Very ancient, and cut by a succession of hills, streams and valleys, the Forêt de Compiègne is grand rambling country for walkers or cyclists - the GR12 goes through it. East of Compiègne, some 6km into the forest and not far from the banks of the Aisne, is a green and sandy clearing guarded by cypress trees, known as the Clairière de l'Armistice . Here, in what was then a rail siding for rail-mounted artillery, World War I was brought to an end on November 11, 1918. A plaque commemorates the deed: "Here the criminal pride of the German empire was brought low, vanquished by the free peoples whom it had sought to enslave." To avenge this humiliation, Hitler had the French sign their capitulation on June 22, 1940, on the same spot, in the very same rail carriage. The original car was taken immediately to Berlin, then destroyed by fire in the last days of the war. Its replacement, housed in a small museum (daily except Tues: April-Sept 9am-noon & 1.30-6.30pm; Oct-March 9am-noon & 2-5.30pm; €1.52), is similar, and the objects inside are the originals.

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VIEUX-MOULIN and ST-JEAN-AUX-BOIS are a couple of picturesque villages worth heading for right in the heart of the forest, the latter retaining part of its twelfth-century fortifications; while 13km southeast of Compiègne at PIERREFONDS there's a classic medieval Château (May-Aug daily 10am-6pm; March, April, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 10am-12.30pm & 2-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 10am-12.30pm & 2-5pm, Sun 10am-5.30pm; €4.88), built in the twelfth century and heavily restored since to make the model fairy-tale affair of turrets, towers and moat. The inside displays a varied range of medieval artefacts. Pierrefonds is served by two buses daily during term-time from the train station in Compiègne.

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