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
Elliot
You gave me so many good suggestions that honestly, I just walked everywhere you recommended, with something breathtaking around every corner. The guidebook was great and the suggestion to make an effort to try French was a solid one. I did much better once I got comfortable trying. I will recommend your service to anyone I know thinking at coming …
Jeanne & Michael from Australia
A Great Cultural Experience What we loved most about our wonderful trip was the special activities that FJFY hand picked and tailor made for our interests. We did an awesome cooking experience in Provence, a fun food and wine walking tour with in Nice and a very enjoyable and informative walk in Lagrasse with Carlos. We visited many local markets …
Brigitte
We want to thank you and Guillaume for a wonderful itinerary and such amazing personalized attention. Every touch was added with so much special care and your willingness to answer all of my questions in such detail ahead of time was truly amazing. The guidebook and ‘care package’ you sent was so exciting and really helped us a lot with every day …
Paul & nancy
We just returned from 15 days in France, this trip was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Emilie and her team were amazing. We started in the south of France and finished in Paris. We visited many towns and villages, Aix, Cassis, Marseilles, les Gorges du Verdon,...The personalized guide book was golden for us. The details and suggestions …
George from the US
The best French experience Wonderful self-drive trip through France. The FJFY team selected wonderful lodging, arranged for all the activities that we were interested in, and made a complex trip very easy. The detailed guide book and app helped us chose our daily activities. The integration of the guide with gps navigation is brilliant, and made …
Bonnie
A wonderful trip through Provence and the Riviera planned and organized by Emilie. Stayed in lovely B&Bs and had enough scheduled activities and free time. Emilie provided lots of options of things to do and a complete package for the traveler. Would highly recommend!