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Fontainebleau

Posted by (Westside, RP, Germany) on

We're planning a trip to Fontainbleau. I'm getting mixed information about seeing Napoleon's museum. Is it open to the general public or do we have to go on a tour? Has anyone taken the tour? Is there a schedule of the tours if we must take a tour? The museum is pretty much the whole reason we are going, because one of our party is really into Napoleon.

I tried e-mailing Chateau Fontainbleau directly but I've heard nothing back so far.

For example:

The Paris Tourist Information office says you can visit the museum alone:

Paris Tourism Website

The Fontainebleau Tourism Info office says you can't (although based on the entrance prices they list, I doubt it's updated often):

Fontainebleau Tourism website

I'm so confused!

Posted by
42 posts

We were at Fontainbleau in June. Napolean's state apartments were opened at about 2:00 in the afternoon. My french isn't very good, so I couldn't figure out if this was a one time thing, or just something they do now. But we didn't have to do a special tour and the apartments and museum were a lot of fun. We really enjoyed Fontainbleau. The gardens are free, and there is a sandwich shop across the street. We picked up sandwiches and drinks and sat by the pond and laughed at everyone trying to row boats. The gardens are lovely.

Posted by
9436 posts

Margaret, are you talking about Versailles by chance? We were just at Fontainebleau in July and didn't see a sandwich shop, didn't see a pond with row boats and didn't see lovely gardens. Maybe we just missed all that for some strange reason.

Posted by
9110 posts

Susan,

Go back, you missed some stuff. :)

Posted by
15383 posts

Hi,

I was at the chateau Fontainebleau on 9 June 2010, took the #65 bus from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon to take the train to Fontainebleau-Avon.

A special exhibit on Napoleon was definitely on. Well worth seeing...I was solo, no need for a tour. Notice the front court yard in front of and by the stairs, that's where Napoleon said farewell to the Guard...you can imagine how they packed a thousand troops there for that dramatic event.

Posted by
9436 posts

Hi Ed, we would love to go back! Loved it there. It was so bloody hot the day we were there - felt like 100 degrees - we live a few miles north of SF where 100 degrees is hot! - so I'm not surprised we missed things. We walked around quite a bit of the grounds and never saw a pond or lovely gardens. I'll blame it on heat stroke :)

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