Montargis: Museums, Bridges and Prasline Tradition

Montargis combines museums, churches and historic urban features with canals, the Loing and numerous bridges. It is also home to Prasline, a local sweet whose origins date back to 1636. This offers a range of possibilities for your stay: art and architecture, local history, waterways or a practical introduction to pastry-making.

Museums, Churches and Local History

The Musée Girodet houses the largest collection relating to the career and life of the painter Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson, who was born in Montargis in 1767. The museum is also near EuroVelo 3, La Scandibérique. The Musée Historique de l’Amitié Franco-Chinoise is also located in Montargis and is open to the public. Check the current opening hours before your visit.

The Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine houses one of the most complete collections of works by 19th-century French stained-glass artists. Its nave is 23 metres high; the side aisles date from the 12th to the 16th centuries. The Château Royal de Montargis offers another way to explore the city’s history, with a past stretching back almost 900 years. A guided tour also lets you visit underground areas such as the cellars and lower church. Check the tour arrangements before your visit.

Below the château lies the Quartier des Tanneurs, one of Montargis’s oldest neighbourhoods. The Musée du cuir et des tanneurs traces the history of leather: from its initial processing in tanneries to its uses in leather goods, the army and hunting, as well as shoemaking and clothing. The museum is housed in a 16th-century half-timbered house.

Bridges, Waterways and Boat Trips

The Canal de Briare, the Loing and many other waterways run through Montargis. A total of 132 bridges and footbridges connect streets criss-crossed by these waterways. The Circuit des Ponts, created by the town, takes you past 17 bridges and introduces their architecture and history. Check the latest information about the route before your visit.

On the Canal de Briare, ZIA offers a two-hour narrated round trip from Montargis to Amilly. Another two-hour round trip runs from Montargis to Conflans-sur-Loing, taking you past natural and cultural heritage along the water. Both trips are seasonal. Check the latest departure times before travelling. This lets you choose between a town walk and an activity on the water when planning your visit.

Prasline and Experiences in Montargis

Maison Mazet makes Prasline in Montargis, a small caramelised almond. The original recipe was created in 1636 by the maître d’hôtel of the Duke of Praslin. Maison Mazet has continued to use the traditional method of production in Montargis, unchanged for centuries. This sweet treat is a distinct local speciality with a long tradition of production.

If you’d like to make your own pastries, Factorie Mazet offers two-hour pastry-making classes. Participants make pastries and learn techniques for using Mazet praline products. Dates and availability may change, so check the current offering in advance.

Curiocity is also a two-hour discovery trail in Montargis. Follow clues to explore places, monuments, neighbourhoods and gardens. In the Jardin des Roses beside the Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Chinese, Loiret and Orléans roses grow alongside perennials and shrubs. The planting may change as it is renewed. Montargis offers a range of experiences: a clue-based trail, garden plantings and activities focused on local pastry-making.

Discover more destinations: Dordives, Augerville-La-Rivière, Bonny-sur-Loire, Treilles-en-Gâtinais, Saint-Maurice-sur-Fessard, Moulon, Châtenoy, Saint-Brisson-Sur-Loire.

For the wider travel overview: Loiret.