How to get to Villa Savoye from Paris

When planning my trip to France, as an architecture student, I couldn’t not visit the Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier’s most famous building. On this post I’ll cover everything you need to know for visiting Villa Savoye from Paris as a day trip.

Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier

If you aren’t into architecture you will be wondering why Villa Savoye is so important if it’s just a house.

Villa Savoye is a house designed by swiss architect Le Corbusier (the most important architect of the 20th century) between 1928 and 1931. It represents the bases of modern architecture and a manifesto of Le Corbusier’s five points of a new architecture: pilotis, roof garden, open plan design, horizontal windows and free design of the façade. Villa Savoye was a key building in the development of the Modernism style.

I’m not going to expand more on this because I’m already being nerdy, but if you are interested in knowing more about Le Corbusier’s architecture you can click here. The point is, this house is really important because basically all the buildings that were built after it were influenced by Villa Savoye. That’s why Le Corbusier is for sure one of the firsts names you’ll hear in architecture school.

The house was built as a country house for the Savoye family. In 1965 it was designated as an official French historical monument. In 2016, the house and other works by Le Corbusier were registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Nowadays Villa Savoye is open to visitors and managed by Centre des monuments nationaux (National monuments centre).

Where is Villa Savoye located?

Villa Savoye is located in Poissy, a small commune 24 km away from the centre of Paris. Poissy is located in the Île-de-France region and hosts one of France’s largest Peugeot factories.

I was only able to walk around some streets in Poissy, but I can tell it seemed a lovely and picturesque french town, with its trees perfectly aligned and stunning flowers in each corner.

How to get to Villa Savoye from Paris

It is completely possible to visit Villa Savoye as a day trip from Paris. Depending on which part of Paris you’re staying, there are two ways of getting to Poissy using public transportation:

• Paris Transilien J suburban rail network (departs from Gare Saint-Lazare).
• Paris RER line A to Poissy (Regional Express Network).

They will both leave you at Poissy train station. Villa Savoye is located about 1.5 km from the train station so you can either walk (about 20 minutes) or take bus 50 to “La Coudraie”. I decided to walk, as I wanted to see a bit of Poissy. The whole trip from Paris lasts around 1 hour.

• Tour to Villa Savoye from Paris

If you prefer you can book this private tour to Villa Savoye from Paris which includes private transport from Paris to the house and entrance tickets. It is a private tour for groups.

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Visiting Villa Savoye

USEFUL INFORMATION:

• Ticket prices: The price for visiting Villa Savoye is 9€. The entrance is free if you are between 18 and 25 years old and have a European Union passport.
• The entrance ticket to Villa Savoye is included in the GoCity Paris Pass, and Paris Museum Pass. Both passes allow you to visit many Paris attractions and museums for a lower price. Read more about the pass here.
• Opening times: Villa Savoye is closed on Mondays. It is open any other day from 10 to 17 hs (from January to August), 10 to 18 hs (May to August). I suggest you also check the opening time on the exact day you will be visiting it in case there’s a change. Visit Villa Savoye official site.

The site where the house is located is beautiful. You can’t see the house from the street because it is surrounded by trees. In fact, I would have had continued walking in search of the house if it wasn’t for this sign:

Once inside the house, you’re basically free to explore it by yourself as long as you like. Original furniture designed by Le Corbusier is in every room, and sometimes there is an exposition taking place inside the building. There is also a small gift shop with architecture-related gifts.

I enjoyed my visit to Villa Savoye and I would recommend it to anyone that is into architecture. But also if you’re in Paris and want to visit a place that is out of the touristy Paris itinerary.

Other useful posts:

• 4 days in Paris itinerary
• Where to stay in Paris: best areas and hotels
• The best museums in Paris
• Tips for planning your first trip to Europe
• 2 days in Amsterdam

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