Things to do at Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte

Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte are two separate châteaux southeast of Paris, usually sold as a combined day trip and often paired on the same tour. Fontainebleau was a royal and imperial residence for centuries; Vaux-le-Vicomte is a privately owned château with formal gardens, built before Versailles and often cited as its inspiration.

Both are day trips from Paris, not overnight stops, and the round trip plus visiting time fills most of a day.

Versailles remains the best-known and busiest royal site in the region; this pairing suits travellers who have already done Versailles or want a quieter look at the same period of French architecture, without the crowds at the gates in high season, spring through autumn.