"Melun by the River Seine" a Melun Travel Page by pedroswift

Melun is a south eastern suburb 55kms from the centre of Paris.
Like Paris, early civilization in Melun began on an island in the River Seine. Today that island houses a penitentiary. My sincere wish is that VT members visit Melun for other purposes than to reside in said jail. I have passed the walls of the jail several times while cruising along the river and the barred windows, barbed wire and watch towers look formidable.
There is consequently a big police presence in Melun with training establishments for both police and prison officials. It is one of the few places in France where I have had direct contact with "the law". On our last visit by car, we were stopped at a police road block and had our papers checked by what I assumed was a trainee policeman. He could make little of my Australian drivers licence and referred it to a higher authority. I had an international one handy but was not asked for it and was waved on, only too happy to provide valuable training for the constabulary.

You are most likely to visit Melun as part of an expedition to the Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte. This wonderful chateau is a precursor to Versailles and perhaps you should see it first before heading to Versailles.
The chateau was the result of collaboration of the architect Louis Le Vau, the landscape architect André le Nôtre, and the painter-decorator Charles Le Brun. They were the trend setters of their time - worked together on a large-scale project for the first time as a team to produce an integrated design.
Their success in producing such an harmonious building and garden led to them being put to work on the Chateau at Versailles.

http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/