The château of forty sovereigns, the carp pond and Le Nôtre's parterre, and 22,000 hectares of forest and sandstone at the end of the street – the tables, the hotels and the quartiers, in one guide.
In Fontainebleau now
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Weather
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MICHELIN
1 ✱ tables
Photo: XtravaganT/Adobe Stock
In this guide
Every table and hotel the MICHELIN inspectors have chosen in Fontainebleau – 1 starred, 2 more restaurants and 1 hotel – on one map, with our own stories as we write them.
A MICHELIN-listed table on a pedestrian street, whose chef – a Lièvre à la Royale championship finalist – loves pâté en croûte and game; open Friday until 22:30.
The 5.9 km loop from the Ermitage car park past the Antre des Druides and the Roche qui Pleure, mostly on rock – about 1 h 50; skip it if it has rained.
Entry is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month (not July–August) – and 1 November 2026 is one. Doors open 09:30, last entry 16:15; allow two hours.
Le Nôtre's parterre and the 1,200-metre canal are free; picnics are allowed in the English garden or by the Grand Canal. The gardens close at 17:00 from 1 November.
✱ MICHELIN star · Bib Gourmand: good cooking at a fair price · ◆ selected in the Guide · € to €€€€: the Guide's own price bands, from «on a budget» to «spare no expense».
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Sunset and drinks
Where to drink
Hotel bars by the château, a glass-roofed cocktail room and a live-music pub.
The Aigle Noir's redesigned bar takes the name it once had in homage to Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III – a quiet, design-led room a minute from the château gates.
Head barman Daniel Rodriguez, formerly of Paris's Hôtel Bel-Ami and Hôtel Vernet, runs a list of 50 cocktails and mocktails under a glass roof, with local touches such as Nemours poppy and a Royal Parc Julep.
Lounge bar with terrace · Rue Dénecourt, by the châteauAux Grognards
A chic lounge of red velvet for coffee, cocktails, whiskies and cognacs with charcuterie and cheese boards, plus a terrace on the street by the château.
Straight from the train onto the blue-waymarked Dénecourt paths – the trails that made Fontainebleau the birthplace of nature tourism – past springs, rocks and viewpoints over the forest.
Past the Roche Éponge and the Fontaine Isabelle, the Fontaine Désirée, the Tour Dénecourt
All year; slippery rocks in wet weather.
Long, on the blue-waymarked Dénecourt paths with rocky sections; for older children with good shoes.
Start: Fontainebleau-Avon station, main exit – blue signpost no. 2 across avenue Franklin-Roosevelt
Starts on the old royal hunting avenue that once led to the château and climbs to a fairy pond in the heart of the forest.
Past the Route du Petit Mont Chauvet, the Rocher de Bouligny and the Rochers Fourceau (GR 11), the Mare aux Fées
All year.
Long; the first part follows the Sentier de la Perspective de Maintenon (ONF), which climbs the Petit Mont Chauvet for a view back over the town – a shorter option for families.
Start: Maison forestière de Maintenon, south of the château off the allée de Maintenon
Sources: the Pays de Fontainebleau tourist office, the ONF and Visorando, read 27 October 2026. Coastal paths close in rough seas – check before you set off.
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With kids
Fontainebleau for children
Rowing boats, a 1900 carousel, donkeys and sled dogs – between the château and the forest.
Some forty sovereigns lived here, from Philippe Auguste to Napoleon III: Marie-Antoinette's Turkish boudoir, Napoleon's apartments and the horseshoe staircase of his farewells – and the visit is free for anyone under 26.
1 October–31 March: Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 09:30–17:00, last entry 16:15; closed Tuesdays, 1 January and 25 December.
130 hectares to run in – Le Nôtre's Grand Parterre, the Étang aux Carpes, the English garden and a 1,200-metre canal from Henri IV's day – with swans, geese, ducks and carp to spot.
Gardens every day: October 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00); November–February 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00).
A 35-minute tour of the gardens with an audio guide in eight languages – the easy way round 130 hectares with small children.
Daily until 1 November 2026, departures 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00; then weekends 7–8, 14–15, 21–22 and 28–29 November (11:00–15:00 hourly), and the Christmas holidays.
Fontainebleau's sandstone is the birthplace of bouldering: a local, state-qualified instructor from Climb With Us shows beginners how to climb low rocks with no rope or harness.
Next tourist-office session: Saturday 14 November 2026 at 13:00 (weather permitting; minimum number of participants).
Wildlife photographer Yannick Dagneau, who has followed the forest's deer, boar, foxes and squirrels since childhood, shows families their tracks and habits.
Next date: Saturday 21 November 2026 at 14:00; about 2 hours; minimum number of participants.
Teenagers drive their own team of dogs with Christian Perlwitz, a state-qualified musher and 2006 national champion, after an introduction to the dogs.
Rope bridges, zip lines and tree-top challenges in the woods of the leisure island – the last chance of the year is the end of the Toussaint holidays.
From the first weekend of the spring holidays to the last weekend of the autumn holidays (listing: 20 April–3 November): Wednesdays, weekends, public holidays and daily in school holidays, from 14:00.
Sources: the Pays de Fontainebleau tourist office (fontainebleau-tourisme.com) and the places' own listings, read 27 October 2026. Drive times from the town centre without traffic. Check seasons and ages with the place before you go.
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The atlas
Fontainebleau at a glance
The MICHELIN tables, the hotels and the sights, on one map.
