Trip Planner: Europe / France / Ile-de-France / Seine-et-Marne / Fontainebleau / Historic Sites / Chateau de Fontainebleau

Chateau de Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau

4.4

#1 of 15 in Museums in Seine-et-Marne

Castle History Museum

Unlike at busy Château de Versailles, the lack of crowds at Chateau de Fontainebleau means you're free to enjoy this palace almost as its inhabitants did in centuries past. This was the preferred residence of French kings and emperors for seven centuries. François I made the palace his permanent residence in 1527--breathing new life into the ruins with origins dating back to 1137. A succession of kings worked to further rehabilitate the castle, which is where Marie de Medici delivered her baby, who later became King Louis XIII. See where Napoléon I addressed his subjects after the French Revolution as you step into the Emperor's Throne Room. Italian artists Rosso and Primatice decorated the interior with frescoes, which you can still view today. Use our Fontainebleau travel itinerary maker to visit Chateau de Fontainebleau on your trip to Fontainebleau, and learn what else travelers and our writers recommend seeing nearby.

Create an itinerary including Chateau de Fontainebleau

Related Tours to Book

Chateaux de Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Day Trip from Paris BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $90

Chateau de Fontainebleau Admission Ticket with Transport from Paris BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $107

Skip the Line: Chateau de Fontainebleau Ticket BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $13

Private Full-Day Trip to Fontainebleau and Barbizon BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $214

Paris Museum Pass and Seine River Cruise Including Delivery to Your Hotel BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $95

View more tours

Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2,378 reviews

Google

4.4

Facebook

4.5

3,755 likes

PierreM69003

C'est une visite incontournable. Les chambres et salons du premier empire méritent qu'on s'y attarde. Reste que l'ensemble habité par les rois de France successifs reste disparate : on peine à y disce... more »

It is a must visit. Rooms and lounges of the first empire deserve it linger. Rest all inhabited by the successive Kings of France remain disparate: it is difficult to discern is an architectural unity.

View original
Gaelus

Visite à ne pas manquer dans la region, pour les passionnés d histoire ou pour les novices en la matière. Ceci est notre patrimoine, notre memoire, notre histoire. Tout le monde apprecie, les plus vie... more »

Visit not to be missed in the region, for those who love history or for novices in this area. This is our heritage, our memory, our history. Everyone appreciated the older and smaller. Castle beautifully maintained, as well as the gardens... pity that we can not enter the chapel...

View original
Claudine G

voyage ds le temps très agréable, magnifique parc, architecture et decorations du chateau très impressinnant more »

travel ds very pleasant weather, beautiful park, architecture and decorations of the Castle very impressinnant

View original

View more on TripAdvisor »

Google

Kyle Garrity

Very nice. Gets a little repetitive going through stunning room after room, but overall very enjoyable. Don’t forget to look up, the ceilings were my favorite part! Might try to revisit on psychedelics on a quiet day 😛

more less
Alistair Brown

Worth the house visit as the architecture and contents are very interesting. Decent value for money too. The grounds were free to enter and well worth a look too. The carp lake has some huge carp and the grounds in general are very pretty and we'll maintained.

more less
Kirk Chantraine

Cool castle with an insane amount of grounds you could cover. It was beautiful to walk around and poke in, but we ran short on time and didn't do much of the museum. Still, the structure and the water around it are gorgeous!

more less
Vincent Truong

Magnificent castle. Even better than Versailles in my opinion. Less crowd yet lots of history and opulence

more less
Sisi L

Beautiful place to have a walk in the park as well as being next to national forest. Not as crowded as Chateau Versailles.

more less

View more on Google »

Plan your trip to Fontainebleau

Get a personalized plan

A complete day-by-day itinerary
based on your preferences
Customize it

Refine your plan. We'll find the
best routes and schedules
Book it

Choose from the best hotels
and activities. Up to 50% off
Manage it

Everything in one place.
Everyone on the same page.