Travel guide Val-D'Oise

The discovery of the territory is inseparable from the arts: in Vauréal, the cour des arts allows the discovery of ancient know-how, sometimes forgotten and always splendid. Beyond that, art is duplicated through museums, works in the public space or various evocations via the numerous and very regular events organized here.

The two waterways, the Oise and the Seine, have long allowed boats to travel easily. More than a century ago, the boom in inland waterway transport was such that it has become part of the local culture. Admire the quays loaded with boats, visit the dedicated museum: it is a world apart that you must discover!

The cradle of impressionism is here! This painting technique, so famous today, favored the presence, at the end of the XIXth century, of innumerable artists: among the most famous, Camille Pissarro, Gauguin or Thornley immortalized the rural communities and landscapes. The Camille Pissarro Museum is a beautiful tribute to them.

The Hautil plateau dominates the Cergy-Pontoise agglomeration from its almost 200 meters. This plateau, several kilometers long, is a place of natural relaxation: the forest and the numerous small bodies of water which are there allow you beautiful bicycle rides, or beautiful and invigorating walks. Peace and quiet are guaranteed.

Here, there is no risk of losing the rhythm: there is no lack of festivals and concert halls. Piano or baroque music, openness to world cultures, programming of well-known stars in the various spaces - including the latest, the Douze: the agglomeration welcomes artists, sometimes even in residence, and music lovers of all kinds!

It irrigates the Cergy-Pontoise agglomeration, and among the communes that make it up, 8 have a quay, a towpath - sometimes even a very lively marina, as in Cergy. The Oise is widely navigable here - as witnessed by the rich history of inland waterway transport - giving rise to a daily ballet of barges, which sail peacefully along the river.

The urban areas, starting with the new town and Pontoise, are combined with a great number of spaces of air and nature. There are countless squares, parks and other places of relaxation, which make each commune an airy place to live in, and where you can take a break during your discovery.

If you like angling, the Oise offers you the ideal setting. You will see it, to come to tease the pike, the bream, the gudgeon, the perch, the zander or the carp is a frequent activity here. The spaces are large enough for everyone to find their place. With, as a bonus, a nice breath of fresh air and serenity in front of the quietness of the river.

They constitute one of the stages (or stations) of the Major Axis, and are one of the most important points of the whole. 12 meters high, made of white concrete, they are distributed on both sides of the axis. Completed in 1989, they are monumental and signal the Axis from a great distance, and constitute a point of interest without equal

Kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, rafting, water skiing and even aeroskiing here? None of this is impossible at the leisure island, the largest leisure complex in the region. It was inaugurated in 1977 in a loop formed by the river Oise and offers ever more new possibilities: sensations guaranteed!

The immense plateau, most of which is a regional nature park, borders the northwestern part of the city. Here, there are endless stretches of fields (known as the "capital's larder"), pretty little villages, and remarkable flora and fauna: ideal for, for example, a nice bike ride.

It was the structuring project of the second half of the last century: to create a brand new city on agricultural land. Cergy-Pontoise was born, giving rise to dozens of architectural achievements, all to be admired. The diversity of habitats, green spaces and communication routes are all there to be discovered.