What to see and do in August in Île-de-France?

Our 4 recommendations for August outings

To help you (really) explore the Île-de-France throughout the year, we share four recommendations with you each month.

Mythical places, like hidden little nuggets. What do they have in common? They are all accessible by public transport.

Mark your calendars, it starts.

Exhibition: meeting between fine and urban arts at the Petit Palais

After a very first edition in 2024, WE ARE (still) HERE returns to invade the Musée des Beaux-Arts du Petit Palais until September 20, 2026.

More than 200 works are installed in the middle of the museum's permanent collection , including the work of great names in the French and international urban scene (such as Invader, Romain Froquet, Vhils, Harrington and many others).

Urban arts, paintings, sculptures and installations dialogue with the permanent collection within the majestic walls of the palace. To be seen!

How to get there?

Avenue Winston-Churchill, 75008 Paris:

• Metros 1 and 13 : Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau
• Subway 9 : Franklin D. Roosevelt
• RER C : Invalides

Hiking: immerse yourself in the Sénart forest

We have a desire for freshness, don't we?

Jump on the RER D, towards Brunoy and the wonderful Sénart forest, for a 14 to 18 km hike (depending on your fitness of the day).

On the program? A half-day strolling between tall and tall trees, romantic ponds, and the banks of the Yerres and the Seine, making a stop for a picnic, to the Ris-Orangis station.

Practical information

• Access : Brunoy station (RER D), return via Ris-Orangis station (RER D)
• Duration of the walk : about 4 hours

Heritage: going back in time in Elisabethville, the forgotten Paris-Plage of the 1920s

We can almost imagine it came out of an old novel: Elisabethville is a river seaside resort straddling the communes of Épône and Aubergenville (Yvelines).

The "Paris-Plage" of the 1920s

Created in 1928 for Parisian families in search of greenery, this garden city inspired by English models (with its star-shaped plan) is worth a visit with its art deco villas, its streets with flowery names and its quiet alleys that led, at the time, to banks designed for bathers far from the urban tumult.

An avant-garde city in terms of urban planning

In the 1950s, the manufacturer Renault set up shop near Elisabethville, and with the factory came a housing estate designed to house the workers: the Zehrfuss housing estate. Modern and fully equipped buildings mounted on stilts, signed by the same architect as the Unesco headquarters in Paris (Bernard Zehrfuss).

What to do in Elisabethville?

A walk in the cool with nature and picnic breaks, the discovery of the heritage of the Ile-de-France region and that of the social architecture of the 1950s, with the added bonus of a little scent of forgotten history.

Which path should I follow for my walk?

A walk of about 9 km between the station, the "beach" and the Biotope du Bout du Monde(a former quarry transformed into a natural area in 1999, with a large body of water and 189 species of birds) along the Mauldre and the Giboin.

The route follows suburban streets with retro charm before emerging on the green banks. Perfect spot for a picnic in the shade, or just to slow down the pace in the middle of August.

How to get there by public transport?

• Line J : Gare d'Aubergenville Élisabethville

Nature: A picnic with a view of all of Paris

Designed by André Le Nôtre (excuse me), Louis XIV's famous gardener, designer of the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, this vast grassy terrace at the foot of the Meudon Observatory could well become your favorite picnic spot.

Imagine: on the one hand, Paris is open to you, as far as the eye can see. On the other, it is the beautiful and dense forest of Meudon. Above your sandwiches, the dome of the Observatory has been scanning the sky since 1876 (today only the sun).

Are you too lazy to cook your own picnic? You should know that a small café has been set up in the heart of the terrace of the Loggia, one of the last vestiges of the historic castle of Meudon.

After lunch, take a short digestive walk to the monumental staircase that leads to the pool and, below, to the Orangery erected by Louis Le Vau in the seventeenth century and which has remained intact ever since.

How to get there?

• RER C : Meudon Val Fleury station
• Line N : Meudon