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Recommended
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Heritage List
Address
77300 Fontainebleau
Metro: Gare de
Lyon: direction Fontainebleau.
Tel: 01.60.71.50.70
Hours: Castle:
Wed.-Mon. 9.30 a.m. - 12:30 p. m., 2 p.m. - 5 p. m. Reduced hours
from September through June.
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Loved
by French kings for its closeness to great hunting opportunities,
the Château de Fontainbleau makes a delightful side trip from
Paris. Located about 40 miles south of the city and accessible by
train in only 45 minutes, we recommend you go in the morning
and walk around the grounds of the palace or take a hike in
the rock formations in the nearby forest. The palace was
Napoleon's favorite residence. King Francois I turned the hunting
lodge into a kingly palace and even hired the services of Italian
artist Benvenuto Cellini. The impressive Louis XV staircase is one
of the highlights of the tour.
Used by the Kings of France from the 12th century, the
hunting residence of Fontainebleau, at the heart of a vast forest
in the Ile-de-France, was transformed, enlarged and embellished in
the 16th century by Francois I, who wanted to make a "New
Rome" of it. Surrounded by an immense park, the palace, of
Italian inspiration, combines Renaissance and French artistic
traditions. |
