Before planning my week-long trip to Paris, I was only generally aware of the Chateau de Fontainebleau. It wasn’t an included stop on either of the two group tours of France I took as a teenager – we went to Versailles both times instead. But with the UNESCO-listed palace located a mere 56 kilometers from Paris, it was high time for a visit.
In short, Fontainebleau is stunning. The current 1500-room palace dates to the 16th century when Francois I decided that the original 12th century hunting lodge and country house weren’t grand enough his royal highness. Only one medieval tower survived the rebuilding and was incorporated into the design. The estate is surrounded by a 20,000 hectare forest rich in game, thus it was a favorite retreat of French rulers; members of each dynasty from Capetiens to Orleans have called Fontainebleau home.
We took an unaccompanied tour of the chateau, which allowed us to meander through the sumptuous rooms at our own pace. Unlike the more famous Palace of Versailles, all rooms open to the public at Fontainebleau are fully furnished. This is thanks to Napoleon I, who laid his imperial claim to the place and had it refurnished after the French Revolution (during which, sadly, everything of value was sold at auction). Fittingly, our tour began with the Napoleon I Museum, a series of room overflowing with items used by the emperor and his family.
From there we got a sneak peak of the breathtaking Chapel of the Trinity before heading into the aptly named Grand Apartments. This was the main living area of the palace, consisting of bedrooms and boudoirs, parlors and offices. The ballroom and Napoleon’s throne are also located here. One of the most impressive rooms is the Francois I Gallery, a Renaissance masterpiece that gives the Versailles Hall of Mirrors a serious run for its money! Designed for the king’s private use, it’s said that Francois wore the gallery’s door key around his neck.
I gave an audible gasp when I came upon the Diana Gallery, a corridor originally designed for the queen’s promenade. The ceiling is painted with scenes of Diana, goddess of the hunt, while the walls are lined with oh so many books; Napoleon III had the gallery converted into a library in the 19th century.
The queen’s bedchamber and salon was used by every ruling wife from Queen Marie de Medici to Empress Eugenie. The unfortunate Marie Antoinette had the room redecorated to her tastes in 1786, but her lavish new bed didn’t arrive until after she had been executed. Pity! Napoleon’s wives put it to good use in her stead.
Many important events in French and world history took place within Fontainebleau, including royal births, baptisms and marriage arrangements. Edicts were issued and peace treaties signed. Much of sovereign Europe passed through the palace; famous guests include the Archbishop of Canterbury, King James V of Scotland, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Czar Peter the Great, and Queen Christina of Sweden, who reportedly had her lover killed on the premises while King Louis XIV looked the other way. Kind of him, no?
Pope Pius VII stopped at Fontainebleau on his way to Paris to crown Napoleon Emperor of France. The Pope was later arrested and imprisoned at the palace for two years, while Napoleon abdicated the throne from the palace a short time later.
The gardens are the one area where Fontainebleau falls short of Versailles. Each successive monarch made alterations to the layout and, the more I read, the more disheartened I become. King Henry IV and his wife, Catherine de Medici, took the most care, designing beautifully planted flower gardens in the French and Italian renaissance styles. Sixty years later, Louis XIV had Henry’s hanging garden destroyed when he added a wing to the palace. Then Napoleon came along and swept it all away, as he favored open landscapes.
For reasons that escape me, the Chateau de Fontainebleau receives just 300,000 visitors annually – compared to over seven and a half million at Versailles! At times, it felt as though we had the palace all to ourselves. There was nary a flag-wielding tour guide with head-set wearing entourage to disturb our peaceful reverie, as opposed to the never ending stream that pushed past us at Versailles. Why do tour groups shun Fontainebleau, even though its opulent, furnished rooms are more visually pleasing? I’m not sure, but the gardens could play a part. You can read my blog post on Versailles here and compare the two and decide for yourself.
PIN IT!
Have you been to Fontainebleau and/or Versailles? Do you have a favorite?
If you only had time to visit one, which would you choose?
Wow, looks like a real find on the tour menu. I particularly love that yellow wallpaper in the nursery and all of the historical artifacts from Napoleon’s reign. How nice you could roam on your own with no crowds cramping your visit.
This was by far our favorite of the two chateaus. We went to Versailles later in the week and the experience was like night and day. *Someone* couldn’t get out of there fast enough!
What a beautiful place. I like that all the rooms are furnished. Nice not having to fight all the tour groups.
You would have LOVED this palace! It’s a shame we didn’t get to go on one of our earlier trips. But it was definitely nice to get a break from the tourist crowds!
What a wonderful post…it really makes me want to go there. How nice to not be amongst hordes of tourists, I’m sure it was so much more enjoyable. I love how it’s steeped in history and each room is so richly detailed. Thanks for sharing! Popping over from Europe’s Calling.
Thanks so much, Suzy! We visited Versailles the same week and the two experiences couldn’t have been more different. Versailles still has much to recommend it, but Fontainebleau was so much more enjoyable! I do hope you get to visit 🙂
Lovely! I visited there when I was 21 and really enjoyed it. I hope to go back again someday!
I wish I’d gotten to visit when I was young and impressionable! I can only imagine the daydreams it would have inspired! 🙂
Love this chateau and it’s free to enter on the first Sunday of each month. When I lived in Paris I was a 10 minute drive from Versailles so I used to visit the gardens quite often. The gardens are free to enter and they’re gorgeous but I always found the chateau a little over the top for my liking.
That’s amazing that it’s free one Sunday a month! We actually bought the Paris museum pass and it was included on that as well. Completely agree with you on Versailles. Couldn’t get out of the chateau fast enough but wanted to stay in the gardens all day! That post is coming up next.
Napoleon certainly had lavish digs … for an emperor of his stature, it seems fitting!
Indeed! Though I was surprised he didn’t insist on a larger bed.
1500?! Holy moly that’s a lot of rooms, good thing they had maids!;-) I really like how everything is still decorated, I think it makes touring the property that much more special!
Thanks for sharing Heather–next time I get over to France I’d love to check this out!
I’ve never heard of this place but it looks beautiful and interesting, inside and outside!
I really like the wallpaper of the Nursery of the infant Napoleon 😀
There were two places I really wanted to visit when we were in Paris: Sainte-Chapelle and Fontainebleau. Unfortunately, Sainte-Chapelle was under serious renovation when we were in town, and after were pickpocketed in Paris, I admit our enthusiasm for the city kind of flagged and so we just weren’t able to muster the energy to do a day trip to Fontainebleau. I’m glad I was able to see it through your eyes, but I do hope I am able to make it there in person one day!
Honestly, if the tickets weren’t included in the Paris Museum Pass, I’m not sure I would have convinced my husband to go. He was very lukewarm to the idea of the place. But once we were there, he thought it was spectacular – and ended up enjoying it way more than crowded Versailles. I hope you get to experience it in person! It’s definitely worth the trip.
both of which I’ve never been, partly because we were pressed from time,
Had I known the CDFountainbleau looked extravagant as your photos.
I think we would definitely squeeze this in, no questions ask!
to say it’s beautiful is indeed an understatement. ^0^
We deliberately skipped the Versailles because *again* for their strict photo rules where you can only take shots of some areas but not all rooms.
I also went to Versailles on this same trip and was able to take photos in every room, no problem. Overcrowding was the only issue. Fontainebleau is definitely worth a visit!