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Golf guide • France • Île-de-France

Golf in Paris: the city by night, the forests of the Oise and Marne by day

Paris pairs with three 18-hole courses 35 to 50 minutes from the centre: the Golf de l'Isle Adam, designed by Ronald Fream in the Oise valley; Les Chênes at Lys Chantilly, a 1929 Tom Simpson layout; and Bussy-Guermantes to the east, reachable by RER. Golfers come to play in the morning and enjoy the city in the evening, ideally from April to October.

Plan this tripUpdated

Paris has no 18-hole course within its walls, but the capital is surrounded by forests and plateaus where golf has been played for more than a century. The idea is simple: a hotel in town, a mid-morning tee time to let the traffic clear, and back in time for dinner in the Marais. The three courses chosen here lie to the north and east; the courses to the west, around Versailles, have a guide of their own.

Each has its own character. L'Isle Adam alternates forest holes and plateau holes, with slopes and water towards the finish. Les Chênes, at Lys Chantilly, is an interwar layout on sandy soil, flat but full of traps, where the bunkers create the movement. Bussy-Guermantes, in Marne-la-Vallée, offers links-style rough and a finish hemmed in by water. Three styles, three directions, and never more than an hour's drive.

The trip suits couples where only one plays and business trips extended over a weekend. Three to five nights are enough: two or three courses, a museum, an evening at the theatre. A car makes things easier, but Bussy-Guermantes can be reached by RER, and you can stay on the course at L'Isle Adam for a quiet night before heading back into town.

The courses

Pale sand bunker around a grassy mound in front of a green, oaks and birches in the evening light

Golf de l'Isle Adam

  • Architect: Ronald Fream
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Forty-five minutes from Paris on the A15, the Golf de l'Isle Adam occupies a 200-hectare estate in the Oise valley. Ronald Fream laid out a par 72 of 6,188 metres here, partly in forest and partly on an open plateau, with naturally rolling fairways and large greens to read. The slopes make themselves felt from the 3rd, an uphill dogleg left, and water comes into play on the 10th, 17th and 18th. The clubhouse, by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, occupies a restored 18th-century farm. One of the most complete courses open to visitors in Île-de-France.

Official website

Golf du Lys Chantilly – Les Chênes

  • Architect: Tom Simpson
  • Opened 1929
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

Lys Chantilly, at Lamorlaye, brings together 36 holes in the heart of the forest. Les Chênes, designed by Tom Simpson in 1929, is the benchmark course: a par 70 of 5,905 metres, flat, sheltered from the wind by tall trees and playable all year round thanks to its sandy subsoil. Simpson gave movement to featureless ground with fairway bunkers set in grassy mounds, and that is where the scorecard is decided. Power is not the point: placement comes first. Visitors book their green fee in advance.

Signature hole. The 17th, nicknamed "the judge" by the club's pros, demands a big drive if you hope to reach the green in two.

Official website

Golf de Bussy-Guermantes – La Jonchère

  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

At Bussy-Saint-Georges, in Marne-la-Vallée, the Golf de Bussy-Guermantes has 27 holes: La Jonchère, an 18-hole par 72 of 6,111 metres, and a nine-hole course, La Gondoire. The fairways are fairly flat, but raised tees and greens, mounds and four water features shape the play, amid rough worthy of a links. The name comes from the neighbouring village of Guermantes, which Proust borrowed for the family in In Search of Lost Time. A course open to every level, half an hour from Paris on the A4.

Signature hole. The 16th, 17th and 18th, where water is everywhere, form the club's "Amen Corner": you have to keep your card together right to the end.

Official website

Where to stay

La Réserve Paris Hotel & Spa

A townhouse on Avenue Gabriel, on a service road just off the Champs-Élysées, with views of the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower from some suites. The décor plays the private house rather than the grand hotel, with Le Gaspard bar for an aperitif and a spa with a 16-metre indoor pool. Both restaurants, Le Gabriel and La Pagode, are led by Jérôme Banctel.

Château Voltaire

On Rue Saint-Roch, between the Louvre and Place Vendôme, a house of 31 rooms and one suite that claims luxury without ostentation: trompe-l'œil corridors, the atmosphere of old cinema, the brasserie L'Emil open all day and the bar La Coquille d'Or until late at night. A five-star address on a human scale, ideal for doing everything on foot.

Le Domaine des Vanneaux Hôtel Golf & Spa – MGallery

In the heart of the Golf de l'Isle Adam, this MGallery hotel lets you sleep a few steps from the first tee. A spa with sauna and hammam, a heated outdoor pool and the restaurant Le Piaf for dinner. A night here, at the start or end of the trip, changes its rhythm: an early-morning round, with no car and no traffic.

Haussmann-style hotel lounge at dusk, herringbone parquet, velvet armchairs and a marble fireplace

Where to dine

Robert et Louise

Opened in 1958 on Rue Vieille-du-Temple in the Marais, this restaurant grills its meat over a wood fire in the dining room itself: rib of beef, leg of lamb, veal kidney. Tables are often shared with other diners, and the founders' family still runs the place. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Les Enfants du Marché

A counter in the heart of the Marché des Enfants-Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris, on Rue de Bretagne. Inventive counter cooking, easy-drinking wines and a market-hall atmosphere: lunch is eaten at the bar, without reservations, from Tuesday to Sunday. Arrive before half past twelve to be sure of a seat.

Le Gabriel

La Réserve's gastronomic restaurant, where Jérôme Banctel cooks in a precise, inventive French register, awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide. A hushed dining room with only a few tables: this is the dinner to book for your last night.

Beyond golf

The Jardin du Luxembourg

Created for Marie de' Medici in the 17th century, the Jardin du Luxembourg now surrounds the French Senate. Parisians read on its green chairs, play chess beneath the chestnut trees and sail model boats on the main pond. An ideal walk on the morning of a rest day, before heading down towards Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Chantilly and its château

A few minutes from the Lys, the Chantilly estate brings together the château, the Musée Condé and its old master paintings, Le Nôtre's gardens and the Great Stables, still home to horses. A morning round and an afternoon visit combine easily, finishing with crème Chantilly on a terrace.

Auvers-sur-Oise

Near L'Isle-Adam, up the Oise, Auvers-sur-Oise keeps the memory of the painters who loved it. Vincent van Gogh spent the last weeks of his life here in 1890 and lies in the village cemetery beside his brother Theo. You can visit the Auberge Ravoux, where he lodged, and the church he painted.

Cobbled Seine quay beneath the trees, an arched stone bridge and pale buildings with zinc roofs

When to go

From April to October, the courses are at their best and the days long; May, June and September offer the best balance between mild weather and crowds. July and August are hot, but the city empties and tee times are easier to find. Winter remains playable on dry days, especially on the sandy soils of the Lys, with temperatures often close to 5 °C.

Getting there

Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is 45 minutes from the centre, but only about half an hour from L'Isle-Adam and the Lys: you can play on the day you arrive. Orly serves the south. The TGV and Eurostar arrive in the heart of the city. For the courses, allow 35 minutes for Bussy, 45 for L'Isle-Adam and 50 for the Lys, outside rush hour.

Frequently asked questions

Where can you play golf near Paris?

To the north, the Golf de l'Isle Adam and Les Chênes at Lys Chantilly; to the east, Bussy-Guermantes. All three welcome visitors, 35 to 50 minutes from the centre.

What is the best golf course around Paris?

Among the courses open to visitors to the north and east, Ronald Fream's L'Isle Adam is the most complete, and Tom Simpson's Les Chênes (1929) the most classic. The courses to the west, around Versailles, have a separate guide.

Can you get to a golf course from Paris by public transport?

Yes, for Bussy-Guermantes: the RER A serves Bussy-Saint-Georges, a ten-minute walk from the club. For L'Isle Adam and Lys Chantilly, a car or driver is preferable.

When is the best time to play golf in Paris?

From April to October, with May, June and September the best months. Winter remains playable on dry days.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Paris?

Three to five nights: two or three courses, and time to enjoy the city, its museums and its restaurants.

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