Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau is a lovely historic town 55.5 km (34.5 miles) south of Paris, France. It is renowned for its large and scenic forest that surrounds one almighty château, once a hunting lodge beloved of the kings of France. Fontainebleau is a favourite weekend getaway for Parisians, and attracts crowds of tourists.

Get in
Getting there is very easy from Paris.

To the château
You can go by train from Paris by Gare de Lyon: there are at least two trains an hour between 06:19 and 00:49.

If you already have a pass covering zones 1-5, you can use it between Paris and Fontainebleau. If you plan to do just a day trip to Fontainebleau, a Mobilis pass covering zones 1-5 (€17.80) will be cheaper than a return ticket, and is also valid in Paris (RER, metro, bus, tram) and Fontainebleau (bus). Don't forget to write your name and date of use before using it! If you're staying more than a day in Fontainebleau, a one way ticket costs €8.85, it can be used on either way no matter the order of the departure and arrival station written on the ticket. Don't forget to validate it before getting on board!

At Gare de Lyon, tickets should be purchased to the destination Fontainebleau Avon from the green, blue or grey colored Billet Île-de-France machines (these are the same machines from which you buy Paris metro tickets) and not from the yellow colored SNCF machines. Many of these machines accept only coins or a chipped debit card, so if you have only bills and are travelling with a non-chipped card, be prepared to find a ticket office. You can buy your ticket from a station other than Gare de Lyon, just make sure that "Paris" is set as the departure station if you're buying a one-way ticket.

From the  you can use a line 1 bus to get to the Chateau (about 15 minutes), they run between 06:00 and 22:15. The bus ticket costs €1.90, but if you have the purchased the Mobilis day pass, this allows you to ride the bus to and from the castle without any additional cost, just use the ticket machine on the bus: Enter your ticket and the machine will spit it back out to be saved by you. You can also use paper Paris bus/Metro single journey tickets. To find the last stop, you can look for either the Place Napoléon Bonaparte or the Castle as each stop is in the centre.

Alternatively you can walk (about 30 minutes). If you choose to walk, cross under the tracks and follow the signs to the chateau. They will lead you to the corner of the walled park abutting the chateau, where you can follow the paths to the edge of the gardens and then find signs to the entrance.

To the forest
If you want to walk through the forêt de Fontainebleau, some trains stop conveniently in the middle of the forest, only on weekends and French public holidays, at Fontainebleau-Forêt (located here). Those are the 08:16 and 09:16 departures from Paris-Gare de Lyon, arriving at :56. The stop does not appear anywhere on the line maps: it's between Bois-le-Roi and Fontainebleau-Avon. You need a valid pass or ticket to Fontainebleau-Avon (see above).

Beware: - The trains only stop on the Paris -> Fontainebleau journey, they do not stop on the way back to Paris. The closest station, Vulaines-sur-Seine, is a 3.3 km (2 mi) walk southeastbound, make sure you're ready to walk at least that much. - This is a forest. Make sure you have a detailed map of the area, and won't run out of battery if the map is on your smartphone. Again, the closest station, Fontainebleau-Avon, is a 4-km walk away. - Do not cross the railway, use the underpass located close to the platform.

By car
The total distance from centre to centre is about 65 km or an hour. From Paris, follow signs towards the south, then signs for Lyon and the A6. After about 35 minutes you will see signs for Fontainebleau. Once entering the city there is a tall apartment block which is a remnant of some architectural style a lot in the city would like to see disappear. However, it still forms part of the town’s history – as much as the castle even if in much less splendour.

Get around
Orientation in town is very easy as there is only one main artery called the “Rue Grande” which goes from the Castle to the other end of town, passing by the central “Napoléon Bonaparte” place. Many shops, bars and restaurants abound on either sidewalk for every possible taste. Walking is by far the best option as the most you’ll walk without stopping (very difficult thing to do considering all the pretty windows to look at) would be 20 minutes.

See




Do
There are many cultural, sporting, entertainment or shopping activities one can do. For more information on this, the best available and updated website is the official tourism site, linked at the top of this article.

The town is also famous for a horse race track and its Sunday morning food market.

The forest is also full of sandstone boulders perfect for climbing/bouldering.

Birdwatching The walled park of the chateau provides excellent birdwatching, especially if you arrive early. The forest is also nearby.

Buy
There are plenty of shops from high-end pastry shops to the latest French fashion cloth wear and jewellery.

Eat
The town boasts many different restaurants from Mexican to Japanese, Pizza to Fish-only. Of course there are Brasseries (the most authentic being, quite unknowingly called the “Franklin Roosevelt”) and very good French restaurants (the best one being in the Hotel Napoleon).

Drink
There are plenty of places to drink, from modern ambient bars to traditional French bars, English pubs and Mexican bars.

Sleep
There are plenty of places to sleep in Fontainebleau but the three best places are the Aigle Noir Hotel, the Napoléon Hotel and the Hotel of London.



Learn
The Château de Fontainebleau hosts a summer music institution. It is a combination of a music conservatory and an architecture studio in a historic chateau setting. Courses are taught in English by predominately French musicians, composers, artists, and professors. Nadia Boulanger, a young composition and harmony professor led the school until 1979. The school has influenced such composers as: Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, Louise Talma, Samuel Dushkin, Elliott Carter, Beveridge Webster, Kenton Coe and many others.

Go next
As if the town didn’t offer enough as it is, there are many other attractions in the surrounding region. Towns like Barbizon (home of the artists), Milly-la-Foret, Samois-sur-Seine, and many others.