The château ticket
The château's practical information page lists two prices for individual visitors:
| Ticket | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Full price | €17 | Adults without a reduction |
| Reduced | €15 | Large families; non-EU nationals living in the EU for over six months, aged 18–25; payment by holiday vouchers; Balad'Pass 77 holders with a full-paying adult |
| Free | €0 | Under 18; long-term EU residents (over six months) of any nationality aged 18–25; disabled visitors and one companion; other listed categories |
| Video guide | €4 | Optional, 11 languages, subject to availability |
Most international visitors pay the €17 full price: the reduced rate is narrow and the youth rate depends on EU residence, not nationality. Bring ID for any reduced or free rate.
The ticket covers the Grands Appartements and the Napoleon I Museum and, according to the online ticketing, is valid the whole day. Until 25 January 2027 the ticketing site also sells a version that adds the Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI exhibition (the what's on page gives 11 October 2026 to 27 January 2027 for it); neither page shows a price before you pick a date.
The château FAQ mentions a €13 flat rate one hour before closing, which the practical page does not list. Treat it as a possibility at the desk, not a plan: arriving an hour before a 5pm closing leaves you only 15 minutes before last entry.
Free first Sundays
Everyone enters free on the first Sunday of each month except July and August, and the ticketing site sells a dedicated "First Sunday of the Month" product. The next ones are 1 November and 6 December 2026, then 3 January and 7 February 2027. Expect more people on those days.
Online or on the day
The practical page says you can buy online in advance or on site on the day, and the FAQ says an online ticket lets you go straight to the entrance without queuing at the ticket office. No time slot is needed for a standard ticket.
Opening hours and closures
The château is open every day except Tuesday, and closes on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
- October to March: 9:30am–5pm, last entry 4:15pm.
- April to September: 9:30am–6pm, last entry 5:15pm.
- Park and gardens: free to visit "under the usual conditions"; the château does not publish separate hours for them on these pages.
The online ticketing adds that the whole-day ticket gives access to the tour from 9:30am until 4pm, a little earlier than the 4:15pm last entry on the practical page, so aim to be inside by 4pm in winter. The site restaurant serves lunch until 3 November and is closed on Tuesdays outside school holidays.
Getting there from Paris
Train from Gare de Lyon
The château's page says to take a train from Paris Gare de Lyon (main lines) towards Montargis, Montereau or Laroche-Migennes and get off at Fontainebleau-Avon. These are trains of Transilien line R, which SNCF describes as running from Paris Gare de Lyon to Melun, Montereau and Montargis and promotes for the château and the forest. The Fontainebleau tourist office gives a journey time of 40 to 45 minutes and services every day, including Sundays and public holidays.
Neither page gives a frequency, and line R carries engineering works (SNCF flags works in October 2026). Check the Transilien timetable for your exact date and note your return train before you leave.
Bus 3401 to the château
From the bus stop outside the station, the château page names line 3401 towards Les Lilas, alighting at "Château". Île-de-France Mobilités has renumbered the Fontainebleau-Moret lines with the prefix "34" (its example: line 1 becomes 3401), so older guides and signs, including the tourist office page, may still say "line 1". The tourist office says line 1 buses from the station run every 15 minutes towards the town centre, but its timetables date from 2017–2018, so check the next departures in the Île-de-France Mobilités app.
The château's address is Place Charles de Gaulle, 77300 Fontainebleau.
Which ticket for the journey
Fontainebleau-Avon is inside Île-de-France, so regional tickets apply. Fares are from the Île-de-France Mobilités 2026 fare page, in force since 1 January 2026:
| Option | Price per adult | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Metro-Train-RER ticket, each way | €2.55 | The train; not the bus |
| Bus-Tram ticket, each way | €2.05 | The bus |
| Round trip on single tickets | €9.20 | 2 train + 2 bus tickets |
| Navigo Jour (day pass, all zones) | €12.30 | Train, bus, metro and RER all day |
The Metro-Train-RER ticket terms say the ticket covers zones 1–5, allows a 2-hour journey from validation without exiting, and does not cover buses. It is loaded on a Navigo Easy card or a phone; paper tickets are a last resort.
For the château alone, single tickets cost €9.20 and are cheaper than the day pass. The Navigo Jour at €12.30 wins if you also take the metro to and from Gare de Lyon, or several metro rides in Paris the same day. Children aged 4 to under 10 pay a reduced fare on single tickets. Our Navigo and fare-zone guide explains the cards and passes in more detail.
Bags and accessibility
Bulky bags, umbrellas, bulky pushchairs and child carriers are not allowed during the visit. Free lockers take them, though the château accepts no liability for valuables. Flash photography, selfie sticks and hand-held stabilisers are banned indoors. With a suitcase, leave it in Paris first; see luggage storage near the Paris stations.
A sample winter day
With last entry at 4:15pm from October to March, an outward train around 9am gets you to the château by about 10am after the bus, leaving time for the apartments, the Napoleon Museum and the gardens before the light goes. Starting after 1pm is tight: aim to reach the château by 2:30pm so that the visit is not cut short by the 4pm tour cutoff and 4:15pm last entry.
If the château is closed (a Tuesday or a holiday), the park and gardens remain free, but a different day trip may be a better use of the train fare; our comparison of day trips from Paris helps you choose.
_-_2022-01-22_-_1.jpg){kind=link}