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48 hours around Fontainebleau

/2023

In Fontainebleau and its surrounding forest, the centuries are stacked up like geological strata. Each era has its own leisure activity: reigning, building and destroying empires, painting, rock-climbing, eating cheese...
48 hours around Fontainebleau
Climbers who wait feverishly for the weekend to climb the cliffs of the Fontainebleau forest generally have little opportunity to devote themselves to its history. They don't have time to walk past the château, or even to pick mushrooms. These passionate Bleausards seek out remarkable spots, some of the most famous in France. They rub shoulders with the Marie-Rose, on the Bas-Cuvier site, or The Island, at Coquibus-Rumont. Their jargon escapes the layman, and their community exchanges information on specialized sites such as Climbingaway or Fanatic-climbing, while Bleau.info provides the essentials of the routes. The history of this forest is nevertheless memorable. In the Middle Ages, it was a hunting ground for hounds, and packs of hounds and spaniels were more often heard here than 4x4s. Although the château's origins lie in the Middle Ages, it was the enlightened monarch François I who gracefully transformed it into a sumptuous Italian-style palace. Louis XIII was born here, under the benevolent eye of his father Henri IV, and Marie-Antoinette had her famous Turkish boudoir built here. Napoleon made it his imperial residence, affectionately calling it the "house of centuries". It was here, too, that he abdicated in April 1814, gathering his old guard for a farewell before his exile to Elba. Painting began here as early as the 16th century. The École de Fontainebleau went through two periods: under Francis I - with Rosso Fiorentino, Le Primatice, Noël Jallier and Jean Goujon - and then, in the 17th century, in a movement later described as Mannerist. This movement embellished not only the Château de Fontainebleau, but also the elegant villas in the surrounding area. Almost at odds with Mannerism, another trend developed at the very beginning of the 19th century. Parisian painters, led by Corot, were thirsty for spontaneity and rural scenes. Close to the capital, the forest of Fontainebleau and its charming villages - Barbizon, Bourron-Marlotte, Montigny-sur-Loing - offered dreamy landscapes in which to express this naturalist revival. After Corot, other artists stayed in Barbizon: Millet, Daubigny, Théodore Rousseau - who brought his friend George Sand here - and, a little later, Courbet. A stay in Fontainebleau soaks up all these eras. Despite its imposing château, Fontainebleau lives with the times, in the age of terraces and pizzerias, and boasts its specialty, fontainebleau, a blend of fresh cow's cheese and whipped cream. In its central street, Barbizon retains the precious allure of a painters' village, with numerous evocations and charming mosaics depicting paintings done in the area. Bourron-Marlotte remembers the visits of Monet and Cézanne, as well as Émile Zola, who wrote L'Assommoir here. Continue on to Moret-sur-Loing to discover a superb medieval town, with its gates, beautiful Gothic church, Renaissance facades and old half-timbered houses. Sisley settled here in 1882, worked and lived here until his death in 1899. A guided tour is dedicated to him. M. E.
L'Axel
Open
15/20
Remarkable Restaurant

L'Axel

Address 77300 FONTAINEBLEAU
Chef Kunihisa Goto
Cooking French | Gastronomic
Budget 125€
L’Aigle Noir Hôtel
Open
Prestige Hotel

L’Aigle Noir Hôtel

Address 77300 FONTAINEBLEAU
Services Meeting rooms, On-site catering, Pets allowed, Private Parking, Room service
La Ferme Des Sablons
Open
Cheese dairy

La Ferme Des Sablons

Address 77300 FONTAINEBLEAU
Activités Fine grocery
Services Tailored
L'A Pâtisserie KG
Open
Pastry

L'A Pâtisserie KG

Address 77300 FONTAINEBLEAU
Boucherie Napoléon
Open
Butchery

Boucherie Napoléon

Address 77300 FONTAINEBLEAU
Activités Delicatessen
Les Prémices
Open
15/20
Remarkable Restaurant

Les Prémices

Address 77780 BOURRON-MARLOTTE
Chef Dominique Maës
Cooking French | Gastronomic
Budget 50€ à 80€
L’Échoppe aux Douceurs
Open
Bakery

L’Échoppe aux Douceurs

Address 77250 MORET-LOING-ET-ORVANNE
Activités Pastry
Café de la Paix
Open
12/20
Gourmet Restaurant

Café de la Paix

Address 77780 BOURRON-MARLOTTE
Cooking French | Local
Budget 30€
Val'et des fromages
Open
Cheese dairy

Val'et des fromages

Address 77630 BARBIZON
L'Ermitage Saint-Antoine
Open
11/20
Gourmet Restaurant

L'Ermitage Saint-Antoine

Address 77630 BARBIZON
Cooking French
Maison Morin
Open
Carryout

Maison Morin

Address 77630 BARBIZON
Activités Fine grocery | Pastry
La Juxtaposition
Open

La Juxtaposition

Address 77630 BARBIZON

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