A jewel of the 17C, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is surrounded by splendid gardens designed by Le Nôtre, who propelled the art of French gardens to its limits of perfection. Flower beds and box trees are laid out in arabesques, fountains play in the symmetrical ornamental pools, and the perspective, comprising a carpet of green framed by copses of trees, extends along the axis of the château. A stroll through the gardens will elicit numerous "surprises", in particular, the ornamental ponds of the Grand Canal, which are invisible from the château.