Chateau Vaux le Vicomte by martinsoler.com

Chateau Vaux le Vicomte is located about 50km south east of Paris and is reachable by train from Paris in a couple of hours. The castle is privately owned and is maintained rather well for visits.

While this castle is small compared to Versailles it is still an amazing visit and specifically a great historical value in your French trip.

Built by Nicolas Fouquet who was one of the many financiers and moneymen of the 1600s the castle at the time was the largest and most impressive of it’s kind in close to Paris. The castle itself isn’t that large but what is amazing is the grounds and gardens. The huge French garden designed by LeNotre was an amazing feat of technical precision and architectural planning. All made to fit from all viewpoints and give an amazing impression.

The castle itself hosts a great exhibit of the life of Nicolas Fouquet called Greatness and Misfortune which explains the real story behind the castle.

The story is that this is the castle that inspired Versailles and while that may very well be, there is a lot more to be said about that story which is worth seeing at the castle itself.

We suggest you visit this castle before you visit Versailles, even if further away, you will appreciate the greatness of Versailles better having seen this castle.