The park that once surrounded Cardinal Richelieu's demolished château now survives as a 1,000-acre (400-hectare) public garden — an unexpected expanse of green for a small provincial town. The layout follows the formal French tradition associated with Le Nôtre: long, straight tree-lined allées, geometric planting, and a strong central axis.
One of the allées — an avenue of chestnut trees — runs for nearly a kilometre. Sections of the original château moat have been preserved as a canal, and rowing is possible in season. Rose gardens add colour in early summer.
The park is free to enter and largely undiscovered by tourists, which makes it an unusually peaceful place. It's a 10–15 minute walk from the town centre, past the surviving outbuildings and gatehouses that hint at the scale of what the château must have been.