If I only had time to visit one palace near Paris, I wouldn't hesitate to choose Fontainebleau. It actually has decorated rooms and authentic furniture. Fontainebleau was beautiful and well worth a visit.

During our Loire Valley visit, though it was pretty far from the rest of the famous castles, we wanted to visit this castle as well. We were to make a decision between Versailles and Fontainebleau and we opted for Fontainebleau as it was supposed to be less crowded, which was indeed the case. We were there a bit off season, so we did not have to wait in any queues. In fact, there were also automated ticket machines at the entrance which help you to proceed more quickly. This is a pretty large estate, so it takes almost 3 to 4 hours to make a quick tour. When we were there the castle cafés were not open and it was a pity as it would be great to sit on the lake side and sip a coffee.

Everyone bears the crowds to see Versaille but Fountainebleau is just as interesting and is uncrowded as well. The audio guide was great - Napoleon had this as his home but the castle itself is 800 years old. There is an awful lot to see and it is well worth the price of 12 euros.

Wonderful day. Easy to get out to the location, no crowds. Yes, yes, Versailles, I know. I've been on a previous and had to persuade my group that it might be a better day trip to see the true abode of French royalty. They were not disappointed and hearing others discuss the crowds at V they didn't really feel like they missed out by visiting the alternative. I get the bucket list nonsense but you might give it a second thought, you may have a far more enjoyable experience.

I have wanted to go for years and finally made it. We took the self audio guide tour and it was perfect. The Napoleon Museum on the first floor was fascinating with lots of things to interest from paintings to military artefacts (uniforms, swords), to an astounding treasure of Napoleon's porcelain services. After that you visit dozens of rooms of the Palace from various reigns all of which are beautiful. Afterwards we took the train ride through the grounds which was a perfect and easy way to go around the property and to see the Chateau from some different aspects. It is worth the few euro for the fun of it.

This is a huge edifice, built in several different periods. It is set in a series of gardens. The town of Fontainebleau is twinned with Richmond upon Thames, the site of Hampton Court Palace in the UK, and the comparison is clear. The rooms that you can visit at the chateaux are furnished - not always the case in French chateaux - and there is sufficient information displayed for the lay visitor to grasp what is what. There is a lot of bling. I was disappointed to find that relatively little of the chateaux interior is included in the public visit. The gardens and park are extensive, but lack the Wow Factor. You can go boating on the lake. Access to the gardens is free. You can’t take backpacks into the chateau but there are free secure lockers. Also there are excellent toilets, which are accessible to garden visitors as well as to those who take the paid visit to the interior.

Amazing chateau with fabulous gardens. Not too far from Paris and well worth the visit. Lots of interesting history that is well explained. Make sure you take a leisurely stroll through the gardens.