Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Nestled in the French countryside, this magestic chateau sits on a sprawling 1200 acres. Rich in history and legends. There a fantastic audio tour that is included in your 18 euros entry fee. Make sure you take advantage of it. The gardens are splendid designed and very relaxing to walk through. Golf cart rentals are available for 25 euro an hour. Don’t miss admiring the drive up to the chateau that is tree lined with gorgeous trees hundreds of years old. Absolutely beautiful.

Vaux-le-Vicomte is absolutely breathtaking—an unforgettable experience that seamlessly blends history, beauty, and emotion. The gardens alone are worth the trip: an expansive, meticulously designed masterpiece of symmetry and elegance. I was in awe walking through the grounds, designed by André Le Nôtre, with stunning vistas that shift as you move, showcasing the genius of 17th-century landscape architecture. I easily walked over 20,000 steps just taking everything in—every fountain, hedge, and path offers something new. The château itself is a marvel, both inside and out. Every room is lavishly decorated, with a sense of grandeur and refinement that reflects the vision of Nicolas Fouquet, the original owner. What’s even more fascinating is the story behind it: Fouquet, the finance minister of Louis XIV, threw an extravagant fête for the king in 1661, hoping to impress him. Ironically, it had the opposite effect. Louis XIV, threatened by Fouquet’s ambition and splendor, had him arrested shortly after on questionable charges of embezzlement. The King then used the same architects, designers, and landscape planner—Le Vau, Le Brun, and Le Nôtre—to create Versailles. The evening Candlelight experience is magical. Thousands of candles illuminate the château and gardens, recreating the ambiance of that infamous night. It truly feels like stepping into a living piece of history. The museum inside is equally captivating, offering insight into Fouquet’s life and his perspective—his belief that he was falsely accused and made a scapegoat for political purposes. If you love history, architecture, garden and landscape design, or just long walks in extraordinary settings, you can spend an entire day here and still want to return. Vaux-le-Vicomte is an absolute must-visit. As of 7 June, I paid 22 euros to enter, but it was worth it and I paid 5 euros to go to the tower for the view.

Superb! Wonderful chateau and gardens. Great restaurant. Reasonable entry price. We went end of June and, apart from junior school trips, it was largely empty. Audio tour of house (in English) was a bit weird but all the information is there (also in English) for you to read. Lovely gardens, lakes, statues, etc. we were there about 4 hours but could easily spend all day.

This a spectacular property. The 3d audio guide is so great and has really interesting history and great acting. It automatically goes to the next part of the commentary as you approach each of the rooms. If you walk too fast you can miss some of it. The gardens are wonderful. There is also a shuttle bus from the station which you need to reserve. It was the beginning of spring and there were only 2 per day and the website had not updated the times but we caught the 10:00am and 3:35 return.

Beautiful chateau and gardens. Wonderful place to picnic. I highly suggest you visit during one of Candlelight tours and stay for the fireworks.

What a cool place. AMAZING gardens. You can walk forever. Always something interesting. Wish I had more time to explore. House is also worth seeing but in my humble opinion the gardens are the highlight.

We visited this castle after Fontainebleau, and we loved both. We especially liked the audio guides (we heard in French). The sound quality was amazing with stereo effects and historical context was given in an entertaining and engaging way. The castle’s interiors are very interesting. There are some stairs, though, so take that into account if you’re travelling with elderly or people with limited mobility. The gardens are beautiful and very well kept. The gardeners are to be congratulated. It’s very pleasant and it reminds of Versailles, but less crowded. If you Google it’s history or hear the audio guide, you’ll understand why there’s such a resemblance. If it’s sunny, it’s a good idea to bring a hat and put some sunscreen as there is limited shade. You can rent like a golf caddy but the queue was long and we people that were already attended to still had to wait to take theirs, so we decided to walk (it’s doable) because our guide was picking us up later. I believe it costs 20 euros for 45 minutes, but a deposit of 200 euros is mandatory (for warranty and given back upon return of the caddy). There is a restaurant by the entrance and a kiosk by the gardens, but we didn’t try either of them. The toilets by the entrance were clean. We loved our visit, and it’s definitely worth coming here. We managed to visit Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte on the same day and it’s doable. You have enough time to visit both castles and their gardens without rushing, especially if you start your visit early on, and especially if you’re hiring a private guide/driver and taking a whole day tour from Paris. Highly recommended!

What if, Nicolas Fouquet superintendent of finances for the King, didn’t have organized such a lavish party for the King Louis XIV on Wednesday 17th August 1661 at his Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte? Everything was done to dazzle the King, his Court, and the Queen Mother and over 600 guests. Orchestrated by his Maitre d’Hotel Vatel and painter-decorater Le Brun, there was the finest food, comedy ballets by Moliere, a twenty-four piece orchestra, fireworks, an illuminated garden and what more. Alas, the King was angered by this display of wealth that should be his and three weeks later, on Thursday 5th September 1661 Fouquet was arrested and imprisoned in La Bastille in Paris The Chateau was put under seal and everything in it confiscated and transported to other royal estates of the King. When you visit the Chateau, you will understand why the King got so angry. The design of the castle is magnificent with beautiful decorated rooms. You can self-guide through the castle with a good audio tour, which comes with a head set and a small audio tuner that automatically connects to a new story when you enter the next room. For € 5,- extra you can climb narrow stairs to get to the bell tower on top of the dome from where you can see the gardens from above.  In the cellar you can see the lay-out of the large kitchen and storage rooms where the delicious food was prepared by Francois Vatel, the famous Master of Banquets who became a symbol of culinary excellence and high standards of French gastronomy. It's nice to see some very personal photographs of the family who own the castle since 1875, the de Vogüé family, Patrice de Vogüé opened the castle to the public in 1968 which now draws around 300.000 visitors every year The large garden was a bit dull as there were no blooming plants. You should allow for 2-3 hours to see it all.

I haven't been to all of the famous chateaux in France, but I have been to many, and this is my favorite for a number of reasons: 1) the history...what a story about Fouquet, his ambitions, and his downfall 2) the building and grounds...this was a preparation for Versailles with all the major players going on to do work there 3) the fact that in the spirit of Fouquet, this place is continuing on without support from the French state Close to Paris, easy day trip. During the summers there is also a shuttle service and a candle-lit time for visits as well.

This was the Chateau I most wanted to see while in Paris on my last trip with my fiancee who was there for work. We were lucky enough to get a day tour scheduled for April 02 (the first day it opened for the season) when we were flying out the very next AM. I'm glad we were able to see the house and grounds despite it being the coldest day in a long long time. The inside is lovely and a free walking tour is provided which is somewhat neat, unlike others which are dry and plain Jane, this one is basically a theatrical reenactment in each room that automatically starts when you walk into the room and will stop when you walk out for a few minutes. There are voice actors who are playing the parts of the characters of the home so you can understand the context of the time. Pretty neat and very different from other audio guides. The gardens are huge and take a long time to walk if you plan to do the entire thing - it's probably about 3 miles round trip at least. Took around 40 minutes to get back to Paris from here - so it's an easy day trip and an easy drive with tons of parking on site. The gift shop was closed - but the cafe was open and had some food and warm drinks (needed on this 30 degree 20mph wind April day!). The drive to the chateau is also lovely down a tree-lined lane with several hundred year old trees planted on either side.

8/10/20 In the summer time of 1994, I took a trip to see Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King. I will note I did buy a necklace at Louis The 14th's gift shop of the sun, but don't remember what happened to it  years later. King Louis was ruled France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715.  Wow, this guy had quite a reign. This equals 72 years and 110 days in office. This guy has the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history. This is quite impressive.   Louis XIV's house my be impressive,  but I really don't remember it now. I remember taking pictures back in the day when disposable cameras we quite common.   If I can find my pictures from this time I was there, I will post them giving them new life so to speak. The garden and maze were more impressive to me. They may not have had the terminology of the word Landscaping,  but someone from then to now is still keeping up the good work. I think I found the whole experience more exciting, because of the company I was with.   I haven't been able to find the the photos of Louis XIV's Chateau from 1994, but I did find one group photo. Most of these students now have their own kids... funny how time passes.

I would definitely recommend going and touring this place, it is absolutely gorgeous. The more I looked, the more that I fell in love with the place. Whoever designed this landscape should be complimented in the highest honor. They put a lot of love into designing this place and it shows. Definitely a place you should put on your bucket list of places to visit. The gardens themselves make the trip worthwhile, they were amazing.

My friend and I had been to Versailles on previous trips, so this time we wanted to explore a different chateau. We had originally wanted to visit Chantilly but learned its museum was closed for the month of August, so we looked to our guidebooks for other options and found Vaux le Vicomte, accessible via an easy train ride out of Paris. The castle itself was gorgeous from the outside (although the back facade was undergoing renovations and thus partly obscured by scaffolding), but we weren't that impressed with the interior. It just didn't seem as grand as we expected from a castle, but it was still fun to walk through the different bedrooms, sitting rooms, ballrooms, kitchen areas, dungeon, carriage house, etc. The real draw is the garden area in the back. I would suggest spending a while just strolling the grounds and exploring the hedges and walkways to the left (when your back is to the castle). I would recommend Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte if you're looking for a day trip out of Paris. Keep in mind you will have to take a taxi from the train station, which adds an additional 15-20 minutes and around 15 euros (each way) to the trip. With the train fare and admission to the castle itself, the whole trip cost us around 50 euros per person, which is pricey, but worth it for something different and a brief escape from city life.

This Chateau was far off the beaten path and a little tough to get to but well worth the adventure. The chateau is small compared to others we say but was more original. The crowds on a Saturday afternoon were small. The gardens are breath taking. We spent hours in the gardens.

The landmark Château de Vaux le Vicomte is quite honestly one of the most well kept and beautiful spaces of landscape architecture. The sense of formality enhances its feeling of a moment out of time. The integrated pools of water give it a feeling of being almost away form the busy world while the pyramid bushes, vines and stonework maintain the serenity of the landscape. I personally enjoyed the open spaces surrounded by coves perfect for reflection. The tall hedges lined with walkways set a scene for a relaxed and calm effect. The order and intention exhibited around every corner gave me a feeling of purpose. I don't think I will ever have a home or place anything like this place but it makes me want to improve my own yard and make it a more enjoyable place to enjoy.

We visited near Christmas. It was very crowded but the Christmas decorations were a lot of fun and very beautiful! Get there early if you want less crowds and little more peace and quiet....but stay late if you want to see the decorations after dark. Buy tickets online, as they have a separate line for prepaid tickets and it moves much much faster!

This is a lovely place to visit outside of Paris although you'll need private transportation to get here. Because it's so out of the way, it's much less crowded than many of the museums and sites of interest in Paris. Noted as the inspiration for the Chateau-de-Versailles, it's interesting to see both places as one is a much grander version of the other. The remoteness means you'll get to see things a bit better without suffering from person or selfie stick claustrophobia. The gardens in back are beautiful and are effectively a mini-version of the Versailles gardens (but don't skip it - it's impressive in it's own right).

Yes, this is yet another French palace, but it is a palace with a unique and pivotal history that influenced the design of many other estates throughout France. I wish I had taken the audio guide as it wasn't until after my visit in reading the book I bought that I discovered the rich history that I had viewed during my visit. Vicomte is an easy day trip from Paris, and is less visited, especially in the fall and spring, which makes it the perfect retreat from the business of the city. You can easily get a direct train from the Gare de Lyon to Melun every 30 minutes (Grande Lignes area), and the train ride is about 25 minutes long. At the Melun train station from March 30th - November on the weekend you can take a Chateau Shuttle bus. Otherwise, you can take a taxi for about 20 Euro. The palace was built from 1658 to 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, the superintendent of finances of Louis XIV. Foquet for the first time brought together the team of Louis Le Vau, André le Nôtre, and Charles Le Brun to create the palace. This trio started the "Louis XIV style", which was simulated throughout Europe after Vicomte was completed. The king himself hired them to create Versailles. Shortly after Vicomte was completed, Fouquet was arrested for supposed embezzlement, and was sentenced to life. The house was later owned by Marshal Villars, the family of Duke of Praslin, and Alfred Sommier, and currently is privately owned by Patrice and Cristina de Vogüé, the Comte et Comtesse de Vogüé. Thanks to the recent owners the house and gardens has been restored to it's current beautiful state. You can appreciate the history and the touch these owners had over time during your visit, which is why you won't find all the original furnishings in the house, from the time of Foquet. When we first entered, we took a bite to eat at the self service cafeteria L'Ecureuil. There was a good selection of cold and heated food, and it tasted great! Definitely not typical cafeteria standards. Plus, they have tried to maintain some character within the cafeteria building, which made our lunch very enjoyable. We then toured the carriage museum, house, and gardens. I loved the beauty of the palace, and you can quickly see how this palace inspired the style of other famous French estates. Definitely pay the extra 3E to climb the stairs to the dome and take in the magnificent view of the gardens. The gardens are large, and fun to explore. If you aren't good on your feet you can always rent a electric car. We ended our trip looking through the large gift shop, which was one of the best gift shops I have been to. TIPS: The fountains run every second and last Saturday of the month. You can visit by candlelight in the evening w/ fireworks every Saturday at dusk. There is also a champagne bar available.

so many palaces, so little time. so which to see? aside from the must-go Versailles, i'm drawn to visit sites with the most compelling and often tragic history. Château de Vaux Le Vicomte was not only the most splendid estate in the 17th century but it's grandeur and impressive gardens served as the inspiration for Versailles (architect Le Vau, painter-decorator Le Brun and landscape creator Le Nôtre were all commisioned by Louis XIV). Vaux was built for Nicolas Fouquet, an aristocrat and the king's finance minister. his wealth and eminence caused jealousy among the court who claimed to the young king that his minister had fraudulently amassed his fortune. shortly after an ostentatious fête to honor the king, Foquet was arrested and after a 3 year trial imprisoned for life, his properties confiscated (his wife was able to regain the estate 10 yrs after). while the french public was sympathetic to Fouquet, there seems to have been proof of guilt. located about 50 miles east of Paris, the château can be reached via regional train from Gare de Lyon to Melun (30min). at the station, take a shuttle bus to the estate. or you can also join tours organized by ParisVision. it isn't as visited so crowds will be much thinner. trivia: french basketball star Tony Parker and Eva L.(desperate housewife) had their wedding party here.

"What's that?" "It's just a castle, baby. It's just a castle." Castles are a dime a dozen in France. Some are extra splendid, with lots of gilding and bling and such. Others are ho-hum. Vaux le Vicomte lands about in the middle. Ya, it's pretty and I can understand why lots of movies are filmed here. If you've never seen a castle before and are into 17th century architecture, then it's really nice. But, as I was told quite clearly, "it's just a castle." Picnics aren't allowed, even though the gardens are huge and could take you hours to walk through. (Can someone please explain why I can't bring sustenance with me? Oh ya, they want you to eat at their restaurants that cost an arm and a leg.) The entrance fees are quite steep (17 euros per person for the candlelight evening), particularly for being such an out-of-the-way place. At least there was no parking fee. Note that you cannot just buy the Garden pass (8 euros) on the days when there are fireworks - lame. And, I have to say it, the Candlelight Visit, in which I was supposed to be "transported back in time by this magical illumination to a memorable page of history", didn't really do it for me. Perhaps I wasn't feeling very magical. At least the candles kept the mosquitos away. The biggest downer was the fireworks. I was really trying not to expect a fantastic light show like NYC on the 4th of July or Paris on the 14th of July. But, I did expect more than the 3.5 minutes we got. So, I wasn't super impressed. I recommend sneaking in your own wine, cheese and baguette. The security might look imposing, but just flash them your biggest smile and they'll let you through without checking your bag. Wear good shoes and bring the bug spray. Don't get your hopes up too high - remember, it's just a castle.

Minister of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, known as "The Man who Outshown the Sun King" (the title of a book) was well liked, respected and had this beautiful chateau built in the 1600s, in a time when the royal palaces were in disrepair. Fouquet hosted a grand event for King Louis XIV and his mother (the king was 21 years old) in a spectacular festival that surpassed any that had been hosted in France before. The party ended and the king arrested Fouquet for treason, who ultimately spent the rest of his life in prison. The story is fascinating, the chateau spectacular and the grounds magnificent. King Louis XIV confiscated most of the items within the chateau, including the orange trees in the garden and hired the same architect, artist and landscape designer to create Versailles, no doubt to try to outclass this inspiring edifice. A good place to take kids as well. It was just a 50 minute drive outside of Paris. A place to put on your tourist wish-list. {For People Magazine fans...this is where Eva Longoria and Tony Parker had their wedding reception in 2007.} P.S. The chateau is still privately owned. We visited on 11 May 2013

I admit that there are a lot of Castles in France, but this one has a special place in my heart. I was able to go this past Saturday when the castle is lit by candles all night. Located about an hour from the eiffel tower we ventured out into the bus to find a castle in the middle of no where. The castle itself is nothing to brag about it, but it is simply the gardens and the landscape that makes it spectacular. This place is out of this world and was also the place where Toni Parker and Eva Longoria got married. It is so hard to explain in words how beautiful it was at night, but it is very close to perfection. While I was there a wedding was going on and it is probably one of the most beautiful places to get married.

Castles can be hard to appreciate when they are everywhere in Europe and if you don't actually know much history behind the castle itself. This castle stood out to me amongst others I've seen mainly because of it's beautiful garden. Firstly, the castle itself is nice, I should have grabbed an explanation audio but there were some written information in each room. The architecture and art are beautiful, and the garden is just as immense and beautiful. I encourage you to take a stroll along the pools of water to the Hercules statue at the end of the garden. If you're there in the day keep a look out for wild hedgehogs! At night the castle glows by candle light, an amazing site to see. And some nights, they host a 10-15 minute firework show which is also simply brilliant. A lovely place for a date or to bring your family and have a picnic the royal garden!

Review #400! This is the chateau that inspired (out of jealousy, in my opinion) Louis XIV to commission the grand Palace of Versailles. Although Versailles is far more celebrated, I prefer the charming and more intimate gardens and chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte, perhaps because of the tragic history of its owner, Nicolas Fouquet, a victim of his own ambition. Nicolas Fouquet was the handsome, charming, intelligent and ambitious young superintendent of finances for Louis XIV. He was not only a great patron of the arts, supporting and nourishing great artists, he had an artistic bent himself. For his vision of Vaux-le-Vicomte, he hired the amazing design team of architect Le Vau, landscaper Le Notre, and painter-decorator Le Brun. Vaux was their first collaboration and was remarkably innovative in its harmony between architecture and environment. The Baroque-style chateau sits in the middle of 100 acres of woods and landscaped gardens, the focal centerpiece from any angle. Le Notre laid out the gardens with a central axis that seems to extend out forever. In fact, Le Notre skillfully employed the laws of perspective and optical illusion so that when you look at the gardens from the chateau, objects which seem to be close-by recede as you approach them, making the garden much bigger than it looks while at the same time revealing new facets. (Sounds great in theory, but my feet were sure tired after all that walking!) Inside, the chateau was equally magnificent, making it the finest residence in France and arguably the most influential work in Europe at the time. The rooms were lavishly furnished and appointed with the finest tapestries and works of art. The grand salon is just gorgeous, with black and white tiled floors, and the dome of the ceiling painted a cerulean blue with fluffy clouds and a large flying bird (a falcon?). You can look out the windows to the spectacular gardens from the salon. Fouquet's motto was "Quo non ascendet", "What heights will he not scale?" His ambition was his tragic flaw. After Vaux was completed, he threw a lavish party in the King's honor. Certain that he was soon to be appointed Chief Finance Minister, Fouquet spared no expense to provide the best food, music, and entertainment to flatter the King. Moliere premiered a play, fireworks were lit, the finest food and wine was served on table set with golden silverware. Tragically, the plan backfired. Fouquet was living a life more luxurious than the King's; even the King did not have silverware made of gold or a mansion as richly appointed. He became convinced that Fouquet must have been embezzling state money and had him arrested. Not only was Fouquet innocent, he had brilliantly succeeded in replenishing the State treasury, which had collapsed under Mazarin. During the three year trial, public sentiment was strongly for him, but due to falisified testimony and the King's influence, Fouquet was imprisoned for life, his wife sent into exile, and Vaux was confiscated by Louis XIV. Louis then employed the team of Le Vau, Le Notre, and Le Brun to constuct an even more magnificent estate for himself, Versaille. Vaux-le-Vicomte is all that is left of Fouquet's short-lived career.

The landscaping and architecture are gorgeous and the restaurant is surprisingly good for a cafeteria at a tourist area. It is hard to get to though and all of the original interiors or furniture have been removed. The paintings are all modern copies of the originals. It was kind of annoying that people were riding around the grounds on golf carts. I would recommend Chateau de Fontainebleau.