Overview:
On the eastern outskirts of Paris, near the town of Vincennes, and beside the Bois de Vincennes, explore the former fortress and royal home known as The Château de Vincennes . The majority of its construction took place between 1361 and 1369, and from the 14th through 16th centuries, it served as the French Kings' favored palace, second only to the Palais de la Cité. Discover the fascinating past of this remarkable structure, which served as a prison before becoming a barracks and an arsenal during the Napoleonic era.
Highlights
- Visit the famous Château de Vincennes, and be fascinated by the all-white, classic medieval building that bears witness to its former status as a royal palace.
- Explore its lofty towers and dungeon, which served to fortify the castle during battles, and stroll around its historic hallways.
- Discover the well-preserved medieval keep, the tallest fortified tower in Europe at 52 meters, where King Henry V died and see where Fouquet , the Marquis de Sade, and Mirabeau were held.
- Experience the Gothic building's awe-inspiring external flamboyance and beautiful rose window at the Sainte Chapelle de Vincennes.
The Chateau is easily reachable by metro line 1 and RER A. It is less than 2 mins walk from the metro station. There is a protective wall with towers around it. The chapel is beautiful and used to keep some relics while the Saint Chapelle was being built. There are over 200 steps to climb so one needs to take their time or be in good health. The keep has an impressive view at the top. Beautiful place to visit.
This was a really interesting Chateau. It has it's own Sainte Chapelle which is a nice chapel and impressive. It also has the highest keep in Europe. There is a lot to see here and took us almost 4 hours going round it.
This was not on our list of the big things to see in Paris, but it should have been! Our Parisian friend let us know that this amazing chateau was right in Paris and easily accessible by metro. We loved all of the history and the stories of the different ages of the chateau. The chapel was beautiful and perfectly restored. Well worth seeing when you're in Paris!