Overview
Your group should have walking tours distributed by their teachers. Their tour may differ from these notes, which are intended to help you introduce the château and provide commentary before arrival.
On the drive from Paris, it may be helpful to outline French history from Francis I onward. Much of Fontainebleau’s construction occurred under Francis I, Henry II, Henry IV and Louis XIII. All four kings loved Fontainebleau, and later Napoleon, Louis Philippe and Napoleon III also spent long periods here and left their mark on the palace.
Fontainebleau is a strong contrast to Versailles. Versailles was the Sun King’s vast, overpowering creation, designed to impress and intimidate. Fontainebleau, originally a hunting lodge, was enlarged over centuries but retained a more intimate, domestic feeling—albeit on a regal scale. It has been used as the setting for important events, often personal or emotional: the birth of Louis XIII, the marriage of Louis XV, and Napoleon’s abdication.
The name Fontainebleau is said either to derive from fontaine belle eau (“spring of beautiful water”) or from Bliaut, one of the king’s hunting dogs who discovered the legendary spring. In 1169 Louis VII had the chapel of his manor consecrated by Thomas Becket during his exile in France. Philippe Auguste celebrated Christmas here in 1191 after returning from the Third Crusade. The Capetian kings favored the château until English invasions forced them south of the Loire.
All this became secondary when Francis I arrived in 1528. He demolished the medieval structure and built a Renaissance palace of pleasure. Rosso Fiorentino, a pupil of Michelangelo, and Primaticcio from Bologna supervised the interior decoration, creating the distinctive Fontainebleau School.
For the French, Fontainebleau is also inseparable from Napoleon—especially his abdication. This is a good moment to discuss Napoleon’s place in the French imagination. Though a dictator, he appealed to France’s sense of destiny and grandeur. His story—rising from obscure artillery officer to Emperor—reads like a novel. For more than twenty years he achieved astonishing victories. He married Josephine, one of Paris’s great beauties, became commander of the Italian army, led a brilliant campaign in Egypt and returned to France as the political situation collapsed. The leadership of the nation was his for the taking.
After further victories, he crowned himself Emperor in 1804, taking the crown from the Pope’s hands. Although his reign ended in military and political disaster, his soldiers adored him and followed him again during the Hundred Days between his escape from Elba and the defeat at Waterloo. Politically, the Revolution and the Napoleonic period reshaped French society, spreading ideas of liberty, equality and administrative centralization. Napoleon’s legacy included the national bureaucratic system, the Civil Code, the education system (including the baccalauréat) and the French franc.
Upon arrival at Fontainebleau, gather your group in the centre of the “Farewell Court.” Point out the Imperial eagles and gilded standards with Napoleon’s initial on the gates. This courtyard was once enclosed on four sides; Napoleon demolished the eastern range to create a grand entrance. Louis XIII added the famous horseshoe staircase. Here you may evoke the scene of 1814: Napoleon, pale and exhausted after signing the Act of Abdication, descending the staircase to bid farewell to his Guard before departing for exile.
Francis I built the wing on your right—note the F’s on the chimneys and his salamander emblem above the central door. The left wing was reconstructed in classical style by Louis XV in the 18th century.
The courtyard is also known as the White Horse Court because Charles IX placed a plaster cast of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius here. The soldiers—mistaking it for real marble—later used it for target practice.
The Visit
Buy tickets and lead the group up the stairs. The Musée Napoléon (15 rooms dedicated to Napoleon and his family) is on the left, but visitors should begin with the grands appartements to the right.
After ticket control you enter the Hall of Splendour, which leads into the Gallery of Plates.
Gallery of Plates
Decorated in the 19th century by Louis Philippe to display 128 Sèvres porcelain plates (1844). Many depict scenes of Fontainebleau or places Louis Philippe visited—note Niagara Falls near the exit. The porcelain wedding chest commemorates the 1841 marriage of the king’s son, celebrated at Fontainebleau.
Trinity Chapel
Standing on the site of a convent founded by St Louis in 1259, the chapel in its current form dates from the 16th–17th centuries. Louis XV was married here; Napoleon’s son was christened here.
Francis I Gallery
Built 1528–1530, originally open on both sides like a covered passage. Louis XVI later closed one side by building a row of rooms. Painted clouds on the French windows preserve symmetry. Rosso designed the decoration, combining carved wood, stucco figures and frescoes—an unusual blend in France. The scenes draw from classical mythology and probably allude to Francis I’s life. Note Michelangelesque musculature in the painted figures.
Look for Francis I’s salamander emblem, his motto and gilded F’s throughout. A 19th-century bust of the king stands at the far end. Over time many frescoes were covered by 19th-century oil paintings; the originals were rediscovered and restored in 1961.
The King’s Staircase
Originally the chamber of the Duchess of Étampes, mistress of Francis I. The upper decoration resembles the Francis I Gallery, but the figures by Primaticcio are more elongated—an early move toward Mannerism. Louis XV removed the floor to install the staircase. From the window you can see the Oval Court and the medieval keep—the oldest part of the château.
The Ballroom
At 100 ft by 33 ft, the ballroom hosted banquets and receptions. The king sat on a platform before the fireplace; musicians performed in the gallery above the door. Francis I began the room; Henry II completed it. Diane de Poitiers appears symbolically through crescent moons. Henry’s monogram intertwines H with two C’s for Catherine de Medici—but resembles H and two D’s, causing contemporary gossip.
The oak parquet floor (Louis Philippe) matches the magnificent 16th-century ceiling.
Madame de Maintenon’s Apartments
Comfortable, mid-sized rooms once used by Madame de Maintenon, the last mistress and secret wife of Louis XIV. They contrast with Versailles’s chilly grandeur and suggest the more intimate scale of Fontainebleau.
Guard’s Room
Once crossed earlier, this is the first of the king’s apartments and the station of the royal bodyguards. The ceiling dates from Louis XIII. Later decoration was added for Louis Philippe, who wished to reinforce Bourbon legitimacy. Note the fleur-de-lys and monograms of earlier kings. The bust above the fireplace is Henry IV.
The King’s Antechambers
The first room, the Buffet Room, hosted buffets when the king dined in the adjoining chamber. It contains an equestrian bas-relief of Henry IV. The second room, within the medieval keep, served as the king’s bedchamber until the late 16th century. The blinds remain closed to preserve the tapestries.
Louis XIII Salon
Originally Henry IV’s Cabinet. Here the king held council, received ambassadors, signed marriage contracts, accepted oaths of fealty and—famously—had his hunting boots removed. In 1757 the oval chamber was squared off by opening four large doors, cutting into earlier paintings. Near the entrance, look for Cupid on a dolphin, commemorating the 1601 birth of the future Louis XIII in this room.
Francis I Salon
The first of the Queen’s Apartments. Primaticcio designed the Renaissance fireplace. Anne of Austria altered the remaining décor in the 17th century. Over time the room served as the Queen’s Bedroom, a state dining room and an antechamber.
Tapestry Salon
Features a Scots pine ceiling (1835) and two ebony chests in reversed Boulle marquetry. The Story of Psyche tapestries were woven in Paris in the 17th century.
Gallery of Diane
Built in 1600 as a 230-ft passage connecting the Queen’s Apartment to the aviary. Napoleon converted it into a library and commissioned the large globe.
White Drawing Room
Redecorated under Louis Philippe in Louis XV style, a look still common in traditional French interiors. The furniture is in the Empire style of Napoleon’s era.
Queen’s Drawing Room
Entirely redecorated by Rousseau in 1786 for Marie Antoinette in the fashionable Pompeian style inspired by newly uncovered ancient Roman frescoes. The flat surfaces imitate bas-reliefs through detailed trompe-l’œil painting. The queen played cards here with members of the court.
Queen’s Bedchamber
From the 17th century onward, all French queens slept in this room. Anne of Austria designed the ceiling; Marie Leszczyńska’s initials (HML) remain over the alcove. Marie Antoinette commissioned the magnificent bed, but it was delivered after her execution; Josephine was its first occupant. Josephine added ostrich plumes and a balustrade recalling earlier court etiquette. Note the servant door hidden behind the wall hangings.
The Queen’s Boudoir
A ravishing Pompeian-style room designed for Marie Antoinette with a silvery white-gold background. The queen commissioned matching furniture, including a mother-of-pearl workbasket and roll-top desk. Looted during the Revolution, these pieces resurfaced in a New York sale in 1956 and were returned in 1961. The only original armchair is now in Lisbon; the others here are replicas.
Throne Room
Formerly the king’s bedroom—used by every monarch from Henry IV to Louis XVI. Napoleon transformed it into a throne room in 1808 without destroying the earlier Bourbon decoration. Look for fleur-de-lys on the ceiling. The gilding uses three shades of gold. The throne canopy features ostrich plumes and embroidered bees—an ancient symbol of the ideal state and a reference to hard work. Napoleon replaced the Roman SPQR standard with his own initial.
The Council Chamber
Decorated in 18th-century style under Louis XV, filled with floral and pastoral motifs. Through the double ceremonial doors you can look back into the Throne Room, as nobles once did before entering the royal presence.
Imperial Suite and Musée Chinois
Beyond the Council Chamber are the rooms used by Napoleon, including two bedchambers and the Abdication Chamber. Exiting through the bookshop area leads you toward the recently opened Musée Chinois, displaying Empress Eugénie’s spectacular Chinese collection—gifts from the Ambassador of Siam and objects looted from the Summer Palace in Beijing during the Anglo-French campaign of 1860.
If time permits, explore the gardens: paths around the carp pond and ornamental lake, courtyards leading to the Garden of Diana, peacocks, and the Dog Fountain.