The Château de Fontainebleau opening hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm from October to March and 9:30 am to 6 pm from April to September, and the château is closed on Tuesdays. Last entry is an hour or so earlier than closing, so the real window is shorter. This guide covers the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours by day, last entry, the free park, how to get there from Paris and the rules at the door. When you are ready to book, my comparison of Château de Fontainebleau tickets lists all 5 day trips with prices.
Château de Fontainebleau Opening Hours
Today, Saturday 7 November 2026, the château is open 9:30 am to 5 pm per Google Maps. The week looks like this:
Day
Hours per Google Maps
Monday
9:30 am to 5 pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
9:30 am to 5 pm
Thursday
9:30 am to 5 pm
Friday
9:30 am to 5 pm
Saturday
9:30 am to 5 pm
Sunday
9:30 am to 5 pm
The official château website is the one to trust, and it splits the year in two: 9:30 am to 5 pm from October to March, and 9:30 am to 6 pm from April to September. Google Maps shows only the winter pattern, so in summer the official hours are an hour longer. The château is closed on Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, per the same site. The courtyards and gardens have their own hours, listed in the practical information page: 9 am to 5 pm from November to February, 9 am to 6 pm in March, April and October, and 9 am to 7 pm from May to September, with last admission an hour earlier.
Château de Fontainebleau Horaires d’Ouverture
For French readers searching horaires d’ouverture, the answer is the same: ouvert de 9h30 à 17h d’octobre à mars, de 9h30 à 18h d’avril à septembre, fermé le mardi, le 1er janvier, le 1er mai et le 25 décembre. The English pages of the official site carry the identical times, so the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours do not change by language, only the wording does.
Château de Fontainebleau Hours and Last Entry
The Château de Fontainebleau opening hours include a last-entry rule that matters more than the closing time. The official FAQ gives 4:15 pm as the last entry from October to March and 5:15 pm from April to September. Entry during the last hour before closing is a flat 13 euros, which is cheaper than the 17 euro full price but gets you a short visit.
I would treat 3 pm as the latest sensible arrival for the interior in winter, because the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours end at 5 pm, and that is my own rule of thumb, not an official figure. The official ticket covers the Grands Appartements and the Napoleon I Museum, and the day trips from Paris I compared run to a fixed schedule: the Extime coach leaves Fontainebleau at 5 pm and reaches central Paris around 6:15 pm, per its listing.
How Long Does a Visit Take
The official FAQ does not say how long to allow, so I work from the product data. The shortest tour I compared, the ALENTOURS half-day, takes 5 hours including the drive from Paris, with the château visit done on an audio guide. The Extime coach day trip takes 9 hours and splits the time between two châteaux, leaving Vaux-le-Vicomte at 1:30 pm. Within the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours, a self-guided visit of the Grands Appartements plus a walk in the gardens fills a morning or afternoon, and one reviewer of the half-day tour said a full day would suit it better because there are so many rooms and the gardens are beautiful.
Opening Hours on Tours and Day Trips
The Château de Fontainebleau opening hours do not bind a tour that fits inside them, but they can catch you out. On the Extime trip the group has fixed times at each stop, so a delayed coach shortens the château visit, and one reviewer said the bus ran about 45 minutes late. Private tours such as the OK Tours France day or the Welcome Pickups half-day set the pace with you, so the opening hours of the château matter more there, and Tuesday is the one day nothing can get you inside.
Château de Fontainebleau Location
The Château de Fontainebleau location is Place Charles de Gaulle, 77300 Fontainebleau, in the Seine-et-Marne department. Wikipedia puts the town 55 km southeast of the centre of Paris, and describes the palace as one of the largest French royal châteaux. It sits at the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau, the old royal hunting ground that the Welcome Pickups private tour includes as its third stop.
Best Time to Visit Château de Fontainebleau
The best time for the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours to work for you is the morning, outside Tuesdays, and outside the first Sunday of a month if you want fewer visitors. The official site makes the first Sunday of each month free except in July and August, and I would expect that day to be busier, though I have no figures. The day-trip reviewers say the château is quieter than Versailles, and one reports a busy day with school groups, so the pattern is not fixed.
Weather matters for the gardens more than the rooms, and the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours are the same whatever the weather. The Open-Meteo data for 2025 shows June with 7 rainy days and 13 sunshine hours in the monthly figure, July with 13 rainy days, September with 16 and January with 15. Sunset falls at 17:10 in November and 21:52 in June, so a winter visit means the garden is dark before 5:30 pm. Source: Open-Meteo historical weather.
How to Get to Château de Fontainebleau
The official practical information page gives the public transport route from Paris. Board a train at Paris Gare de Lyon on the lines towards Montargis, Montereau or Laroche-Migennes and get off at Fontainebleau-Avon. From the station, bus line 3401 towards Les Lilas runs to the Château stop. The page does not state the journey time or the fare, so I won’t, and the SNCF Transilien timetable linked from it is the place to check.
The alternative is a day trip. The tours I compared start in central Paris, from Pullman Bercy, Avenue de Wagram, a meeting point near Rue de l’Amiral de Coligny or your hotel on the private tours. That is the easier route if you want Vaux-le-Vicomte in the same day, because the two châteaux are not linked by public transport in my data.
What to Know Before You Go
The official rules are short, and they apply throughout the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours. Bulky pushchairs and child carriers are not allowed inside, and free lockers are available for them and for bulky bags and umbrellas, though the château is not responsible for valuables left there. Drones, selfie poles indoors, camera stands, professional filming equipment, hand-held stabilisers and flash photography inside are all prohibited. Pets are not allowed in the gardens or courtyards, with leashed pets allowed in the park around the Grand Canal and service dogs welcome.
An audio guide costs 4 euros and a guided tour 7 euros on top of the 17 euro full admission (15 euros reduced), per the official FAQ. I found no bag-size limit or dress code on the pages I read, so check the practical information page before you go. Buying online lets you go straight to the entrance without the ticket office.
Blue Fox Travel
Chateau de Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte Tour
★4.8 (124 reviews)
10 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The tour I'd use to make the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours easy: 4.8 from 124 reviews, a small group, both entries included and no need to plan the trains.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Entrance fees to both châteaux
✓ Transportation by A/C minibus
✓ English-speaking guide
✓ Audio guide in each chateau
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food & drinks
✕ Gratuities
Meeting point: Meet with your driver-guide outside of 6 Avenue de Wagram in Paris, 15 minutes before your tour starts.
A café called "La Flamme" is located at that address.
Your driver-guide will arrive with a grey minibus about 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the tour.
Please be there at least 15 minutes before the official departure time.
Tours always start sharp at the appointed starting time. For this tour it is absolutely necessary that you arrive before the tour starts as there is no way of catching up with the group once the tour has started. 6 Av. de Wagram, 75008 Paris, France
Languages: English
Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“A fabulous day with a great guide. Interesting, informative and well paced. Definitely a tour to do.” – GetYourGuide review
What are the Château de Fontainebleau opening hours?+
The official site gives 9:30 am to 5 pm from October to March and 9:30 am to 6 pm from April to September. Google Maps shows 9:30 am to 5 pm, which matches the winter hours. The château is closed on Tuesdays, so check the official site for your date.
What is the last entry at the Château de Fontainebleau?+
The official FAQ gives 4:15 pm from October to March and 5:15 pm from April to September. Entry during the last hour before closing is a flat 13 euros. I'd arrive well before that, because the Grands Appartements take time to walk.
Is the Château de Fontainebleau closed on any days?+
Yes. The official site says it is closed on Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Google Maps also shows Tuesday as closed. The pages I read list no other closures, so check the official site for works or special events.
How long does it take to visit the Château de Fontainebleau?+
The official FAQ does not state a visit time. The day trips I compared give 5 hours for the shortest, which includes the drive from Paris, and 10 hours for the longest, which adds a second château. I'd allow at least two hours inside plus the gardens if you come by train.
How do I get from Paris to the Château de Fontainebleau?+
The official practical information page says to take a train from Paris Gare de Lyon towards Montargis, Montereau or Laroche-Migennes to Fontainebleau-Avon, then bus line 3401 to the Château stop. The page gives no journey time, so check the SNCF Transilien timetable.
Are the gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau free?+
Yes. The official FAQ says the park and gardens are free every day, and the practical information page says the park is open 24 hours a day. The château interior is ticketed, except on the first Sunday of each month outside July and August.
