Barbizon, Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Small Group Day Trip from Paris

Paris, France

Leave Paris for the day and take a small group day tour by minivan to visit the celebrated artists' village of Barbizon and two magnificent chateaux: Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte. You'll be picked up and dropped off at your centrally located Paris hotel by air-conditioned minivan, which holds a maximum of only eight passengers and ensures you'll receive individual attention from your expert tour guide. 

Your first stop on the edge of Fontainebleau Forest is the village of Barbizon, whose forest landscapes inspired a group of 19th-century landscape artists known as the Barbizon school (1830-70). The group of artists influenced the Impressionists and included famous painters such as Corot, Millet, Daubigny and Rousseau.

Your tour continues into the Fontainebleau Forest to reach the Castle of Fontainebleau, a favored residence of French kings for eight centuries. The audio-guided tour inside the castle is followed by free time in the castle's gardens.

Then it's off to Vaux le Vicomte, Nicolas Fouquet's masterpiece which inspired Louis 14th to build the Palace of Versailles and launched the careers of landscape gardener Andre le Notre and decorator Charles le Brun. After lunch at Vaux le Vicomte you'll take an audio-guided tour of the chateau's main rooms. Your small group full-day trip from Paris by minivan ends with time to stroll through the castle's gardens and visit the carriage museum.

USD $215.78

Traveler Reviews

Review by: W.s. D	January 2012
A very enjoyable day Fontainbleau nice as expected. the surprise was vaux le vicomte being private property and the way it was initially expropriated by the king. the garden is a gem.good enough for some folks to get married there recently and divorced!

Review by: Andrew L	October 2011
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour with our knowledgeable guide. A big piece of French history is well preserved.

Review by: Peter M	September 2011
With only a small group it was a very pleasant way to see some very historic and interesting places in France's past. They weren't half a conniveing and devious lot back in those days. I would have liked to have spent a little more time in Barbizon but traffic jams on the motorway prevented that

Review by: Margot G	September 2011
Excellent tour. The guide was extremely informative and friendly, group size was ideal and preferable to large bus tours.

Review by: Marina V	September 2011
Overall it was good trip. The group was mixed English and French speakers and the guide managed to devote enough attention to both groups. The trip could have used an additional hour so that it could be spent at the Barbizon village. Because of the traffic in Paris (which is almost a certainty anyway) we only had time to slowly drive through instead of stopping and spending sometime there. The guide though, again, made the best of the time by driving through slowly and sharing the history of village on the way.

Review by: John A	August 2011
This tour was well worth doing, all 3 locations were amazing with lots of history and our guide was very informative. Lunch was included and we were very impressed.

Review by: Dana L	August 2011
Tour guide was ok, kept talking in french to his intern that was with us. Would have he rather talk to us more about what and where we were going.

Review by: Erika F	August 2011
An excellent excursion though needed at lease another hour

Review by: Darrell M	July 2011
Organization of pick ups was horrible. I waited 90 minutes and 3 phone calls to finally be picked up being only 5 minutes from their main base. The rest of the tour was great and the tour guide did his best after the pick up bungle. but we were pressed for time for the rest of the day.

Review by: STEVEN	July 2011
The guide was somewhat aloof.

Review by: George H	July 2011
Very nice day trip from Paris.

Review by: Ellen M	June 2011
Superb - loved this tour - liked the small group and the guide was great - lunch was excellent and we all had a wonderful time.

Review by: dorothy	May 2011
We had an amazing day from start to finish. Our driver guide, Frederic was punctual, courteous, amusing, informative and very professional. The balance of the day seemed just right and the included lunch in Vaux le Vicomte was delicious and of a very high standard. We enjoyed being part of a small group trip rather than a larger tour and will most definitely book similar trips with your company again.

Review by: Hong Z	April 2011
The driver was friendly and on time. He helps my daughter, who is a picky eater, get dessert she likes. Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte are so beautiful. We had a great time there.

Review by: Leslie L	April 2011
Very good, lovely trip.

Review by: JAMES L V	October 2010
We only have praise for the day trip and especially for Herbert, who was extremely pleasant, knowledgable about the history, and just a very nice man. If we were to do this again we would hope to have him for a guide. It was well worth the time and money with such beautiful places to see. Jim & JoAnne Verville

Review by: Carol B	October 2010
WHAT a fantastic day! The only downside was that the van was late picking us up in the morning, but that was not Viator's fault...Paris traffic is BAD...The day just went from great to greatest...The lunch was excellent and included wine. The castles were magnificent. Vau-le-Vicomte in particular was fascinating. The current private owners have done a truly amazing job of restoring and maintaining it. Worth every penny paid and every minute spent. My advice is to not waste another minute reading reviews of this trip...Sign up and GO!

Review by: Jamie T	October 2010
Stunning! Better than Versailles! And best of all: NO TOURIST MOBS! Our guide did not give us a personal tour, but the audioguides that were included with admission were very well done. We wandered around both HUGE and almost EMPTY chateaus, savouring every minute. Wish we could have had more time to explore the grounds, but overall, my husband and I were very happy and would recommend this trip.

Review by: Frank W	August 2010
Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Chateaux are a must see for any trip to Paris. The two combined will outshine Versailles because there are not the crowds to fight with.

Review by: Clifford G	July 2010
We enjoyed the Tour overall, however the stop in Barbizon was a bit disappointing in that we were simply dropped off in the main street and left to our own devices for about 20 minutes. One couple went and had coffee for the duration. We walked around to find the Information centre, but that was still closed even though it was past the opening time on the door! The end of the village where we exited was a lot more interesting and spending 20 minutes in that area would have been more beneficial. A bit more input from the driver in this town would be helpful. The lunch at Vaux de Vicomte was most enjoyable.

Review by: Ann C	July 2010
Very good but the minivan used was not comfortable. Also, the lunch included was not good. I would recommend not getting the included lunch.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
Our guide was very friendly, explained everything really well and kept us entertained throughout the day. Fontainebleau was beautiful. Make sure to leave enough time to visit the gardens at Vaux le Vicomte Chateaux - simply amazing, and you get the best views from the top of the tower which is accessible from within the chateaux. Would've loved to spend more time at Barbizon, unfortunately we only drove through the main street. Overall fantastic day trip.

Review by: Gloria M, United States of America	April 2010
Well put together itinerary. Hotel pickup and return made it very enjoyable.

Review by: Anonymous, Mexico	April 2010
Very nice trip, worth visiting Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte, in Barbizon you spend only 30 min. I highly recommend this trip to all visitors!

Review by: Jing L, Malaysia	October 2009
In some way Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Chateaux are better than Versailles. 1. Less visitors, so you can enjoy better. 2. All the rooms are fully furnished. So many surprises waiting for you. Barbizon is a very beautiful village. I wish I had more time to enjoy the atmosphere of the lovely place. Overall this tour is wonderful. My husband and I have recommended this tour to a lot of our friends for their next trip in Paris. Highly recommended!

Review by: Niel N	October 2009
We were picked up an hour late, sat cramped in back seat with poor vision & unable to hear the driver/guide. Barbizon not worth the mention. Fontainbleau & Vaux le Vicomte were interesting. Lunch was good. Drove in heavy Paris traffic for an hour to be dropped off last. Not worth the price.

Review by: Kathie C, United States of America	September 2009
We had a fabulous guide. The guide was wonderful. He picked us up promptly, was very well informed and had a great sense of humor. We enjoyed the audio guides and were able to tour the castles at our own pace, spending more time in some areas than in others and lunch was absolutely terrific!

Review by: Denise F, Australia	September 2009
This was the best day. Tour guide informative and bursting with knowledge. Lunch was delicious. Places visited wonderful. Worth every cent.

Review by: Anonymous	September 2009
We had a fabulous guide. The guide was wonderful. He picked us up promptly, was very well informed and had a great sense of humor. We enjoyed the audio guides and were able to tour the castles at our own pace, spending more time in some areas than in others and lunch was absolutely terrific!

Review by: Simon C	September 2009
This was the best day. Tour guide informative and bursting with knowledge. Lunch was delicious. Places visited wonderful. Worth every cent.

Review by: David M, United States of America	July 2009
Vaux le Vicompte is one of the lesser known treasures of France and visiting it was a memorable experience. The guide was knowledgeable and helpful.

Review by: Michael R, United States of America	May 2009
Great trip! The guide really knew his facts about both chateaux. They were truly beautiful. The luncheon served at Vaux le Vicomte was excellent. The trip was well worth the price.

Review by: Jacqueline B, United States of America	May 2009
Our guide left us to go in on our own. I understood that we would have a guide for the tour. The lunch was wonderful.

Review by: Elizabeth B	May 2009
Our guide left us to go in on our own. I understood that we would have a guide for the tour. The lunch was wonderful.

Review by: MICHEL R	May 2009
Great trip! The guide really knew his facts about both chateaux. They were truly beautiful. The luncheon served at Vaux le Vicomte was excellent. The trip was well worth the price.

Review by: Robyn G, Australia	April 2009
Driver was friendly and an excellent host, informative and had a great knowledge of history, art etc. Great company. Lunch was delicious. Pickup is well worth the cost. A fabulous day and great value. Highly recommended.

Review by: Bradley C, United States of America	November 2008
Enjoyed both castles immensely! The tour guide was difficult to understand due to a strong French accent. Information should be noted in the explanation that a guided tour of castles is not the case. The guide gives an overview about both castles but, both castles were self guided. The price paid you would assume a guided tour not transportation only.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	October 2008
The guide wasn't really interested in ensuring it was a great experience for us. She mainly spent her time with another colleague, and was clearly just going through the motions. Not what I expected on a minivan tour at all.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	September 2008
Driver was on time and helpful in explaining our trip and both Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte. It was definitely a wonderful day spent touring both of these properties. A highlight in French history.

Review by: Richard M	September 2008
Was picked up first. Took over one hour to get to the direction of the tour. Tour guide leaves you to go into the castles alone with an audio guide, but on your own. Our guide was pleasant but it would have been better if she would have taken us into the castles. Food was average.

Review by: John J, Canada	May 2008
First-class trip and lunch. Highly recommended.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2008
A little more time in the town of Barbizon would have been so nice.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	November 2007
I wish we had more time in Barbizon and Fountainbleau. The lunch at Vaux le Vicomte was very good. The driver was excellent in the terrible return traffic.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2007
This is a wonderful tour! Our only complaint is that the minivan was a bit too small for nine people.

Review by: Lloyd G, United States of America	August 2006
The guide/driver was very knowledgeable and personable. Including lunch was a plus. Covering the three places made the most of the day. It was also great that we will receive mileage credit for the tour!