I am planning a trip to Paris and read about the Chateau de Vincennes which is right outside Paris or on the edge of Paris. I could not find it is not in the Ricks Steves Paris guide book. Has anyone been there and if so how did you get there? How long did you stay?
Has anyone gone to Pere Lachaise Cemetery and if so how do you get there by metro?
Thank you.
Here is the website for the chateau. Click on Useful Information at the top and it will give you train info.
I've been to Pere Lachaise Cemetery. The closest metro station is named Pere-Lachaise and it is on both line 2 and line 3.
Pere LaChaise is the correct Metro stop. Here are some more suggestions: Buy a cemetery map outside the entrance. Wear good walking shoes and watch your step. The first part of PL is quite hilly and the tombs are almost on top of each other. The second half is flat and is set out in streets at right angles to each other[INVALID]much easier. We saw security men after we walked in the main entrance, and there was video security around Jim Morrison's grave, but we did not see security anywhere else. Be aware. You could spend the entire day here, but allow at least two hours at the very minimum. YouTube has some great videos of PL.
Ann, you can also get to Père Lachaise cemetery on the No. 69 bus, which is an excellent bus for a bit of sight-seeing on the way. The correct Metro Line is No. 1, which terminates at Chateau de Vincennes. On your way back, you might want to get off the Metro at Place de la Nation, for a look at a neighbourhood not much visited by tourists.
For Pere LaChaise, Rick Steves and Regina recommend going one stop past the metro Pere Lachaise and getting off at Gambetta so that your walk through the cemetary is downhill
Hi Ann;
I am glad that you brought this topic up. i visited the Chateau de Vincennes back in 1995 and did not meet any American tourists there. It seems to be off the beaten path for Americans. This is a beautiful fort that has a chapel that is a mini-version of St. Chappelle (?); great stained glass window. As you explore the fort you can imagine battles taking place there. As i recall the chateau has a spiral stair case similar to the one at Notre Dame. On the day i visited a television commercial was being filmed and so there were "knights' walking around the battlements. There was a free tour but it was conducted in French. However they lend a booklet that explains everything in English. When i visited there was a mass of school kids - junior high school age - there who seemed to enjoy the experience.
One of the better things that i saw in Paris was at the chateau. Most of the school age kids where white but there was a small number of black kids (folks, forgive me if i am no using the PC terms to describe race). one of them was a girl using a pair of crutches who had mobility problems. The white girls went out of their way to ensure that she had a good experience.
The chateau is surrounded by a grass filled moat. This is where Mata Hari was [INVALID]d.
Another thing that surprised me was to see Chinese from the mainland visiting paris. At that time i though the red government kept a tight lid on who could leave the country.
As i recall you take an east-west metro to the end of the line (east) then walk a few blocks to the chateau. It is probably a half day visit. Very enjoyable for me. There were military archeologists working there so maybe more has been open to the public since I visited.
Enjoy your trip
Thank you everyone who responded, your information has been very useful and helpful. I will definitely take your advice.
Ann
Here's one more reply... we just got from Paris last week. We went to the Pere Lachaise cemetery and it was awesome! I highly recommend it and like other reviewer's said get off the metro at the Gambetta stop then walk one block to the cemetery entrance. And YES get a map. We had the little Rick Steves map from his Paris book and while it helped a little we still got lost, the cemetery is huge. If you've ever been the St Louis cemetery in New Orleans and liked it then Pere Lachaise will blow you away! One more thing..the #69 bus does stop near the entrance of the cemetery and we did take it after we left to go next to the Eiffel Tower but it is at least an hour bus ride back...
Ann, I actually approached Chateau de Vincennes from the Bois de Vincennes - it's a large, beautiful, and extremely quiet, park; you'll forget you're in a major (and touristy) city! Take a picnic breakfast/lunch to eat in the park. If you have time to visit the park, exit from the Porte Doree metro stop. Otherwise, there are 2 metro stations, a bus station, and an RER station that are all fairly equidistant from the Chateau (a couple of blocks). Brush up on the very interesting (and varied, of course) history of the Chateau. It will absolutely NOT be like visiting Versailles; you may be the only one there...
