Located one hour's train journey south of Paris is the Château de Fontainebleau which can be found on the outskirts of the town of Fontainebleau and the forest. This palace (or castle, depending how you see it, to me it's a grand old house with a lot of garden) is one of the largest in France and has a lot of famous people living here throughout history. Let me explain more.
Chateau de Fontainebleau has stood here since the 12th century when it started out as a hunting lodge, however the current building and architecture style what visitors can see today has been here since the 16th century, in the days when François I occupied the palace and wanted it to make into a ‘New Rome’. The architecture is simply amazing, a combination of French artistic traditions and Italian Renaissance. Because of this, this is why Chateau de Fontainebleau is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The palace has always been important during the days of when France had a Royal Family, however it became even more popular and had more importance when that small guy with the big nose who tried to take on most of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte made it his home after the French Revolution. He left his mark here the day he famously climbed the HorseShoe staircase inside the palace in 1804 when he began his reign. However ten years later in 1814 he climbed down the staircase after signing his abdication.
Once inside the palace I walked around with an audio guide which started off with the museum for Napoleon and the history of the First Empire between 1804-1814. There are a few rooms where visitors can go in and see the belongings of the small majesto such as furniture, weapons, china, clothing.
Upstairs there are three major rooms, these are where a lot of artworks and paintings can be seen. The three rooms have their own separate gallery from a different era. There is the Gallery of Splendors, the New Diana Gallery and the Plate Gallery. The one I really like is the Gallery of Splendors where it was filled with artworks from the Renaissance to the Napoleonic Era. After the galleries I was in the Queen’s apartments which is probably the most beautiful set of rooms in the palace. At one point I saw two huge tapestries decorated with gold dating back to the 17th century. There were the bed chambers of Queen Anne of Austria and Queen Eleanor of Austria to check out. The only thing I can say about these rooms is wow, how truly amazing they are decorated. The ceiling design. The sculptures. Even there was textiles added to the woodwork. Now, it is also in these rooms where Queen Anne of Austria and her husband, King Louis XIII had a lot of adventure. They married young but didn’t have a baby until after twenty-three years of marriage. The public were thinking for a long time that King Louis XIII just didn’t like sex because an heir wasn’t born. However, a son was born but there was sadness before that as Queen Anne gave birth to four stillborns. Eventually the bedchamber of Queen Anne was later converted into the Pope’s Apartment. Other places worth checking out are the ballroom and the chapel here.
However it was the summer and the best place to be here is outside. The gardens are just stunning. The best part about them is that they are FREE to wander around (visitors only tickets to go inside the palace). There are ponds, woodland, large patches of grass to sit down on and admire the views of the Chateau. There are horse drawn carriages and a Tiny Train which takes visitors around the park (they are separately ticketed) however if you can walk, then take in the gentle stroll around the grounds and take it all in.
Some advice on the Chateau de Fontainebleau:
When visiting the palace, there is a locker room where visitors can leave luggage.
If traveling with children, bring a buggy (stroller), or a wagon or a scooter as the gardens are huge. There is a lot of walking to do.
There is a restaurant inside the grounds close to the Carp Pond. However, out of the grounds entrance-exit to the west, there is a small square in Fontainebleau town for cafes and restaurants, not many, but they did serve good food.
If you love photography, get here early to avoid the crowds, especially in the summer.
Make sure you have good footwear considering the walking involved.
I would recommend about three-four hours here minimum to take everything in. Also allow at least one hour to ninety minutes each way for the traveling by train from Paris and the walk to and from Fontainebleau station.
Essential information on Chateau de Fontainebleau
How to get there: Fontainebleau is pretty easy to get to by train. The main trains go from Gare de Lyon in Paris and takes about forty-five minutes to an hour. Then from there, the castle grounds are about a twenty minute walk. By car, the nearest autoroutes is the A6 (Paris to Lyon via Auxerre at junction 14) and follow signs to Fontainebleau. The other autoroute is the A5 (Paris-Troyes-Marac) at junction 17.
Car Rentals - as I do a lot of road trips around the world, I use Rentalcars.com which is very reliable for booking car hire in advance. I also use Turo (the airbnb of car rentals) and never had a problem with them. The cars are insured, owners vetted and never had an issue.
Accommodation: There are a lot of accommodation options and a lot of websites which can do some great deals. My first point of call is always Booking.com and can offer a range of hostels, hotels, campsites, apartments, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts.. After that I always have a look through AirBnb and Vrbo for great deals on apartments and other lodgings especially when traveling as a family.
Currency: France uses the Euro currency which is also widely used in most European countries. Currency can be exchanged at the airports and train stations (for a huge fee) so I would recommend either going to a currency exchange place downtown, to a bank (if they have good rates) or if you got a good bank account with fantastic exchange rates, then use an ATM machine (may incur a small fee but I always do this option as I got good bank accounts).
Language: It’s France, so it would be French. However at major tourist sites, a lot of staff do speak English (it is not like the old days where French people refuse to speak English, that has changed you will find the locals here love to practice their English as well as visitors trying to learn French).
Flying into this area? Then I would recommend using Skyscanner to find flights as that is my first point of call. Then if necessary use the airlines directly to find a good deal. I sometimes use Momondo as well to compare prices before booking.
Travel insurance: This is essential to anywhere you go in the world. I always carry travel insurance. Having travel insurance will cover you from theft, illness and those annoying cancellations which can happen on the road. Safety Wing offers coverage for a lot of adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and so forth.
Need a visa for France? Always check if you need a visa when coming to France, especially for those who come from outside Europe.
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