With the very unlikely possibility of ever visiting The Parisian area of France again, I would like to visit both of the Chateau’s southeast of Paris, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau, during the one free day of the France My Way tour. Since both are visited via a rail trip to Melun, whole or in part, is it feasible to go early and see the Vaux-le-Vicomte in the morning and then go farther southeast and view Fontainebleau or am I just kidding myself? I am coming into Paris via Eurostar the day before (very hard to change the date) and an alternative would be to take either an 0701 or 0801 train out of London, arrive late morning, and then continue on at Gare du Nord out to Melun and visit Vaux-le-Vicomte, but then I would have to find somewhere to store my carry-on in Melun. Having to go through the EES procedure (first time ever) in London, how much time before-hand should I allow for being at the St Pancras station in London that time of day for boarding the Eurostar for either the 0701 or 0801 departure to Paris?
Posted by
USA
367 posts
I don't know if this is helpful to you logistically but my husband and I used Paris city vision bus to take us to both chateaux in a long day.
Posted by
Chicagoland
1768 posts
For the Eurostar your ticket will show exactly when you should be at St Pancras station. Generally it will be about 75 minutes, less if you are traveling in Premier class.
In addition to CityVision, Blue Fox also offers tours in 1 day to both. It's pricier, but a much smaller group.
Yes, you could potentially do both in 1 day yourself if you're comfortable navigating public transportation, both train and buses with a possible Uber/taxi between Melun and Vaux le Vicomte.
If this is your first visit to Paris, don't short change it. There is enough to see and do in the city for weeks. Especially since you'll be visiting the Loire Valley on your tour.