It is located in the Vallée de Chevreuse, 22.9 km (14.2 mi) from the centre of Paris (at Notre-Dame), in the Essonne department on the departmental border with Yvelines.

[3] In 1867, the town was linked to Paris by train with the Ligne de Sceaux in the valley, which would later become the southern branch of the current-day RER B line.

Just after the Second World War, Gif-sur-Yvette acquired an international scientific reputation, with the CNRS and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) moving there.

The Église Saint-Rémi (Saint Rémi church), a structure of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, was built in the 12th century.

[5] Some ruins remain of a Benedictine abbey which was built in the 12th century and became a national property in 1789 amid the French Revolution.

[8] The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) operates, since 1950, a "permanent central college" in Gif-sur-Yvette, the Benoît Frachon Centre, situated along the Yvette River.