marla

I will only have a few days in Paris so will only have time for one of these. Which?

Bob Brown

Good question. Perhaps I personally can best answer if you are willing to describe a little about what you know about each and what type of aspects of either place would cause you to select one over the other.<BR><BR>Versailles is of course the opulent, legendary palace of the French monarchy beginning with Louis XIV and it has been the scene of many important historical events, such as the proclamation of the German state and the Treaty of Versailles that concluded World War I, at least de jure.<BR><BR>Fontainebleau is/was the hunting lodge of several French kings, and the primary residence of Napoleon when he was not off attending a war. Both are loaded with history, with Fontainebleau being in its own way just as lavish as Versailles. Having seen them both, I am not sure which I would suggest without knowing more. To state that one takes precedence over the other for a visit is a somewhat arbitrary judgment call which I am not fully willing to make.<BR>So tell us more about your personal objectives, and many contributors to this board will comment at length.<BR><BR>

marla

Since my time in Paris is limited, I would prefer to go to the less crowded of the two, and the one which would require less time to see. I am not really familiar with either of these but am interested in seeing an opulent property.

xxxxxx

Versailles is very, very crowded

elaine

marla<BR>Fontainebleau is much less opulent and<BR>(consequently?) much less crowded.<BR>F. had less in the way of gold and marble and furniture and mirrors and...<BR>And nothing beats Versailles' gardens imo. If you would like a compromise of sorts go to Vaux-le-Vicomte. Same architect as Versailles and in fact the <BR>personal estate that inspired Louis XIV to rebuild Versailles in Vaux' image and then some. Vaux is minimally crowded, also has very pretty outbuildings and some gardens. Vaux is open May through October 10am-1pm and 2-6pm, gardens open all day.<BR>Hours vary in the winter. To get there, take a train from Paris’s Gare de Lyon to Melun, (about 25 minute ride) then take a taxi to the Chateau. The taxi ride is about 10 minutes. <BR>www.vaux-levicomte.com/eng/accueil.htm<BR><BR>www.parisplus.com/parisdayexcA_O.html is just one company that has a bus tour combining Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte<BR><BR>For train service, go to : http://voyages.sncf.fr/<BR><BR>All three of these "palaces" should be seen at some point, but I have a special affection for Vaux.

Julie

I second the recommendation for Vaux-le-Vicomte. The grounds are enormous and very relaxing and the Chateau is opulent. Most importantly they offer self-guided tours so you can travel at your own pace rather than wait for an explanation of every clock on every table. It's beautiful and gives you a feel for what life must have been like for finance ministers to the King before they made him jealous and got slapped in jail for outdoing him. I like it much better than either Versailles (way to crowded and often on strike) or Fontainebleu (ok but not special)

Ron

Another recommendation for Vaux-le-Vicomte. After seeing the chateau you can tour the gardens in a rented golf cart. One tip: when you arrive in Melun, check the schedule of express service back to Paris so you will know what time to get back to the station. There is a very good article on bonjour.paris.com--search using "chateau."

JB

I think the earlier e-mail address for Vaux-le-vicomte was a little bit off. Here's the one I got to work:<BR><BR>www.vaux-le-vicomte.com<BR>

Norman

i would skip both and go to Giverny (Monet's house). it's like stepping into his paintings. Especially the gardens.<BR>

Bob Brown

I liked Vaux le Vicomte, too. I have written my ideas about it here in the past. The gardens at Vaux have been reconstructed based on Andre Le Notre's original plans. The interior has been rebuilt as well, but the furnishings after Louis looted the place have been hard to relocate. <BR>There are some lovely items there, however. <BR>Fontainebleau is a piece of French history, and Napoleon's quarters struck me as very opulent. The library is a work of art. <BR>I think you can go through Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte in one day, but you need an early start, and don't mind paying taxi fare.<BR>I took a bus tour that included both, but we had a stop in Barbizon the value of which I could not understand.<BR>But any of the three will be rewarding.<BR>I agree, the gardens at Versailles are lovely, and have recovered from the damage caused by a storm, except for the old trees that were blown over.<BR>If you cannot see them all, pick as many as you can. You will see something nice and learn a lot about the French monarchy as well.<BR>It is a hard choice in some respects, but an easy one in other respects because you really cannot lose.<BR><BR>

Sue

I was disappointed about not being able to see Vaux in April, so I checked the site and it is open March 23-November 11, 2002, 10am-6pm.