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The curved double staircase at the Château de Fontainebleau, with flowering shrubs in white planters on either side and a cobbled courtyard in front.

Fontainebleau · One hour from Paris · Royal château

Château de Fontainebleau: tickets, hours and day trips from Paris

The home of French kings and of Napoleon, with the Gallery of Francis I, the royal apartments and gardens, an easy day trip from the capital. Book your ticket and plan the day.

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Today

Opening hours for every month are on the Opening hours page.

    Checked against the official website on 30 October 2026 · Official source

    In short

    • The château is closed on Tuesdays, and also on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. The courtyards and gardens stay open every day, and entry to them is free.
    • From April to September the château is open from 9:30am to 6pm, and from October to March from 9:30am to 5pm. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing.
    • Allow about two hours for the route on your own. Booking in advance is not compulsory, but a ticket on your phone means one thing less to sort out on the day.
    • A train from Paris Gare de Lyon takes about 40 minutes, plus a short bus ride to the château.

    Centuries of royal rooms

    The Cour du Cheval Blanc at Fontainebleau: the wide gravel courtyard with the brick-and-stone wings of the château on a sunny day.

    Fontainebleau began as a royal hunting lodge in the 12th century, and the chapel was consecrated by Louis VII in 1169. Francis I turned it into a true palace and, between 1528 and 1539, had his great gallery decorated by Italian artists, Rosso Fiorentino and Primaticcio, with frescoes and rich stucco. This was the birth of the first School of Fontainebleau.

    Next come the Ballroom of Henry II, from around 1552, with its coffered ceiling and frescoes by Nicolò dell'Abate after drawings by Primaticcio, the Chapel of Saint-Saturnin, rebuilt under Francis I, and the King's Staircase of 1749, with paintings of the loves of Alexander the Great. In 1601-1606 Henry IV redid the façades of the courtyards.

    Napoleon at Fontainebleau

    Napoleon made the château his own. In 1804 he received Pope Pius VII here, and from 1812 to 1814 he kept the pope as a prisoner. On 4 April 1814 he abdicated, and on 20 April he said farewell to the Old Guard in the Cour d'honneur. You can see the Throne Room and his apartments, and the Napoleon I Museum, which is included in the ticket.

    The château also holds the boudoir and games room of Marie Antoinette, from 1786, the last visit of the royal family before the Revolution, and a theatre in the Louis XVI style, ordered by Napoleon III and restored in 2014. The Chinese Museum of Empress Eugénie, in the Gros Pavilion, is a separate visit, not included in the ticket.

    The gardens and the carp pond

    A wide view of the Château de Fontainebleau across the water at dusk, with the Grand Parterre in the foreground.

    The courtyards and gardens are free and open every day, so even on a Tuesday, when the château is closed, you can walk around. There is the Garden of Diane, the Carp Pond with its pavilion, and the English Garden, with the spring called Belle-Eau that gave the town its name. The park around the Grand Canal is always open.

    Exhibitions and practical details

    The Château de Fontainebleau at dawn in pink light, behind the trimmed cone-shaped yews of the Grand Parterre.

    From 11 October 2026 to 27 January 2027 an exhibition looks at Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI at Fontainebleau, and temporary exhibitions are included in the ticket. A route on your own takes about two hours. You can also take a guided tour of 30 minutes to 2 hours, and there is a video guide in 11 languages.

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