Marly-le-Roi is a 20 minute drive to the west of Paris, provided you don’t get lost like I did. Having a GPS which works usually helps. The very small old town has a few pretty cobblestone streets but on the Monday I visited everything was closed so there was little to do but head to the town’s main attraction; the Parc de Marly.
The park used to be home to the Chateau de Marly, used by Louis XIV when he wanted time away from formal life at the nearby Chateau de Versailles. The chateau was destroyed after the French Revolution and now only some of the foundations remain.
The water supply at Marly-le-Roi was used to provide water for the fountains at Versailles using a specially engineered machine known as the Machine de Marly. It pumped enough water each day to support the city of Paris but unfortunately it was pulled down too. The Parc de Marly still has plenty of water but it has no use except for joggers to run around.
Aside from jogging or having a picnic there isn’t much to do in the park although there are some quirky statues like this one of Daphne being chased by Apollo. Poor girl.
Original statues from the Chateau de Marly can now be found in the Louvre Museum in the Cours Marly including the famous Marly Horses.
While it is a pretty park, there are plenty of other day trips from Paris which I would recommend ahead of a visit to Marly-le-Roi.
