Paris Day Trip: Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Castles Exploration

Embark on a captivating day trip from Paris to explore the enchanting Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte castles. Immerse yourself in the rich history, art, and opulence of these magnificent French landmarks, and wander through their stunning gardens and grounds.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Le Styx, Riviere des Enfers - Board a luxury coach and travel southeast to reach Vaux le Vicomte, approximately 35 miles (55 km) away.
  • Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte - The main highlight is the Vaux le Vicomte Castle, an impressive Baroque chateau that is said to have inspired the Palace of Versailles. Disembark from your coach and begin your…
What's Included
  • Entrance tickets to Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte castles
  • Access to the dome of the Vaux-le-Vicomte Castle
  • Period costume rentals for children for an immersive 17th-century experience
  • Comfortable travel in an air-conditioned vehicle
  • Audioguides available at both castles for an informative visit
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks
  • Guided visit
  • On-board WiFi
  • On-board restrooms
Additional Information

Embark on a day tour from Paris to visit the splendid French fortresses of Vaux le Vicomte and Château Fontainebleau! Each location includes an audio-guided tour offering insights into the history, art, and the fascinating monarchs who once lived there. Take advantage of your leisure time to wander around the castle gardens, marveling at the opulent…

Location
Pullman Paris Centre - Bercy
Rue de Libourne
Metro Station : Cour Saint Emilion - Line 14 (Exit N°1 - 2) BUS : N°24 + 111 + 109 Stop Terroirs de France Meet our representative with a Paris City Vision sign, outside the hotel (in front of the main entrance)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(338 Ratings)
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Brigitte_k
Aug 11, 2025
Great tour! See Chateau life in a more low key less crowded experience - A no hassle trip. It is self guided but the coach ride was relaxing and they are timely and give you plenty of time to explore and eat. The Chateau Fontainebleau was not crowded and really let you see so much more of chateau life. The Vaux le Vicomte Chateau was also amazing although smaller.
Review provided by Viator
Campbell_l
Jun 23, 2025
Great day, highly recommend - Great day, easy to find meeting point and the staff were extremely efficient ensuring we all had tickets and passes. Time allowed at each location was perfect. Coach driver was very courteous and professional.
Review provided by Viator
Herve_d
Jun 19, 2025
A great outing! - Well organized. We got the vouchers at the meeting point. Two people were late for departure from the first castle. The bus driver politely waited over 15 minutes before leaving without them and then added 30 minutes at the end to compensate the group for the inconvenience. Bus was very clean. Driver was very professional.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_b
Jun 19, 2025
just do it - fantastic tour, knowledgeable guide, plenty of time to explore, & good value given what was provided. highly recommended
Review provided by Viator
Dianeco2620ct
Jun 27, 2025
Great, but... - Fontainebleau was beautiful but too crowded to enjoy fully. Vaux-le-Vicomte was equally beautiful and waa my favorite of the two. They had a better audio tour and headsets, and it didn't have lots of visiting school children like Fontainebleau. It would be nice if we were provided with maps of the castles ahead of time, even if only a pdf for our phones. Trying to locate restrooms and food were time-consuming and you really can't dawdle if you want to see everything. We arrived at Vaux-le-Vicomte after lunch so there were limited items left to buy in their café. I wish I had brought a lunch to eat on Vaux-le-Vicomte's beautiful grounds. They had tables for this purpose. The bus was comfortable but we were stuck in horrible traffic returning to Paris. I will definitely want to return to Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carmen_m
Aug 12, 2025
Enjoyable but could be better - Unfortunately this fell a little short of our expectations. Whilst it was professionally organised there is no commentary from the bus driver. He pulls the bus up somewhere near the entrance to the palace / chateau and didn’t even tell us the direction to go to get in. This left everyone a little confused. Fontainebleau and Villa Vicomte were enjoyable though.
Review provided by Viator
Val_b
Aug 9, 2025
Uncomfortable ride - The bus’s air conditioner wasn’t working; despite the driver’s claims, the fan was only circulating very hot, room-temperature air.
Review provided by Viator
Warren44k
Jul 1, 2025
Foul-smelling bus - The trip was spoilt by the bus. The air conditioning emitted a foul-smelling blast like stale cigarettes or sweaty clothing. The driver was exceptionally careful, manoeuvring expertly in narrow streets and tight corners.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_g
Jun 10, 2025
A pitiful experience and a complete waste of a travel day and $132. - We are experienced, curious, non-complaining travelers who have used Viator many times and have been satisfied. This one fell way short of the mark. For $132/person you get a bus ride, admission, and audio guide. This is self-guided, no professional guide. They don’t tell you that up front. The tour is too long by several hours, over 4 hours just at Fountainbleau with 2 1/2 hours for lunch. Really? The tour ends ar Vaux de Vicompte at 5:00; just in time for an excruciating crawl back to the drop-off point. Arrived at 7:00 pm, a 10+ hour excursion, mostly riding the bus or killing time. Nobody was happy with the experience. I wouldn’t waste my money, go out for a nice dinner instead.
Review provided by Viator
Nancygates_12
Jun 10, 2025
No tour guide - Too much time at Fontainebleau. Audioguide didn’t work. Less time at each place. No tour guide. We left at 9:15 and returned at 6:30.
Review provided by Tripadvisor