You leave at the gas station at the Carrefour Market where you can possibly do some shopping for a picnic.
A first stop follows after 4 km, because then you arrive at the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte. The castle, a masterpiece of the 17th century, was inaugurated with pomp on August 17, 1661 in the presence of the Sun King. It is the splendor of this castle that later inspired the construction of the famous Château de Versailles... Remarkably well preserved, it offers visitors an exceptional collection of furniture, tapestries and paintings, carefully selected by the decorator of the time, Charles LeBrun. The large salon, the King's Chamber, the salon of the Muses and also the dining room are some of the most exceptionally beautiful spaces. In the French garden designed by Le Nôtre, you get a wonderful sequence of views and scenes that alternate stylized beds, water features, caves, waterfalls and elegant statues. A person would dream of less...

The Seine, which you cross a little further, is a 776-kilometre long river that rises at an altitude of 446 m on the Langres plateau, north of Dijon. From there, the river flows northwest. Just before she enters Paris, the Marne joins her. After Paris it flows further to the northwest where it begins to meander strongly. After Rouen, the Seine is navigable for large ships. The river meanders to its mouth in Le Havre.

The castle of Fontainebleau, together with Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chambord and of course Versailles, belongs to the great castles of France. The first dating of the castle Fontainebleau is from 1137. The French king Francis I had the castle extensively renovated in the sixteenth century and often used it for celebrations and parties. In this castle Napoleon had himself crowned emperor by the Pope.
The different royal residents in different periods have clearly left their mark. The ceiling with round motifs, reliefs and golden mosaics, for example, dates from the 17th century. The rectangular doors date from the 18th century. The Château de Fontainebleau is not just a castle, but a whole complex of large apartments where both the king and queen had their own quarters. In total, the castle has more than 1500 rooms, all of which are furnished. There are three chapels. Surrounding the castle are several impressive gardens and courtyards that together take up about 130 hectares. Since 1981, the Château de Fontainebleau has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
For an extensive visit, it is best to plan half a day to a whole day.

In Montigny-sur-Loing you cross both the River Loing and the Canal du Loing. The Loing is 143 km long and crosses the departments of Yonne, Loiret and Seine-et-Marne. This river rises in the place called 'Ferme du Loing', in the small town of Sainte-Colombe-sur-Loing, located in the hills of Puisaye, bocagère area north of Nivernais (Burgundy).
The Canal du Loing is a lateral canal. It connects the Canal de Briare with the Loing near the latter's estuary in the Seine at Saint-Mammès. Construction of the canal started in 1720 and it was opened to navigation in 1723. The canal has 21 locks and forms the northern part of the link between the Loire and the Seine.

You follow the Loing south to the Saint-Séverin abbey in Château-Landon. The abbey was founded in the 6th century and was built in honor of Saint-Séverin, healer of Clovis.
Sacked by successive invasions and devastated by the Revolution, the church and abbey underwent multiple restorations over the centuries. At the end of the 12th century, the abbey was radically transformed, giving it the appearance of a fortress. The monastery building leans against the rocky slope. Until the Revolution, the abbey housed a community of secular monks of the Augustinian Order. The partially destroyed abbey was sold as national property. A hundred years later, the owner donated it to the department of Seine-et-Marne with the sole requirement that it be used as a hospice for the needy elderly. The abbey, which is now a medical rest home, cannot be visited. Only the abbey park is accessible.

You continue to drive south through the very wetland area of the Loing. In Buges you pass a complex of locks and a junction of three canals: Briare, Orléans and Loing (end of the construction of the Loing canal). Located near the old paper mill, the site includes a lock, a house rebuilt about 1820 that housed the accommodation of the lock keeper and the controller (divided by two corridors and two staircases), a large metal drag bridge over the Orleans Canal , a second footbridge and surface weir on the Solin River.

The remains of the royal castle of Montargis still dominate the town: ramparts, a back gate, outbuildings and partially reconstructed Renaissance gardens. Some of the Renaissance gardens have been replanted identically. In the 14th century, Charles V entrusted Raymond du Temple (the architect of the Louvre and Sully) with the construction of new residences and one of the largest armories in Europe. The plans made in the 16th century are precious testimonies of these vanished buildings. The so-called 'Lady of Montargis' turned her castle into a refuge for Protestants. After the revolution, the castle serves as a quarry. An interpretation center makes it possible to discover this castle in its former splendor during a virtual tour.
The Roma restaurant welcomes you in the purest Italian tradition. In the heart of Montargis, this 'little corner' of Italy offers creative dishes in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The Musée Départemental de la Résistance et de la Déportation in Lorris is a memorial museum that will plunge the visitor into the darkest pages of the history of Loiret, a center of the resistance that paid a heavy price for its deportation. Opened in 1988 and renovated at the end of 2009, this museum tells the story of the region's life during the conflict through historical documents, testimonies, objects and weapons.
In the first part, the route allows you to find the main stages of the last world conflict, punctuated by scenes highlighting a specific theme (the rise of Nazism, the exodus, D-Day, etc.). The second part of the circuit aims to immerse the visitor in the everyday life of the French under the German occupation (Vichy regime, resistance, deportation, etc.).

Via the Forêt d'Orléans you arrive at the Loire. With a length of 1012 km, the Loire is the longest river in France. It rises in the Ardèche in the Massif Central, at an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level, at the foot of Mont Gerbier de Jonc. The Loire flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire.

Behind its imposing medieval silhouette surrounded by moats, Sully Castle has undergone many architectural changes over the centuries. Former residence of the famous Duke of Sully, minister of Henri IV, the castle remained in the same family for four centuries. The castle allows you to relive seven centuries of history and the history of France and its illustrious characters who visited it: Joan of Arc, the Duke of Sully, Louis XIV , Voltaire...
The castle suffered the upheavals of history: the revolution of 1789, a fire that destroyed it in 1918 and the bombing that damaged it in 1940... The imposing fortress was classified as a historic monument. For more than 30 years, the castle of Sully-sur-Loire has been one of the main places of the music festival of Sully en Loiret!

Nestled in a meander of the Loire, the attractive little commune of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire is home to one of the most beautiful masterpieces of Romanesque architecture: a basilica from the 11th and 12th centuries, whose tower portal is decorated with twelve historic capitals, the monumental church portal and the nave are the most remarkable elements. In the crypt, the precious relics of Saint Benedict are kept in a shrine, whose rule still determines the rhythm of the life of a monastic community today.

In Châteauneuf-sur-Loire we leave the Loire. You have a nice view of the castle from the parking opposite. It dates from the 11th century and was restored and embellished at the end of the 14th century. Subsequently, the medieval castle was partially destroyed and rebuilt from the mid-17th century to the early 18th century. It became a 'Little Versailles' with beautiful French gardens. At the end of the 18th century, the castle was bought and enlarged by the Duke of Penthièvre, grandson of Louis XIV. During the Revolution, the castle was sold as a national property and then partially destroyed. The other buildings, part of the main building and the outbuildings (stables, entrance pavilions and orangery), were classified as historical monuments in 1927 and 1942. The castle has been the town hall of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire since 1925.

The road runs through the Forêt Domaniale d'Orléans. An area with many lakes, hidden between the trees. In Pithiviers you can take a break with a drink and/or snack in the Bar Restaurant A la Porte de Beauce. It is located on a large square with parking.

The road climbs gradually through open countryside with some nice views. From Champmotteux it goes downhill because you are now gradually driving back to the Seine. In Courances you can visit the castle of the same name.
Nestled in the heart of the Gâtinais Français and in Louis XIII style, the Château de Courances is known for its park, whose beauty is a remarkable testimony with a water garden from the Renaissance. This 75-hectare park, listed as a Historic Monument and Remarkable Garden, open to the public from Easter to All Saints' Day, is considered one of the most beautiful in France. Water, plants and stones are omnipresent here... No less than fourteen springs supply the seventeen water features of the domain! The castle, surrounded by moats, has belonged to the same family since 1872 and reveals to its visitors tapestries, carvings, period furniture and family souvenirs.

Just outside the village of Dannemois you come to the cemetery where Claude François is buried. The music idol died forty years ago. In the 60s and 70s, Claude François was constantly at the top of the French charts and his music even gained worldwide fame after he wrote the song 'Comme d'habitude'. This song subsequently became world famous under the title 'My way'. At the end of his career, Claude François, who is still often affectionately known as Cloclo, launched disco music. He died in an accident on March 11, 1978 at the age of 39. He was electrocuted in the bathroom of his Paris apartment. After his death, the singer was buried in the village of Dannemois where he had a country house.

Almost at the end of this exciting tour, you will pass through the Essonne swamp. Just before it flows into the Seine, and as if to delay its disappearance, the Essonne transforms for several kilometers into an interweaving of marshes and ponds, islands and peat bogs. It is a unique landscape, called Natura 2000 because of the beauty and richness of its flora and fauna.

The end point is the Marques Avenue shopping center in Corbeil-Essonnes. In addition to a gas station, you will also find a few restaurants where you can eat or drink something and have a nice chat about the past ride.