8 kilometres west of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine département, Rueil-Malmaison spreads over an area of 1,472 hectares, gently sloping from the heights of Mont Valérien and hills of Buzenval, down to the banks of the Seine to the north.The traces of the few years’ happiness enjoyed by Bonaparte and Joséphine run deep within the town of Rueil-Malmaison, a living memory to this period in French history.

In the town’s historic centre, which has retained its village character, stands the Eglise Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul, now classified an Historical Monument.The banks of the Seine, which mark the entrance to the Pays des Impressionnistes, still show the vestiges of their history.  As regular visitors to the famed guinguettes which were held along the riverside, many painters such as Renoir, Monet and Manet immortalised the surrounding landscapes in their greatest works.