Which castles to visit around Paris ?

You have finally decided to spend some unforgettable moments in the famous city of Paris ! But there are so many places to visit that you don’t know where to start. You can perhaps start your exploration with a small tour of the walls of the Château de Versailles or soak up the atmosphere of the castle Chantilly Castle. There is the Castle of Vaux le Vicomte as well as the Castle of Fontainebleau which you can also explore.

And to give you the desire to visit these castles around Paris, Here is a taste of what they have to offer.

Visit the Palace of Versailles

When it comes to visiting the Palace of Versailles, be aware that the visit does not only involve a castle. Your excursion to this mythical place also includes a visit to several gardens and parks.

For the record, the Château de Versailles was originally a small hunting lodge, built to accommodate the main kings of France. The developments, which this place underwent during several centuries, allowed him to be the masterpiece which one can admire today.

This monument located 18km away from Paris’West of Paris has many national treasures. The Castle, an architectural marvel of the 17th and 18th centuries, contains more than 2,300 rooms. Among these are the King’s and Queen’s apartments which are symmetrical as well as the very famous Galeries des Glaces.

Nearly 60,000 works are contained in the Château.

As for the park, it covers hundreds of hectares and includes several small buildings such as the Petit and Grand Trianon or the Orangery.

Your visit in this castle near Paris It can only be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am onwards. You can decide to take an unaccompanied tour. This option is the least expensive and the least restrictive.

However, it is necessary to be well organized beforehand (to have a precise idea of what you want to visit and in the time allotted). An audioguide is offered free of charge to enjoy the anecdotes in the different rooms.

A guided tour of the place is also possible. In this way, you could better understand all the complexities and subtleties of the many rooms that make up the Château de Versailles. In addition, it is’is quite easy to do’go to the Château de Versailles from Paris.

Visit the Castle of Chantilly

Another one castle around Paris that is worth the detour, it is’is the Château de Chantilly. Two distinct areas make up the Château de Chantilly, itself located within the Domaine de Chantilly: the Musée Condé and the apartments. In the Condé Museum, you can find nearly 800 works of art, all signed by painters who made art history (Delacroix, Poussin, Géricault…).

Thanks to the Duc D’Aumale, who in his will insisted that the works of art in Chantilly should remain in their place and never be sold or loaned, the museum has been able to maintain its 19th century style.

In addition to taking a magnificent journey into the intimacy of the Duc D’Aumale, you will have the opportunity to admire in the apartments a collection of 44,000 old books and 1,500 manuscripts. This collection includes many incunabula and illuminated manuscripts.

The opening and closing hours of the Château de Chantilly depend on the season. From April to October, you can go there every day from 10 am and from October to March, every day except Tuesday from 10:30 am. Audio guides are available to help you learn more about the castle.

Visiting the Château de Fontainebleau

Another one castle near Paris Located 60 kilometers south of the city, the Château de Fontainebleau has seen eight centuries of French kings and queens. It is composed of the Napoleon I Museum, the Chinese Museum and the Grand Apartments. You will also have the opportunity, if you choose to visit the castle, to discover the park that is associated with it.

You can visit the Château de Fontainebleau in three different ways. You can choose to visit the castle by theme. You will then have the choice between a visit centered on the art of living, on the various historical characters or a visit through which art is honored.

The visit is either narrated or dramatized.

If you prefer a free excursion, you can contemplate places such as the Grand Apartments, the Francis I gallery, the throne room of Napoleon I and the museum dedicated to him. One of the new features of this option is the’interactive exploration that is now proposed for the visit in the Chinese Museum. This exploration is based on augmented reality, 3D and geolocation.

A visit to the garden of the castle is an experience not to be missed. You will discover the Grand Parterre, a French garden as well as the Jardin de Diane and the Jardin Anglais which are the English gardens.

Visit the Château de Vaux le Vicomte

The Château de Vaux le Vicomte is also a place of great interest castle near Paris not to be missed. This castle is one of the largest private monuments in France. It would be a shame to visit Paris without planning an excursion to this famous castle.

Built on the plans of Louis Le Vau and decorated by Charles Le Brun, the Château de Vaux le Vicomte is a 17th century architectural jewel. It is composed of 33 hectares of French garden that the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre knew how to arrange with art.

Choosing a tour of the Château de Vaux le Vicomte means accepting to be dazzled by a rare and magnificent collection of antique cars and their crews. You can also admire from the lantern that overlooks the dome of the castle, the whole domain. A panoramic view that will certainly leave you in awe.

The novelty that the administrators of this epic place have unveiled this year is the possibility offered to the visitor to immerse himself in the history thanks to a headset. You will have the opportunity to hear how the arrest of Fouquet or the trial took place, while wandering through the different rooms.

This year 2019, the Château de Vaux le Vicomte will only be open from March 23 to November 3. From 10 am already and every day, you can start your excursion.