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
Susan & Nancy from the US
3 perfect weeks in Paris, Brittany and Normandy Our 3 week journey to Paris, Normandy, and Brittany was the most stress free travel in Europe we have ever experienced. It was also the first time we drove a car in France. France Just For You had done all the deeply significant leg work required for us to enjoy all of our time traveling. We will …
Jodi
My husband and I have both been to Europe multiple times in our school/college days but not since we've been married- so over 19 years! We finally got it together to plan a return trip together. Since it had been so long we weren't confident in planning it on our own but didn't want to be hearded around like cattle. Anyway, we found Emilie and she …
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 …
Donna & Jim from Canada
This was our second trip arranged by France Just for You. That says a lot. What says more is we would do another trip with them without any concern. They are pros from the time the trip is planned to the very last minute of the journey. Every detail is provided through the travel book, app and communication, if needed, during the trip. We would …
Gabriele
This trip was such an awesome cultural adventure and we can not say enough about Emilie and France Just for You. This service was outstanding, well planned according to our interests and the B&B's were all wonderful. Each B&B was different but all fantastic in their own way. The suggestions Emilie made all worked amazingly well and so did the …
Debbi
We worked with Emilie to craft a 10 day trip that customized one of the trips on their website and were wonderfully pleased with our whole experience. The b&b hosts and various guided events we participated in all treated us wonderfully and were clear that Emilie had visited & vetted each property (and even rooms!) The personal tour book we …