and the collection, or also choose to go walking, Anet offers different themes to consider when planning your hotel stay.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Maixme-Hauterive, La Saucelle, Moléans, Frazé, Le Tronchet, Lanneray, Happonvilliers, Baudreville
For the full travel overview: Eure-Et-Loir.
