In all my years of traveling to Paris, I ventured east on the line 1 of the metro for the first time to the Château de Vincennes – and what a wonderful surprise I had. From the Louvre metro, it’s a straight 20 minute ride to Château de Vincennes, and it couldn’t be easier. I exited the metro stop and there it was – an incredible 12th century fortress, very well intact, waiting to be visited.

 

Built as a hunting lodge in the 12th century for King Louis VII, it has served as a castle and royal residence, prison, treasury, library and personal study for many of the kings of France. The Marquis de Sade was imprisoned here for a long time before being moved to the Bastille prison.

The donjon tower is the tallest medieval fortified structure in Europe – and it is impressive! You can walk these halls and chambers and see medieval graffiti carved into the walls by prisoners hundreds of years ago. It is similar in style to images I have seen of the Bastille prison – huge, imposing, frightening, actually. I loved it.

The Gothic chapel was closed in preparation for a special exhibit on Henry IV that will open in September, so I was not able to visit the interior, but will definitely head back there when I am next in Paris.

If you don’t have time to travel down to the southwest to see some of the fortified castles that are so prevalent in that region, just take the metro to Château de Vincennes – you won’t be disappointed!

Call us and book your trip

Call Esplanade Travel and you’ll talk to one of our knowledgeable staff members who can help you book your perfect trip.

Get in Touch

We traveled to New Zealand this year for a great adventure exploring the country. This trip was 4 years in the making due to the Covid pandemic. We booked in 2019 with Esplanade and they planned a fantastic trip. The Esplanade team worked with us seamlessly over the years as we booked and Covid cancelled our trip at least 3 times. When we finally were able to travel in 2023, they had everything perfect. We were really expecting a lot of confusion due to the multiple bookings and cancellations, but Esplanade had everything perfect at every turn. The accommodations, excursions, transfers, etc. were all planned even better than we could have imagined. We highly recommend Esplanade Travel and will be using them again on our next adventure.

See all of our testimonials

Travel Insurance

We offer comprehensive travel insurance at affordable rates that will give you peace of mind during your travels.

Find out more