Can anyone tell me the best way to get to Vaux le Vicompte? We are staying at the Hotel Monge in the Latin Quarter. Help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks

You can take the RER to Melun. There is a pay-phone outside, in front of the train station - call a taxi to take you from there out to Vaux. Ask him to pick you up at a certain time (allow at least 2 hours); otherwise, after visiting the chateau and grounds, go to the cashier/counter in the gift shop and ask them if they would please call a taxi to return you to the train station.
Make sure you know the timetable for the train for returning to Paris.

Thanks Travelnut! Any idea which RER line to take? I am trying to look it up on the RATP site. Thanks

It's RER D2 to Melun.

Thank you, Flyboy..

You can get there faster with a train from Gare de Lyon, if you take the right one. It is not very far, but some of the locals stop frequently.
The fast ones make the trip in 25 minutes.

The taxi ride is fairly pricey. I recall paying 25 € including a tip, one way.

Gare de Lyon is as convenient to the 5th Arr as any station.

The staff at the gift shop/restaurant will be more than happy to call a taxi for you. We used Taxi Melunnaise and the fellow who answered spoke a little English.

The Chateau is one of my favorite places to visit. But, given the cost of the taxi, the cost of train, and the entry fee, you can go with a guided tour just about as cheaply with Fontainebleau as an added attraction.

If you want to freelance it, you can do both Vaux and the palace at Fontainebleau easily in one day with an early start.

There is a bus from the station to the palace gates. It is a very easy trip.

Once there you can also rent a golf cart to explore the grounds.

Bob, I think a 50E round-trip taxi bill would have imprinted itself in my memory. I think it is more like 10-12E one way. Or maybe 25E was the total for the trip..?

Bob has posted that fare before, and it seems high to me too, because the trip is not that long. Good point about the regular train vs the RER. Travel time depending on which train can be from 20 minutes to over an hour. So the important thing is to check the train schedules in advance.

My wife says she recalls 20€ for the taxi ride. I remember it was higher than I thought it would be.

Remember you pay for the time and distance the taxi uses to come out there and get you as well.

It might have been cheaper had I not ordered the taxi in advance. On the other hand, there was one taxi waiting at the station, and it was the one I had asked for. The station is not a major one, so taxis don't que up there like you will find at a major rail station.

I did not think the ride from the station to the chateaux was all that short.

There were cabs lined up when we arrived in Melun, but we called for one leaving the chateau. Since the driver starts the meter when he heads your way, I can see the return trip costing double. Whatever it was it was worth it!

like Ron, we found a cab at the station and don't remember an exorbitant fare. We arranged to have him meet us at the gate at a specified time coordinated with the train schedule from Melun back to Gare de Lyon.

Rent a car. Driving in France is a snap. We went on a Saturday and visited Fontainebleu, Barbizon, and Moret sur Loing during the day and went to Vaux for the candlelight visit in the evening and returned back to Paris by 11 or so.

Without Laidback to help me out, I forgot to check the train schedule for the return trip, and had to wait an hour at the station.

Good idea about Saturday for the car rental.