Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte Tours
The two châteaux that bookend the Versailles story: Vaux-le-Vicomte, whose 1661 housewarming so outshone the young Louis XIV that he jailed its owner and hired his architect, gardener and painter to build Versailles — and Fontainebleau, the Renaissance palace eight centuries of French rulers actually preferred, from François I to Napoleon.
94 tours · prices per person, book with partner
Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte in Versailles — FAQ
What is the connection between Vaux-le-Vicomte and Versailles?
Vaux-le-Vicomte was built for Louis XIV's finance minister Nicolas Fouquet by Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Nôtre. Weeks after its 1661 unveiling Fouquet was arrested, and the king put the same three men to work on Versailles — which is why the two estates look like sketch and masterpiece.
Is Fontainebleau worth visiting if you have seen Versailles?
Yes, and it is the calmer of the two. Fontainebleau has 1,500 rooms across eight centuries of building, Napoleon’s apartments and his farewell courtyard, a vast forest — and a fraction of the crowds.
How far are they from Versailles?
Fontainebleau is about 70 km southeast, an hour by road; Vaux-le-Vicomte roughly the same. Day trips from Paris usually combine both, sometimes with the artists’ village of Barbizon, for €59–€150.