W elcome to the Château de Fontainebleau

Accessibility
is open every day except
The Grands Appartements are
Tuesday, January 1st, May 1st
accessible to visitors with limited
The Diana Garden, the smallest of the gardens, is named after
and December 25th:
mobility. Vehicle access to the
the godness Diana whose statue adorns the fountain. It used
- October to March from 9:30 am
château is possible via the cour
almost continuously from the 12th century until the fall of
to be the kings' private garden. In the 17th century it was divided
to 5:00 pm
des Mathurins (opposite the
Napoleon III in 1870, and then by the first presidents of
by box hedges and decorated with statues. It was transformed
- April to September from 9:30 am
Municipal theatre). Pushchairs
during the Empire period into a landscaped English-style garden
to 6:00 pm
are forbidden in the visit of the
whose features it has retained.
- last admission, except for
Grands Appartements. Baby carriers
the bookshop, 45 minutes before
and light folding pushchairs
closing time.
are available in the cloakrooms,
courtyards and gardens and its exceptional collections make
it the most fully furnished of the French royal châteaux.
The jardin Anglais
The English Garden, called jardin des Pins (Pine Garden) during
How to discover the château?
- Visit freely at your own pace the Grands Appartements and
the Napoleon I Museum (about 2h with the audio guide);
- Continue by joining guided tours in the restricted
areas, depending on the day's programme: “The Small
the reign of François I and consisting of many small gardens, was
redesigned during the reign of Louis XIV and then remodelled
under Napoleon I by Hurtault. It features picturesque landscapes
thanks to its river and winding walks, its ornemental rock and
above all its remarkable collection of exotic trees.
The Grand Parterre
Apartements”, “The Chinese Museum and the Second
The largest French-style formal garden in Europe has kept its
Empire”, “The Furniture Gallery” and the other tours
geometric layout designed by Le Nôtre, Louis XIV’s gardener, but
proposed from time to time (1h15 min for each tour);
has lost its box hedge ‘embroidery’. In summer you can admire
- Stroll around the courtyards and gardens (1h at least);
- In fine weather, go canoeing on the Carp Pond or discover
the Grand Parterre and the Park in a horse-drawn carriage.
its 45,000 blossoming plants.
The Park
Beyond the gardens lies the Park with the 1,200-metre-long
canal, dug during the reign of Henri IV, which prolongs the
The château de Fontainebleau is one of the largest royal
grille
du bois d’hyver
perspective of the Grand Parterre.
grille
de la place d’armes
residences remaining in Europe, listed by UNESCO as a World
Heritage site.
grille
du jardin de diane
Town centre
grille
des mathurins
grille
de l’allée
de maintenon
grille
d’honneur
9. Jardin de Diane
(Diana Garden)
10. Pavillon de l'Étang
aux Carpes
(Pavilion of the Carp Pond)
11. Jardin Anglais
(English Garden)
12. Canal et Grand
Parterre
From May to September,
a tea-room and ice-cream
parlour are available to
visitors. Other attractions
are a park tour in
a horse-drawn carriage,
canoeing on the Carp
Pond, and balloon flights
from the bank of the Canal.
A. Jeu de Paume
(Tennis Hall)
B. Fontaine Belle-Eau
(Belle-eau Fountain)
C. Étang aux Carpes
(Carp Pond)
D. Bassin des Cascades
(Cascades Pool)
E. Fontaine de la Reine
(Queen's Fountain)
F. Canal
G. Exutoire (Canal outlet)
H. Fontaine Napoléon
(Napoleon Fountain)
100 m
except during very busy periods.
Regulations
No food or drinks are allowed in
Prices
the rooms. It is forbidden to smoke,
Grands Appartements: €10 / €8
take photographs with a flash,
Guided tour: €6.50 / €5
and to touch the collections.
Combined Grands Appartements
and guided tour: €14.50 / €13
Thematic tour: €14.50 / €13
(also gives access to the Grands
The courtyards and gardens
Appartements)
are open:
Adult audio guide included
- November to February from 9:00
in the price of the ticket (in French,
am to 5:00 pm
German, English, Chinese, Spanish,
- in March, April and October from
Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Polish
9:00 am to 6:00 pm
and Russian).
- May to September from 9:00 am
A children’s audio guide is also
to 7:00 pm
available: €1.
NB: the jardin de Diane and the jardin
Free admission: 1st Sunday of
Anglais close respectively ½h and
the month, under-18s and European
1h before the indicated closing time.
Union residents aged 18-25.
Your ticket is valid for the whole day.
Access
The park
By road:
is open 24/7 throughout the year.
A6 motorway - Fontainebleau exit
By train:
Gare de Lyon, take the train for
Montereau-Fault-Yonne or LarocheMigennes or Montargis, get off at
Fontainebleau-Avon stop, then take
bus 1, direction Les Lilas Château
and get off at Poste-Château stop.
Visit the Château,
the Park and the Gardens
the 3rd Republic. Today it is an immense palace with many
that it can be protected for the benefit of humanity.
described it, the château de Fontainebleau was inhabited
The jardin de Diane
universal and exceptional value of a cultural or natural heritage so
“The true home of kings, the house of ages”, as Napoleon I
Information and reservations
Tel: 01 60 71 50 70
contact.chateau-de-fontainebleau@culture.gouv.fr
www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr
The Château
as a World Heritage site. Inclusion on this list highlights the
porte
blanche
The château de Fontainebleau and its estate are listed by UNESCO
Railway
station
Cover: Galerie François Ier, aerial view. Photos: © Sophie Lloyd, © Giovanni Ricci Navara, éd FMR, © Jean-Claude Jacquin – Château de Fontainebleau – Graphics: DES SIGNES, October 2011
Welcome to the Château
de Fontainebleau
park and gardens
history of the château
ground floor
first floor
The Petits Appartements*
The medieval château
The musée Napoléon Ier
Of the first château, attested as early as 1137, only the keep (A)
These Small Apartments were occupied during the Ancien Régime
The Napoleon I Museum in the setting of the former apartments
has survived.
by the king and his family or by certain influential members
presents an evocation of the lives of the emperor Napoleon I and
of the court, then fitted out for Napoleon I and Josephine in two
members of his family in a collection of furniture, objets d’art and
The Renaissance château
adjoining apartments. They have remained unchanged and thus
portraits that belonged to them.
François I had the château rebuilt in 1528. The porte Dorée (Golden
give us a glimpse into the private life of the imperial couple.
Gate) (B), inspired by Italian architecture, marked the entrance to
The Grands Appartements
The musée Chinois*
the cour Ovale (Oval Courtyard): around this courtyard were the royal
The galerie des Fastes (Ceremonies Gallery) and the galerie des Assiettes
apartments and the salle de Bal (Ballroom) (C) completed by Henri II.
The Chinese Museum and the salons of the Empress Eugénie
(Plates Gallery) (A) recall various events held in Fontainebleau. The
This courtyard is linked to a secondary courtyard (today’s cour
were intended for relaxation and the private parties of the court.
appartement du Pape (Papal Apartment) (B) is a double apartment
d’Honneur) by the galerie François Ier (François I gallery) (D). The
The Empress followed the taste of the period by acquiring
with eleven rooms used for eminent guests. It got its present name
aile de la Belle Cheminée (Beautiful Chimney Wing) (E) designed by
remarkable collections of Far Eastern objets d’art, particularly
from Pope Pius VII who stayed here twice, in 1804 and 1812.
Primaticcio, with its astonishing double-banister stairway, is a
from China and Siam.
The Renaissance Rooms (C), like the galerie François Ier and the salle de
Bal (Ballroom), are unique in France. They have kept their astonishing
fine example of the Italian Renaissance style adapted for France.
The galerie des Cerfs*
decoration of frescoes and stucco works produced by the Italian
In the 17th century
The Stags Gallery, built for Henri IV, is decorated with bird’s-
artists Rosso and Primaticcio during the reigns of François I and
Henri IV was the other great builder of the château. He opened up
eye views of the royal estates and residences and a series of
Henri II, a period when Fontainebleau was one of the major artistic
and enlarged the cour Ovale (Oval Courtyard), giving it the gate
remarkable bronze sculptures cast from antique models in the
centres of Europe.
known as the porte du Baptistère (Baptistery Gate) (F), named in
16th and 17th centuries.
The appartement de Madame de Maintenon (D)** is named after the
memory of the baptism of the future Louis XIII. It faced a new
great lady who occupied it from 1686 to 1715. It was refurnished
The galerie de Meubles*
courtyard, the cour des Offices (G). Henri IV also built the wing
with two superimposed galleries, the galerie de Diane (Diana
The Furniture Gallery features a selection of furniture from the
Gallery) and galerie des Cerfs (Stags Gallery) (H), the Volière (Aviary)
reserve collection of the château relating to historical periods
(I) and the jeu de Paume (J) for playing tennis.
which cannot be presented in their original settings.
The Trinity Chapel, built for François I, was completed under
replaced by a more spacious building and the Gros Pavillon (Large
Louis XIII. The decoration of the vault is the work of Martin
Pavilion) (L) was built by Gabriel in 1750.
Fréminet.
and replaced by the present ironwork gate (M). In the reign of
Louis-Philippe, the Volière (Aviary) and the adjacent galerie des
Chevreuils (Roe Deer Gallery) were demolished. The work carried
out under Napoleon III mostly concerned the interior decoration.
kings and their court. The full pomp of their life can still be seen in the
The inner apartment of Napoleon I (F) is a suite of rooms fitted out in 1804
Entrance
Middle Ages
Renaissance
for the Emperor’s private use and distinct from the ceremonial salons.
It was in this apartment that Napoleon I abdicated on 6 April 1814.
The appartement des Chasses*
The salle des Colonnes**
In the 19th century
residence which he refurnished. The Ferrara wing was destroyed
out on the cour Ovale and the jardin de Diane were occupied by the
Chamber of the Empress, the Throne Room and the Council Room.
Under Louis XV, the former galerie d’Ulysse (Ulysses Gallery) (K) was
but the buildings were spared. Napoleon I made it into an imperial
The appartements des Souverains (Sovereigns’ Apartments) (E) that look
Exit
The chapelle de la Trinité
In the 18th century
During the Revolution, the château was emptied of its furniture
in the 19th century with furniture from the Ancien Régime.
The decoration of the Columns Room, ordered by Louis-Philippe
The Hunting Apartment is decorated by panels depicting the
for the wedding of his son, combines pairs of statuesque marble
Hunts of Louis XV painted by Oudry. The imperial prince, son of
columns, mirrors and a coffered plafond.
Accessible to visitors
with limited mobility
Henri IV and Louis XIII
Napoleon III, was its last occupant.
The galerie de Peintures**
Louis XIV, Louis XV
and Louis XVI
The Paintings Gallery presents a choice of paintings that previously
formed part of the décor of the château or are on deposit from the
Demolished in the
19th century
1. Premier salon de
l'Impératrice ou salon
de Billard (First Salon
of the Empress
or Billiards Room)
2. Musée Chinois
(Chinese Museum)
3. Galerie des Cerfs
(Stags Gallery)
4. Chapelle de la Trinité
(Trinity Chapel)
*
**
Accessible to individual
visitors on guided tours
without reservation
(subject to availability)
and to groups on lecture
tours by reservation only
Accessible to groups
on lecture tours
by reservation only
Louvre museum.
5. Reconstruction of
the military campaign
tent of the Emperor
6. Salle du Trône
(The Throne room)
7. Salle de Bal
(The Ball Room)
8. Chambre d'Anne
d'Autriche (Anne
of Austria's chamber)
*
**
Accessible to individual
visitors on guided tours
without reservation
(subject to availability),
and to groups on lecture
tours by reservation only
Accessible to groups
on lecture tours
by reservation only