jean

After reading the glowing reports here on Vaux-le-Vicomte, we are planning a day trip. There are four of us. Does it make more sense to travel by train to Melun or taxi from Paris? Thanks. Jean

Lori

Take the train to Melun and then a taxi. It's the most practical way to do it. There are a couple of tours that incorporate Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fountainbleu but I do not know much about them. A friend did one last year and he felt he could have spent more time there then the tour alloted them. I've been, but relatives took us and we drove their directly so I am not going to give you any advice about the train, but I do know it's the easier way to handle it. Lovely place, you will enjoy it and it's less crowded then Versailles and Fountainbleu as it is not so easy to get to!

Bob Brown

We took a tour to Veau le Vicomte and Fontainebleau. We left about 9 AM from the Paris Vision office on rue de Rivoli near the Tuilleries Gardens and returned about 5 PM. <BR>(The bus just happened to go right by our hotel near Gare Montparnasse, and the guide was quite willing to make a quick stop for us.) <BR> <BR>The guide we had was excellent. I do not regret taking the tour at all. <BR>On the other hand, I wish we had benn able to stay longer at both places! It is a trade off of course. <BR>I know this much: it was one of the most interesting days I have ever spent. <BR>I would be willing to return to both places in a flash. <BR>Veau le Vicomte is to me a beautiful integration of landscaping, architecture, and decorating. <BR>The three men responsibile for the design and execution of Veau are the same three who were "called upon" by Louis XIV to create Versailles. <BR>They were: le Brun, le Nostre, and le Vau. <BR>Le Nostre was the genius of a landscape architect. <BR>Fontainebleau is a significant building and residence in the history of France. <BR>So you cannot lose at either place. <BR>I would go to both if I could.

Donna

Since we wanted to visit Vaux le Vicomte and Fontainbleau but had only one day to do one or the other on our own, we took the combination tour with Paris Vision. This was an efficient way to see both, with a stop first in Barbizon. Lunch was included. The guide was fabulous and we enjoyed the commentary down and back as well. We thought the tours and pacing were excellent and didn't wish for more time at either. What with the train and bus schedules and having to taxi to and from Vaux from the station, I doubt we'd have managed this on our own all in one day (just having to be at Paris Vision on time, we didn't get off to our usual late start). And, we learned a lot more with a guided tour of each than we'd have appreciated wandering about by ourselves. I think we also got to see rooms at Fontainbleau that usually require a separate ticket for individuals and are sometimes open only to groups.

Graziella

Take the train and then a taxi, you can call the same taxi to be picked up. <BR>One thing at a time is much better...

jean

Thanks for all the advise. We will only be going to Vaux-le-Vicomte on this trip. We will definately not be doing a bus tour for this one. <BR> <BR>I thought, with 4 of us, maybe a taxi directly from Paris to the chateau would be a good way to get there. We will probably do the train to Melun and taxi to Vaux. Thanks again, Jean.