Tourist attractions Barbizon

The ancient forest of Bière has always been a magnificent hunting ground, particularly on horseback. Today, it is carefully maintained (it is divided into 747 plots tended so as to produce the finest specimens), and has signposted pathways throughout..

This château is at once evocative of the Renaissance, with its famous horseshoe staircase, and of the imagery of Épinal, with the poignant scene of Napoleon bidding farewell to the faithful soldiers of the Old Guard in Adieux de Napoléon . In 1528, ..

The tour of the Château de Fontainebleau 's Grand Apartments takes in the superb Galerie François I . Built between 1528 and 1530, the gallery is decorated with frescoes and stuccoes by Rosso. The king's emblem, the salamander, is omnipresent. Th..

Le Nôtre (1613-1700) can be said to have attained perfection in the art of French-style gardens, of which Vaux-le-Vicomte is an admirable example. Flower beds and box trees are laid out in arabesques called Turkish carpets, fountains play in the symm..

This château is one of the most handsome masterpieces of the 17C. It was built for Nicolas Fouquet by major artists such as Louis Le Vau, Charles Le Brun and André Le Nôtre between 1756 and 1661. At a party on 17 August 1661, Louis XIV became jealous..

Famous for its horseshoe staircase built by Jean du Cerceau under Louis XIII, this former bailey was used only by domestics, but its generous size soon earmarked it for official parades and tournaments. It became known as the White Horse Court after ..

Built around 1630, this typical Louis XIII château was remodelled in the 18C. The façade was embellished in the 19C with a replica of the Fontainebleau horseshoe staircase. Courances is primarily known for its park , one of the finest examples of a ..

Innkeeper François Ganne settled in Barbizon in 1822. His first customer was painter Théodore Caruelle from Aligny. Since then, the inn quickly became the meeting point of landscape artists. Currently, it has been transformed into the Barbizon School..

Built in the 16C for Cosme Clausse, Finance Minister to Henri II; Nicolas Clausse received Richelieu here when the Court resided at Fontainebleau. From the entrance, the courtyard’s majestic dimensions are striking, enclosed on the road side by an im..

This huge sculpture at the heart of the Milly Forest was created in 1969 by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle: a 22.5m-high head made of over 300t of steel covered in thousands of mirrors and turning cogwheels banging together. It incorporates a..

It is pleasant to stroll here beneath the plane trees and imagine the washerwomen of yesteryear who came here to wash their linen in the waters of the Loing. On the opposite bank lies the Pins meadow from where Alfred Sisley painted most of his views..

According to legend, St Mathurin was born here around the year 250. Having miraculously cured the daughter of Emperor Maximinian, he is invoked in the healing of the insane. In his honour, the chapter of Our Lady of Paris built a basilica in the 12C;..

Starting life as a 12C fortress, this building of five towers (the largest being its keep) evolved into a residence by the 15C-16C, but was downgraded to a simple farm in the 18C by its then owner, the Maréchal de Villars, who also owned Vaux-le-Vico..

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