TOUR F

FONTAINEBLEAU/BARBIZON - 1/2 DAY TOUR
"A country home for Royal hunting parties" 

THE TOUR : 

The Fontainebleau palace, lavishly built and furnished in Renaissance period style was used as a hunting residence by the French Kings. Situated in the heart of one of France's most beautiful forests, Fontainebleau was the favorite residence of the French Kings and emperors from François I to Napoléon III. Napoléon Bonaparte named Fontainebleau "La demeure des siècles" (the residence of centuries) in reference to the large variety of architectural and decoration styles in the palace. This tour also includes a brief stop at the Barbizon village located just outside Fontainebleau and a popular meeting point for painters and writers in the XIX century. Ideal opportunity for exploring the Ile de France region in greater details in terms of countryside, forests, provincial villages (eg.Barbizon) and castles used as Royal hunting residences. 

ITINERARY : 

We cross the southern districts of Paris as far as the Porte d'Orléans and cross the Ile de France to take the Autoroute du Soleil (motorway of the sun) as far as Fontainebleau. Our tour begins with a guided visit of the castle (Napoleon's apartments were recently restored and are included in our visit). Barbizon has been known as an artistic centre since the 19th century when J-F Millet and R-L Stevenson lived there. On leaving Fontainebleau we cross a small section of the famous Fontainebleau forest before making a short stop at Barbizon still occupied by artists workshops and antique shops of yesteryear.

Duration : 5 hr. 


LANGUAGES : 
Available at each departure : English, French, Italian, Spanish, German. 


DEPARTURE TIMES : 
* Winter season (11/01/01 to 03/22/02) : 1.45pm 
Days : Wednesday and Sunday (except the 1st Sunday of each month)
* Summer season (03/23/02 to 11/03/02) : 1.45pm 
Days : Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. 
Note : This tour does not operate on French public holidays. 


INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE : 
* Return transport in luxury air conditioned coach. 
* Entrance to Fontainebleau castle. 
* The services of a licensed multilingual guide. 


TOUR INFOS : 
* For clients with limited time, this tour offers similar charm and atmosphere to our Loire Valley castle visits. 
* Opportunity not just to gain information on this significant period in French history but on architectural and decoration styles and concepts. 
* Suited to clients interested in exploring the Ile de France region. 
* All our visits to the castle are reserved in advance, clients do not have to queue to enter. 

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