Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte Day Trip from Paris
If you’re looking for a unique day trip from Paris, look no further than Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte.
This historic chateau 35 miles south of Paris isn’t as well-known as Versailles but it’s well worth a visit if you are spending some time in Paris and want to take a day trip outside the city one day.
I recently visited the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte and really enjoyed it!
Here’s everything you need to know about taking a day trip to this historic chateau.
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Best tours to Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte:
History of Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte has a very fascinating history.
The chateau was purchased by Nicolas Fouquet, an ambitious young member of the Parlement of Paris in 1641. He later became the Superintendent of Finances in France under Louis XIV, the Sun King.
In 1656, he began renovating the chateau and gardens with help from famous architects and landscape designers of the time. He spared no expense in making Vaux-le-Vicomte a lavish, over-the-top residence. He employed André Le Nôtre, who designed the gardens at Versailles, to design the gardens here too.
In 1661, Nicolas Fouquet hosted a lavish fête in honor of Louis XIV at his chateau, hoping to impress him. However, things did not go as planned and the fête marked Fouquet’s fall from grace.
Unfortunately, the French statesman Jean-Baptiste Colbert had been scheming against Fouquet for some time and convinced King Louis XIV that Fouquet had misappropriated public funds for his opulent chateau. He had Fouquet arrested the night of his fête and he was exiled and spent the rest of his life in prison.
Meanwhile, Colbert took his position as Superintendent of Finances. Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte was sold by Fouquet’s wife and changed hands several times over the following centuries.
At one point, it fell into disrepair but a major restoration effort returned the chateau to its former glory and it opened to the public for tours in 1968. The chateau is still privately owned to this day.
How to Get There
You can visit Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte independently from Paris. If you have your own car, it’s an easy one-hour drive from Paris and there is a free parking lot across the street from the entrance.
Otherwise, you can visit Vaux-le-Vicomte via train, bus, and walking from Paris.
First, you will need to get to Gare de Lyon in Paris. This train station is served by Metro lines 1 and 14. At the train station, you’ll want to purchase a one-day Mobilis ticket from any ticket machine.
This ticket costs €17.80 and allows for unlimited train and bus travel within the Île-de-France region.
You will then take the Transilien R train or the TER train south to Melun. Both trains are nonstop and take just under 30 minutes. You can also take the RER D train from Gare du Nord in Paris, but this makes lots of stops on the way to Melun and takes more than one hour, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
Once in Melun, you will need to walk outside the station to the Gare de Melun – Place de l’Ermitage bus stop. From here, catch the 01EX bus in the direction of Gare de Coulommiers. You’ll be on the bus for about 20 minutes and get off at the Rn36 which is in the small village of Saint-Germain-Laxis.
This is the closest stop to the chateau, but unfortunately, “close” is a relative term and you’ll still need to walk 35 minutes to reach the entrance. Luckily, it’s a lovely pedestrian path through the countryside.
You can also take a taxi from Melun station to the chateau, but you might have trouble getting a taxi back to Melun at the end of your visit because it’s located in a remote part of the countryside.
Tours to Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
I’m normally all for visiting places independently, but unlike some other chateaux near Paris, Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is not very accessible via public transportation, as you can see above.
Since it’s trickier and more time-consuming to visit on your own, I recommend a tour.
This is the coach bus tour I took from Paris. It combines a visit to Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte with another nearby chateau, Chateau de Fontainebleau. The two chateaux are only a 30-minute drive from each other, but without your own car, it’s nearly impossible to visit them both on the same day.
On this tour, you’ll depart by coach bus from Paris and stop at Chateau de Fontainebleau for 3.5 hours. Next, you’ll hop back on the bus and head to Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, where you’ll spend 2.5 hours. I found the tour to be well-paced and I felt like I had enough time to explore both chateaux.
The tour includes round-trip transportation from Paris and entry tickets to both chateaux (as well as audio guides at both chateaux and entry to the rooftop dome at Vaux-le-Vicomte.)
Things to Do at Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
Here are the best things to do on your visit to Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte:
Tour the chateau. Touring the chateau takes about an hour to an hour and a half. I recommend the free audio guide if you want to learn more about Nicolas Fouquet and the history of the chateau.
Climb to the dome at the top. The dome at the top of Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte offers great views over the grounds and gardens. It’s an extra €5 to go up (or included if you are taking the tour I did.)
Rent a golf cart to explore the gardens. The gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte are really beautiful, but they’re quite large. That’s why I recommend renting a golf cart to explore the gardens! This was definitely the most fun thing I did on my visit. It’s only €20 to rent a golf cart for 45 minutes which is enough time to drive around the gardens. (You can also rent your golf cart for longer if you’d like.)
Enjoy lunch at the chateau. There are several places you can grab a bite to eat at the chateau. There’s a sit-down restaurant in the chateau outbuildings near the ticket office and a kiosk in the gardens offering sandwiches, pastries, and drinks. You can also pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it in the gardens.
Visit the Carriage Museum. Just beyond the ticket office for the chateau, you’ll find the Carriage Museum. Entrance is included for free with your ticket to the chateau, and it’s worth a look in this interesting museum which is filled with historic carriages from the 17th century to the early 20th century.
Attend a Candlelit Evening. Every Saturday during the summer, the chateau is open in the evenings and illuminated by candlelight, creating a unique and beautiful ambiance.
Essential Information
Tickets to visit the Chateau de Fontainebleau are €17.
Reduced admission of €13.50 is available for students under the age of 26 years old and children aged 6 to 17 years old. Young children under the age of 6 years old get free admission.
Audio guides are available and free with admission to the chateau.
From mid-March through October, the chateau is open every day from 10:30 AM until 5:30 PM. On Candlelit Saturdays from June through September, the chateau is open from 11 AM until 9:30 PM.
The chateau is open from Wednesday through Sunday during the holiday season, but it closes for an extended winter break in January and February so you won’t be able to visit at this time.
You can see detailed information about opening dates and hours right here.
Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte Day Trip
Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a wonderful day trip from Paris.
If you’re interested in French history, this is a must-visit. You can also combine it with a visit to the nearby Chateau de Fontainebleau on this day tour if you want to see two chateaux in one day.
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