• Discover the châteaux of Île de France surrounding Paris

• Visits to renaissance Fontainebleau & the privately-owned Domaine de Courances

• Spectacular evening at one of France’s finest private châteaux Vaux de Vicomte 

• Special access within the Palace of Versailles & visits to the Estate of Trianon

• Opportunity to enjoy the remarkable Musée Condé at Château de Chantilly

• Comfortable 4* hotels in historic Fontainebleau & elegant Versailles

From the rise of the Valois in renaissance times to the violent end of the Ancien Régime in 1789, courtly grandeur played out in the forests, hills and plains that surround Paris as the monarchy, its court and rival aristocracy sought to out-build, out-dress and out-manoeuvre each other. The aristocracy often pitched itself against the Bourbon Crown, in particular during the Fronde or Civil War (1648 – 1653), which resulted in Louis XIV’s removal of his court and government to Versailles and the beginning of the grand siècle. From the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, great estates and statement châteaux were raised by successive monarchs, their ministers and their rivals in a dazzling ensemble of building and artistic patronage. We shall explore this magnificence with visits to châteaux large and small, public and private.

At Fontainebleau, Francois I transformed the modest medieval palace into a New Rome, entrusting its construction to mostly Italian artists across the sixteenth century. The magnificence of Vaux de Vicomte underpins the ambition and dazzling wealth of Louis XIV’s finance minister Nicholas Fouquet who fell from grace and favour in 1661. Domaine de Courances and Château de Maisons-Laffitte are forerunners to the hunting lodge transformed by the Sun King into a magnificent palace and estate at Versailles, which we shall visit over two days.  He can have had little idea of its overwhelming impact over three hundred and fifty years later as his successors, their wives and mistresses enjoyed resplendent interiors during the transformation from the formality of the Baroque to the playful intimacy of the Rococo. Château de Chantilly’s remarkable renaissance is crowned by the Musée Condé collection. Napoleon and Josephine’s last French home at Malmaison and the enchanting village of Barbizon complement our week in France.  

In Fontainebleau, we shall stay at the 4* L’Aigle Noir Hôtel. A hotel since 1764 with a bar and restaurant, the chateau and all the town’s amenities are within easy walking distance. Likewise, the 4* Hôtel Le Louis Versailles Château is close to the former Royal Stables and minutes from the Palace of Versailles. Its amenities include a spa and restaurant whilst all the town’s shops and restaurants are easily reached on foot. Complimentary WiFi is included in both hotels

Day 1: Thursday 28 May – We depart London Heathrow arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport mid-afternoon. We drive by coach south-east of Paris to Fontainebleau, arriving late afternoon at the 4* Aigle Noir Hôtel for three nights. Our first group dinner is in a nearby local restaurant – wine, water and coffee are included with all group meals.

Day 2: Friday 29 May – We spend the morning at Château de Fontainebleau. Periodically home to France’s sovereigns until the end of the Second Empire in 1870, Successive monarchs were born here, many embellishing the palace adding wings and introducing new decorative styles. The Valois gallery, The Trinity Chapel, the Bourbon State Rooms and Napoleon’s Apartments are some of the highlights. After lunch (not included), we drive the short distance into the Gatinais to visit the Domaine de Courances. Purchased by Cosme Clausse, Chancellor to the King in 1552, In 1872, Baron de Haber made structural changes to the palace and renaissance gardens. His descendants reside in the château where we shall be guided privately in some of its interiors. We return to Fontainebleau where the evening will be free.       

Day 3: Saturday 30 May – We drive the short distance to the village of Barbizon. Set in the Forest of Fontainebleau, the Barbizon School became a dominant Realist movement advancing the landscape genre in the wider Romantic movement of the mid-nineteenth century, and advanced by painters including Rousseau, Corot and Millet. We shall visit two small museums: the Ganne Inn and Millet’s House. After a coffee break, we drive the short distance to the Chapelle Saint Blaise des Simples at Milly-la-Forêt to admire the murals of avant-garde polymath Jean Cocteau who painted the chapel walls in 1959. We return to Fontainebleau where lunch (not included) and the afternoon will be free for private explorations. In the late afternoon, we drive northwards to Vaux de Vicomte. The estate is the embodiment of the ambition of Nicholas Fouquet, his ‘dream team’ of architect Le Vau, garden designer Le Notre and painter Charles le Brun designing the finest château of the mid-seventeenth century. Our visit perhaps echoes Fouquet’s life and times in that we shall dine by candlelight overlooking the chateau followed by a visit to the chateau interiors concluding with a spectacular firework display! After a memorable evening, we return to our hotel.   

Day 4: Sunday 31 May – We depart with our luggage and travel to Versailles for the first of two visits commencing with the Estate of Trianon. We are confronted by Louis XIV’s remarkable park, peppered with groves, grottoes, fountains and sculpture. We begin at the Grand Trianon, built in 1687 as the King’s retreat from his public life at the Palace.  Later residents included Louis XV’s Queen, Napoleon, and President de Gaulle. We pause for our group lunch at La Flottille within the park after which, we visit the Petit Trianon and the intimate, neo-classical pavilion which was intended for Madame de Pompadour, but then became the private retreat of Marie-Antoinette. We conclude by visiting Marie-Antoinette’s Hamlet (or model farm). We transfer the short distance to our hotel, Le Louis Versailles Château, where we shall stay for three nights. This evening will be free.

Day 5: Monday 1 June – Today we visit two palaces to the north of Versailles. We drive to the northwestern suburbs of Paris close to the River Seine to visit Château de Maisons-Laffitte. Designed by Francois Mansart between 1630 and 1651 for René de Longueil, it is his finest surviving work graced with newly restored baroque and neo-classical interiors. Following a group lunch, we return to Versailles via the Château de Malmaison, the country residence of Napoleon and Josephine where the former spent his final days in France in 1815. This evening will be free. 

Day 6: Tuesday 2 June – Our half-day is spent in the Palace of Versailles. We begin at its courtly entrance and proceed into the grand spaces of the State Apartments of Louis XIV and his Queen. Much of the morning will be spent by special arrangement exploring several spaces not open to the public including the palaces’ intimate apartments including those of Louis XV’s daughters and mistresses, and Marie-Antoinette and the Royal Chapel. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the afternoon will be free to explore other areas of the palace, the Orangery and the elegant town of Versailles. Later in the evening, we shall dine in an excellent restaurant close to Place Hoche.

Day 7: Wednesday 3 June – We depart Versailles to spend the day in the remarkable Château de Chantilly to the north of Paris. Originally built in 1560 circa for Anne de Montmorency, constable of King Francois I de Valois, the Bourbon-Condé later extended the estate commissioning gardens from Le Notre and erecting the Great Stables. The domaine did not survive revolution and was completely rebuilt from 1875 by Henri d’orléans, Duc d’aumale. The château’s remarkable renaissance is crowned by the duke’s collection of paintings and historic manuscripts. His Musée Condé is the finest collection of Old Masters in France after the Louvre, including Flemish, French and Italian works with no less than three Raphaels, an apt finale to our week. We pause for our final lunch in Chantilly after which we drive the short distance to Charles de Gaulle Airport and the return flight to London Heathrow.   

Price £3735pp Without Flights £3595pp Deposit £495pp Single Supplement £595 (Double for Sole Use)

3 nights inc breakfast at 4* l’Aigle Noir Hôtel, Fontainebleau Superior Rooms (Double Sole Use- Classic Rooms)

3 nights inc breakfast at 4* Le Louis Versailles Château, Versailles Superior Rooms (Twin Rooms - on request)   

Flights British Airways:

Outward: BA306 Depart London Heathrow (Terminal 5) 1315 arrive Paris Charles de Gaulle 1535

Return:  BA309 Depart Paris Charles de Gaulle 1820 arrive Heathrow(Terminal 5) 1835

Price includes 3 Dinners & 3 Lunches with wine, water & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees & gratuities, services of James McKenzie-Hall, James Hill & local guides 

Not included Travel to/from Heathrow, 3 Dinners & 3 Lunches