Description: Fontainebleau is a UNESCO world heritage site, offering a magnificent chateau in a huge 40,000 acre forest with spectacular gardens. Claims to have once been home to Napoleon (in common with hundreds of other French residences!). Less crowded than the Château de Versailles.

Location: Around 50km south of Paris. About 45 minutes from Paris’s Gare de Lyon station, then by bus to the château itself.

General Info: Basic tariff is €8* and free for under 18’s and on the first Sunday of the month.

Website: http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/ (French only).

Our recommendations: If you have the car, take a side trip to the beautiful hamlet of Barbizon, famous for its painting school and as the home of Robert Louis Stevenson.
For the children: Should find a trip here enjoyable, especially if you combine it with a walk in the woods and perhaps a game of boules! The horse and carriage rides are great fun.

Paris Museum Pass:

If you’re planning on visiting a lot of museums during your stay then you can buy passes which will allow you to visit over 60 different museums (including the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, amongst others) as many times as you like during your stay. The passes can be purchased online and delivered to your home address before your vacation.

Remember that under 18s are in any case free of charge at the major museums – please check in advance for any particular destination you plan to visit.
The pass will also get you into some of the major Chateaux in and around Paris.

Website: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

*please note that prices are subject to change, so check the providers’ official website for latest information

 

Here’s more information to make the most of your visit to Paris: