Fontainebleau Castle

True mansion of kings, the house of the centuries!

Come and take a guided tour of Fontainebleau Castle, considered a mosaic of buildings added throughout the centuries and kingdoms, from the Middle Ages to the fall of the Empire in 1870. The Castle of Fontainebleau is a summary of several sovereigns and different times. This historical particularity of this castle made Napoleon I designate him as "the true dwelling of kings, the house of the ages".
On this guided tour, the expert guide will tell you the story of Fontainebleau, the only royal and imperial castle continuously inhabited for 7 centuries.
The first castle was built around 1137 and the presence of the forest was one of the main factors for its construction since hunting was always an activity intensely practiced by the sovereigns.
In the fifteenth century François I launched the first work companies that contributed to give the building the look it has today. The restoration, carried out based on the Italian renaissance, had as main artists the Italians Primatice and Rosso Fiorentino. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Henry IV and Louis XIV continued with the restorations and in the 19th century Napoleon made the castle his imperial residence.
Taking part in this guided tour is to benefit from an exceptional presentation of history: French art and architecture. Capétiens, Valois, Bourbons, Bonaparte or Orléans, each of the members of these dynasties that reigned in France succeeded these walls. Kings and queens, emperors and empresses adorned the castle by decorating each one to their liking.
After the visit of the castle, we will take a stroll through the center of the town of Fontainebleau.