Every design for Melun

On the island in the middle of the Seine, where Caesar's men once repaired a wooden bridge, Melun began as a Gaulish town of the Senones. Today the river still splits the town in two, curving through a wide meander on the south-eastern edge of the Paris region, between the farmland of the Brie and the Gâtinais.

The Hôtel de la Vicomté - Musée de Melun holds the town's long memory, from Roman Meledunum to the Capetian kings who kept a residence here. Nearby, the Hôtel de préfecture de Seine-et-Marne reminds you that this is the department's capital, while the Musée de la Gendarmerie nationale draws visitors from much further afield. For greenery, the Parc de Breuil offers shaded paths, and the Seine's banks make for long walks with the water always in view. Fontainebleau is only a short ride away.

If Melun is the town where you learned to cross the bridges without thinking, where the river was simply part of the way home, this map is for you. It shows the island, the meander and the streets you know by heart.