Fontainebleau Château
Home of the French Monarch
Fontainebleau is a small town in the Seine-et-Marne Département about 55km/35mi south east of Paris much visited due to its magnificent Renaissance Palace and formal Gardens.
French monarchs have lived here since 1137 when the original Medieval castle was built, through its replacement with a stunning Renaissance Palace by Francois 1st, till the collapse of the Second Empire in 1870.
Exploring the Palace an Gardens
THE PALAIS
Ground Floor
A good place to start is from the renowned Horseshoe Staircase leading from the Cour d’Honneur behind which is the Royal Chapel of the Trinity and Napoleon I’s Petits Apartements running between the Diana Garden and the Cour de la Fontaine.