Fontainebleau day trip from Paris
A day trip to Fontainebleau from Paris: the English Garden, the Palace of Fontainebleau with its Renaissance gallery and Napoleon's apartments, the Jardin de Diane, the Carp Pond and the Grand Parterre, then the sandstone rocks of the Gorges de Franchard in the forest and the painters' village of Barbizon. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 days
Fontainebleau in 1 day
Day 1
English Garden (Jardin anglais)
Romantic landscaped garden laid out under Napoleon around the spring that gave Fontainebleau its name, with winding paths and old trees.
Palace of Fontainebleau
Royal and imperial palace lived in by French rulers for seven centuries, from the Renaissance gallery of Francis I, to Napoleon's throne room.
Jardin de Diane
Smaller garden on the town side of the palace, named after its fountain of the huntress Diana, with lawns and shady paths.
Carp Pond and the Grand Parterre
Large pond beside the palace with a small pavilion on the water, next to Le Nôtre's Grand Parterre, a vast formal garden.
Gorges de Franchard
Sandstone boulders, pines and heather in the Forest of Fontainebleau, with marked paths, rocky viewpoints and the ruins of an old hermitage.
Barbizon and the Barbizon Painters' Museum
Village on the edge of the forest where Millet, Rousseau and other painters worked from the 1830s, with their museum in the old Auberge Ganne.
Getting there
Transilien line R trains from Paris Gare de Lyon reach Fontainebleau-Avon in about 40 minutes, and a local bus takes about 15 minutes from the station to the palace. By car it is about an hour from Paris. The Gorges de Franchard (about 6 km) and Barbizon (about 9 km) are reached by car, taxi or bike.
Staying in Paris? This day fits into those city plans, and in the Trip Builder it is one click under each of them.
When to go to Fontainebleau
The palace opens all year, and spring to autumn is the time for the gardens. Autumn colours in the forest are lovely in October. Weekends and summer days are busiest, so a weekday visit outside Tuesday is calmest.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Fontainebleau on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Fontainebleau on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Fontainebleau on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for France from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Fontainebleau
- The palace is closed on Tuesdays; book tickets online for weekends and summer days.
- The gardens and the park are free, so a picnic by the Carp Pond is a fine lunch.
- Allow at least two to three hours inside; the palace is huge and room after room is furnished.
- Wear good shoes for the Gorges de Franchard, whose sandstone boulders draw climbers from all over Europe, and follow the marked paths.
- The Barbizon museum is also closed on Tuesdays, and the forest and village are best reached by car or taxi.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Barbizon and the Barbizon Painters' Museum: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Carp Pond and the Grand Parterre: Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0
- English Garden (Jardin anglais): Daniel VILLAFRUELA., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gorges de Franchard: Texte: Claude-François Denecourt (1788-1875) Dessin: Charles Colinet (1839-1905), Public domain
- Jardin de Diane: Sei F, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Palace of Fontainebleau: Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
