Vaux Le Vicomte castle is certainly not as famous as Versailles…however it deserves a visit as much as Versailles does.  This is one of the most magnificent chateaus in France.

Located about 40 miles away from Paris (on your way to Burgundy), the whole estate reaches nearly 500 hectares. It was built by Nicolas Fouquet, Superintendent of Finances under young King Louis 14th.

A 17th century masterpiece, Vaux le Vicomte was the backdrop to many major historical events and witnessed the tragic eviction of its creator, Nicolas Fouquet, who was imprisoned following an extraordinary trial about which the writer Voltaire said: “On 17 August at 6 in the evening, Fouquet was King of France; at 2 in the morning, he was nobody” . Upon Louis 14th request, Fouquet was arrested in Nantes by D’Artagnan, captain of the Musketeers.

 

Vaux le Vicomte gardens also deserve a long stroll. To design the gardens, Fouquet called upon André le Nôtre who was the pioneer of French garden art. The perfect harmony between garden and architecture results from the collaboration of a trio : Le Nôtre the landscape gardener, Le Vau the architect and Le Brun the painter-decorator.

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Naomi
You may already know from other reviews that "France Just for You" will create an itinerary based on your interests and time frame, booking attractions and lodgings, arranging a car, and providing a detailed guide book with historical and cultural information, and suggestions for things to see and do with your unscheduled time. The whole service is …
Dan
An experience OF France, not just a trip TO France. For over 30 years my wife has dreamed of visiting the Loire region of France. Emilie and Laura not only made this a reality, they made it truly a dream trip. The multi-hundred page guidebook not only guided our daily itinerary, it prepared us for what we needed to know for a successful self-guided …
Debbie
Emilie is amazing. Going to Normandy has always been a dream of my husbands and luckily for us we found Emilie to plan our trip. Our hotel in Paris for the start of our trip was located perfectly. Within walking distance of so much for our first two days before we picked up the rental car she had arranged for us. Then onto Normandy and the Loire …
Dianne & Bob
Emilie & Guillaume did an amazing job organizing and helping us on our trip to France this month. I cannot speak highly enough! Everything was planned to perfection and things went smoothly. We did a few days in Paris, Normandy and Provence, and in each one what they planned was spectacular. We especially enjoyed the wine tasting and picnic in …
Becky & John
Travelers wanting to experience France need look no further than France Just for You. Emilie works very hard to make sure travelers have a care-free, positive, unique experience that they could have never found on their own or with a bus tour group. If you dislike prefabricated group tours, and/or feel unconfident about traveling in a foreign …
DeLana
Emilie put together the best "bucket list" trip for my mother and myself. She listened to all of our requests and tailor made a vacation that was perfect. The attention to detail she paid our trip was mind blowing. She even had a full book made for us to guide us through our journey along with maps, tickets, etc. that were all date stamped …