Château de Fontainebleau – Fontainebleau, France

Château de Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau, France, welcomes you and invites you to admire all its private charms. You will surely be enchanted by the history and wonderful views of a charming part of Europe. You can find this royal hunting retreat to the southeast of Paris, set deep in the Forest of Fontainebleau. Once you step inside the château, you immediatly feel like part of the royalty, back in 12th-century France.

Activity/Place Highlights

The Château

Given the different rulers that have had control over the Château de Fontainebleau, this palace is a mixture of all kinds of architectural styles. Besides, a feeling of luxury and magnificence fills each baroque room.

The Ballroom

Formerly a passageway, it was then closed with high windows and ceilings, and turned into the ballroom. Look to the eastern end of the ballroom to find the musicians’ gallery, where artists played during balls. On the other hand, to the western end, a monumental fireplace stands, with bronze statues imitating classic Roman statues.

Queen’s bedroom

In this room, every Queen and Empresses of France slept. All the furniture in this room dates back to the First Empire. Besides, the walls have a beautiful design of flowers and birds. A curious fact about this room: the bed was made specially for Marie-Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the Revolution. However, it did not arrive until 1797, after her execution.

Napoleon’s private apartments

For a more conservative style, enter Napoleon’s private apartments. In these very rooms, he planned and plotted, with his family kept at arm’s length from the public eye. To the south are grand gardens and ponds designed by Le Nôtre in the 17th century. To the north, the royal apartments overlook the romantic Garden of Diana (Roman goddess of hunters), where white peacocks roam. 

Throne Room of Napoleon

Back in 1808, Napoleon choose to place his throne where the royal bed was formerly located, in what used to be the bedroom of the Kings. Louis XV personally created the section of the ceiling directly over the throne and the sculpted medallions near the fireplace. Besides, he created the designs over the doors, and the carved woodwork that faces the throne. All of this between 1752 and 1754.

Apartment of the Queen-Mothers

This room is also known as the apartment of the Pope, since Pope Pius VII visited and stayed on this room back in 1804. Before that it was the residence of Marie de’ Medici and Anne of Austria. The room was originally two apartments. But they were divided and joined together again over the years, depending on its resident.

Springs and gardens

Nineteen springs serve the château and its gardens. The system was designed by an Italian engineer during the reign of Francois I, back in the 16th century. Later that century, Henri IV added the Grand Canal, a 0.6-mile-long canal (1 kilometer) used for water jousting. The ribbon of water leads the eye to the surrounding forest, nowadays filled with snaking hiking trails.

How to get there

Trains run every 30 minutes from Paris Gare de Lyon, and the journey takes 45 minutes. Buy a ticket that includes the 15-minute bus ride from Fontainebleu-Avon station to the château. Alternatively, get off in Melun and rent a car, allowing you to visit Barbizon and Milly-la-Fôret as well.