Fontainebleau & Barbizon Half-day Trip From Paris With Entry

We found out about the strike after we booked the trip. We were far away from the center, and the taxi driver said taxis or uber would not work on that day. I tried everything I could to cancel and explain the situation. However the company wasn’t receptive to my concerns.

Hulu is an hour drive from Paris. We were in an air-conditioned van. It was a lovely place to visit.

Had a great day trip to Fontainebleau castle. Our guide Jacques was excellent. During the drive he told us so many interesting historical facts about Fontainebleau and other castles. The drive was pleasant with great conversations. The castle was very interesting and memorable. I got an extra hour to visit the beautiful town around the Palace. This was a wonderful tour I would highly recommend.

Very enjoyable trip. Worth the money as it takes out all the stress of organising transport etc independently. Guide Frederick was excellent,knowledgeable and very efficient and friendly.

Great time, on the tour, thank you love the Fountainbleu, and Barbizon village recommend this tour, thank you.

Paid for audio guides and none were available. Expected more interaction with guide, who really was only the van driver.

Fontainebleau is gorgeous. Our tour guide was mostly a driver and did not provide much information. We were also taken to Barbizon during hours that all stores were closed and the village looked dead. We basically stoped for a few minutes and walked up and down a dead street. It was a waste of time.

We had a small group of four, three Americans and one Frenchwoman, and a wonderful driver, Edoardo, and our shared experience made it worthwhile and a lot of fun. Wish we had had more time at the palace, and also at Barbizon, but we did make it to both of these sites, learned a lot, enjoyed the companionship, and all had a good time.

I bought this tour from Trip Advisor and didn't find anyway to contact them. We bought this tour a few months ago that was to leave at 11 am. A few weeks later, they changed the time to 8 am, which was very early for a vacation tour, but okay. Then the night before the tour was scheduled, they called and cancelled, offering us another date, after we would have left. It was very disappointing and I do not think this is a reliable company.

My second time to the Fontainebleau as beautiful as I remember ❤️ 💕 just wish they will do a longer tour🤔little more than 2 hour is a bit rush to visit the castle😁hate the tour at 8am too early but love it for less people😅 besides that Love it love it love it 😀 like the minivan👏 comfortable ❤️

The place is beautiful and definitely worth the trip, very cold, the château closes early so there was nothing to do, so we came back early

Antonio did a great job. We really enjoyed it he was great. There were no audio guides 😒 but Antonio was great!!! Mmmmmmmmmm

Fontainebleau was Fabulous. So much to see inside. Furnished rooms, Collections of China, statutes, paintings Architecture and grounds. Our tour guide was delightful but the company need to verify periodically what it is selling. This was an afternoon tour and upon getting there it changed it closing time which shortened the time we could spend inside and they had no audio equipment available in any language which was included in the price of the package. Many of the exhibits did have signs to identify wht you were looking at in French and English Barbizon was a fun stop but most business were closed.

Company office advertised toilets & snacks but had none despite directional signage. Basically just a transport service not equipped for 8 passengers. Front seat with driver had 2 half seats to accommodate 2 more passengers. Guide was well intentioned but could not deliver on the experience promised by this company. Arrived at palace too late to get audio guide. The only business open in Barbizon by the time we arrived was a bar.

What a lovely chateau to visit and as a bonus a chance to see parts of Paris city on the drive. We found this castle to be less touristy then Versailles which meant less crowds. Lots of history and lovely outdoor space to enjoy. Our driver was very friendly and very knowledgeable.

We loved Fontainebleau and the Driver was very nice. The ride was very comfortable in a clean vehicle, and there were only 4 of us on the trip. The reason for the average rating was because the tour through Barbizon was only a drive through. This was because the driver said due to the weather but it was not raining very much when we got to Barbizan and we had umbrellas. The driver said there was not enough time which if that is the case then Barbizan should not be part of the tour. Also, the Driver spoke only in french to the other couple so we weren't able to understand the narrative when we drove through Barbizan. My husband fell asleep so maybe he thought we were both sleeping but I was awake and would have liked to have heard the narrative. I think the tour would be better if it was either for French or English and not combined because we spoke no french and the other couple spoke no English. Also, we had 2.5 hrs in Fontainebleau, which was a little rushed so trying to add a tour of Barbizan was not feasible. This tour should charge less because it is not guided, only head phones, and too short on time.

The trip was very good and well organized. Michael was very helpful. The trip is good if you wish to visit the chateau and the gardens within short time. If you need to spend more time, a day long trip is recommended. Overall a good experience.

Great tour to picturesque Fontainebleau estate and Barbizon. We appreciated being with a smaller group and our guide was informative and entertaining on the ride to/from the estate.

This tour is basically just a car ride to Fontainebleau. The two hours there is with an audio guide and isn’t enough time if you want to listen to the entire audio guide. The is no tour of Barbizon, we drove through it on our way back to Paris without even stopping to get out of the car. The driver was not knowledgeable about the subject and gave no commentary on the hour twenty drive each way. Save money and take the train.

Very convenient, it was a very interesting visit, amazing palace. It is very much worth it to take this tour

Fontainebleau and the picturesque village of Barbizon were amazing. Our guide, Loic, was excellent and made the trip a wonderful and pleasant experience. We had sufficient time to do the self guided Fontainebleau tour, as not as touristy and crowded as other venues. Enjoyed a leisurely stroll down the main street of Barbizon to admire the beautiful art in the galleries. A wonderful tour, highly recommend.

This was a great way to see the castle. Fountainebleau is a grandiose castle and a must visit destination. I found the Barbizon art village interesting. It was at the edge of the Fountainebleau forest. The journey was very scenic.

Fontainebleau was the most enjoyable surprise. The place is a real jewel. It is very different from Versailles: while Versailles, magnificent as it is, is cold and alienating, Fontainebleau is warm and cozy. The Renaissance architecture abs design at ts best.

This tour states a visit to two places. However it just goes to Fontainebleau, which I only learned when I mentioned to the guide that I was eager to see Barbizon--we were already on the highway--and he informed me that the "big bus" isn't allowed to go to Barbizon. Period. No other explanation. (Um, then why didn't they use the smaller bus?) No mention of the Barbizon omission in any Viator email before the trip, at the meeting point office or when getting on the bus, even though multiple staff checked my voucher that clearly stated BOTH Fontainebleau and Barbizon. After numerous unpleasant phone calls to both Viator and the company they contract with and being hung up on twice and put on hold a few long times, I finally got a 50% refund for the "skipped" Barbizon portion of the tour. BTW no staff apologized, and I was treated as a nuisance for having noticed that the Barbizon part of the tour that I paid for was "missing." Note that the "big bus" was only about a third full and it took an hour and a half for it to reach Fontainebleau (as well as the slow return) as it drove slowly in the slowest lane while other cars/vans whizzed by once we were outside of Paris traffic congestion. Finally, when at Fontainebleau, the all inclusive 2 hours and15 minutes we were given (that is, to meet back at the bus in 2 hours 15 min.) was much too short to tour the huge chateau, let alone walk in the gardens, even for a brisk walker like myself. The audio guide and the gift shop were excellent, but not enough time to explore the shop. It was a very hot day of 41 degrees C / 105 degrees F, and I didn't see a place to buy a bottle of water or stop for a coffee. In short, the road travel time was about 3 hours total (AC was very weak on the warm bus) and the time at Fontainebleau was much too short. We needed the full 2 hours and 15 min. just to explore the huge chateau and gardens. Not to rush from the bus parked rather far away from the entrance gate to the chateau itself and then back to the bus (I had to run back) on one of the hottest days in French history. The tour guide was professional though sullen. The Viator ground and office staff treat tourists as if we're nothing more than cash cows, and not even smart cows, at that. Every aspect of this tour was sub-standard and felt perfunctory and rushed. Guide didn't even offer going to a shop across the parked bus to buy a bottle of water for the return on the warm bus. This is the worst tour I've ever taken.

<p>This is primarily an audio-tour when we got to the castle. The guide was very nice, but did not add much value. Fontainbleau is very interesting and certainly worth a visit Save money and take the bus from Paris.</p>

<p>This,tour is really a shuttle service to Fountainbleau, entrance ticket and audio guide with some commentary on the bus and walk up the Main Street of Barbizon at dusk when the shops were all closed! However, Fountainbleau is definitely,worth seeing and for me, this option was the best. Can definitely recommend seeing Fountainbleau.</p>

<p>Fabian was an excellent guide, giving us a historical background on Paris, Barbizon and Fontainebleau during our drive out of Paris. </p> <p>Would not have had that information, which really set the visit up, had we gone on our own - great trip - thank you Viatour and Fabian !</p>

<p>Great trip, great guide. Too little time in Barbizon</p>

<p>Driver, Luke was very nice. Got us there and back, though there was a fete going on so some of the areas were closed to visitors. The audio guide was confusing especially since some room were closed because of a conference.</p>

<p>A great trip half a day out of Paris. Barbizon was very cute and worth seeing. If you do the audio tour around Fontainebleau there is not enough time to see all of the outside which was unfortunate.</p>

<p>Pleased with what we saw and heard at Fontainbleau. Disappointed along with others on the tour that we did not visit Barbizon because the tour company bus taken instead of the mini bus as stated could not fit into the small streets of Barbizon. We have notified Viator and awaiting their response/explanation.</p>

<p>Recommended, well organized even though the car was a little bit too small for 8 passengers and one driver.</p>

<p>Need more than 1 1/2 hours at Fontainblleau another 30 minutes.</p>

<p>The trip was fantastic. We had a good time. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly. He advised us on how to use the audio guide at Fontainebleau and also not to spend time and try to listen to it all. There is not enough to hear every little detail but there is enough time to hear all of the highlights. Make sure to leave time to walk in the grounds which are also beautiful. The city of Barbizon is a quaint traditional French town. I wish there was more time to explore that town and to spend time there.</p>

<p>Wonderful visit. Very nice driver. Highly recommend this tour if you enjoy history, art and architecture and hate crowds!</p>

<p>Excellent tour with very good background information by the tour leader on the way to Fontainebleau. The visit to the small village of Barbizon on the return journey was a bonus.</p>