I just did a dry run to see how to book a candlelight tour of Château vaux-le-vicomte. I was offered entry times starting at 14.00 (2 PM). Can this be correct? Does it mean that we can arrive at 2 PM and tour the château/gardens until time for the candlelight tour? We will be driving and would like to spend 2 nights in the area, visiting Fontainebleau the next day, Sunday. We are also looking for lodging. I found a chambre d'hote, La Maison Rose in Nemours, which seems to be approximately 45 minutes away by car. We were hoping to find something closer without sacrificing the charm of a small chambre d'hote as well as the excellent price which seems to be about €65 per night. Any suggestions? Anything else we should know?
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10176 posts
What month? Daylight varies greatly this far north.
What time would you get to Nemours, and would it be a convenient time for the hosts?
Posted by
OP
Berkeley, California, US
612 posts
Hi Bets. Looks like it will be about May 14. We have not actually booked our stay yet but we will be driving from Paris so I would imagine we would arrive at the chambre d'hote or hotel by mid day. Upon further investigation it looks like we could tour the gardens when we arrive no matter what time that is but not the Château. They have not yet opened reservations for 2022 so I'm not sure what time the candlelight tour would start. Also I don't know if one is allowed a certain amount of time in the Château as they appear to have different entry times throughout the day and evening. Do you know of accommodations near Vaux-Le-Vicomte or Fontainebleau that you could recommend? BTW, I'm glad to hear from the sound of your posts that you are currently in France. Nothing better than France in autumn!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10176 posts
Sorry Kay. We’ve been there only on day trips. I don’t have any information on lodging. Yes, looking forward to fall.
Posted by
Paris
6883 posts
Nemours is not the most convenient base to visit Vaux le Vicomte, and while it still has a reasonably attractive and refurbished old center, let's say that the town has seen better days...
Have you looked in Moret sur Loing? It is a beautiful town full of old-world charm.
This being said, I have always found accommodation to be very tricky to find this close to Paris - disappointingly so, because I love weekends away but close to home. Either you have high-end properties (€200+) for wealthy weekenders and corporate seminars, or charmless hotels that serve the through traffic and business travellers. So it might be wise to decide according to the places you find!
Posted by
OP
Berkeley, California, US
612 posts
Thanks, balso, for your recommendation of Moret sur Loing. I started looking at hotels there. I can already see what you mean by hotels being hard to find this close to Paris on the weekend. I'd be happy to go during the week except that Château vaux-le-vicomte seems to only have the candlelight tour Sat evenings. I'll keep looking.
Posted by
Frederick, CO
35 posts
I'm coming late to this conversation, Kay, but did you ever find suitable lodging? We are doing lights at Vaux le Vicomte in December and also wanted close lodgings. I found this. https://moulinduponceau.com/ Just a small b&b, but only a few minutes from the chateaux and a reasonable price.
Posted by
OP
Berkeley, California, US
612 posts
Thanks for the recommendation, etmills. Moulin du Ponceau looks lovely. And the prices are great. We just booked a hotel, Hotel Belle Fontainbleau last week. We think it looks good although it is not a small chambre d'hote. In any case, I've bookmarked your recommendation for future visits. I wish you a very good trip in Dec. I've looked at several YouTube videos of the Christmas decorations which, of course, made me want to go in Dec!