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Chateaupedia

Castles near Paris by train, arriving from Germany

4 days · 7 châteaux · 368 km

Seven castles as day trips from Paris, paired by railway line, for visitors who arrive at Gare de l’Est.

Written for visitors who come to Paris by train from Frankfurt, Stuttgart or Cologne and arrive at Gare de l’Est without a car. Every stop is a return trip from a Paris station, and the pairs follow the lines, not the map: two castles share a day only when one line serves both. Four days cover the seven, and each day stands on its own; the straight-line distances shown between stops do not describe a train journey. Book Versailles, which sells timed tickets. Vincennes, at the end of métro line 1, and Rambouillet are visits of an hour or so; Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte each take most of a day. The opening days differ from castle to castle, and several close on a Monday or a Tuesday: each fiche says which.

Day 1

28 km on the road

Versailles and Rambouillet share the line from Paris Montparnasse (Versailles Chantiers, then Rambouillet): Versailles from opening time, Rambouillet, an hour’s visit near its station, in the late afternoon.

  2. château de Rambouillet (Rambouillet Castle)

    Rambouillet · Yvelines

    28 km from the previous stop60 min14e siècle

    Get directions

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The rest of the route

The stops on the following days. The full plan, with distances, goes out by email.

Day 2

Vincennes is the last stop of métro line 1, which also serves Gare de Lyon: the keep in the morning, then the train to Fontainebleau-Avon and a local bus to the château.

Day 3

Both from Gare du Nord: Chantilly-Gouvieux station is about 25 minutes on foot from the château; for Pierrefonds continue to Compiègne, then a bus or taxi for the last 15 km.

Day 4

Vaux-le-Vicomte alone: from Gare de l’Est to Verneuil-l’Étang, then the château’s seasonal shuttle or a taxi for 7 km; by road, about 55 km southeast of Paris.

Before you go

Opening seasons vary from one castle to the next, and several close for part of the year. Check each castle’s fiche before you fix your dates: it carries the hours and prices as they were verified, with the date of verification.

The order of stops is chained nearest-first from the starting town, and distances are as the crow flies: allow a third more by road. Only châteaux whose opening to the public we know are included.