Vaux-le-Vicomte
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Spring Holidays

Experience Vaux-le-Vicomte as a family

As the warmer days return, Vaux-le-Vicomte opens its gates for a family escape where heritage, nature and playful experiences come together.
From immersive visits and sensory trails to children’s activities and relaxing moments, everyone can shape their day at their own pace.

Practical information

During the spring holidays: April 18 to May 3
And May 8–10 and May 14–17

Daily from 10.00 am to 5.30 pm (last ticket office access)

 

Château & gardens

  • Full price: €18
  • Reduced rate: €14.50
  • Family rate: €59
  • Free for children under 6

Garden only

  • €13,50

Extras

  • Costume hire
  • Dome access
  • Club car rental

Le Relais de l’Écureuil
A friendly self-service restaurant, perfect for a gourmet break, offering daily specials and desserts made from fresh ingredients.

The Kiosk
For a quick break without interrupting your garden visit, enjoy takeaway options to savour on the terrace facing the château.

Discover the château differently

Step into the fascinating history of Vaux-le-Vicomte through an immersive 3D sound experience.
Equipped with headphones, you’ll be transported into the heart of the estate’s defining moments: court intrigues, lavish festivities, and the destiny of Nicolas Fouquet.

For younger visitors, a dedicated trail invites them to follow Jean de La Fontaine and Panache, a flying squirrel, on a playful and poetic journey through the château.

New experiences to discover

  • The collaborative puzzle: in Hercules’ antechamber, help recreate a monumental artwork by Charles Le Brun.
  • The living library: take a break in a warm, intimate space, just like a family home.

Dome access :

Climb to new heights and enjoy spectacular views over the estate from the lantern, more than 25 metres above ground level (extra charge, tickets available on site).

Be amazed in the French formal garden

At Vaux-le-Vicomte, the garden is to be fully experienced through walks, games and sensory discoveries.

The Trail of Textures  : An invitation to experience the estate differently: walk barefoot and explore the textures of the garden — stone, water, wood, metal… a unique immersive experience.

The Mystery of the Iron Mask : In the Patte d’Oie grove, embark on a captivating investigation. This scenographic trail takes you through underground passages and clearings to uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries.

 

Activities for the whole family

Around the bassin de la Couronne, several experiences await children:

  • For little gardeners: take part in the “Seedling Gardener” activity and plant wildflower seeds in our flowerbeds.
  • For little sailors: set your small wooden sailboat afloat in one of the bassin de la Couronne.
  • For players: collect a wooden games cart and enjoy fun moments with your family.

Older visitors can also experience the gardens in a different way:

  • For players: search for Nicolas Fouquet’s emblem hidden in the gardens… and try to win your return visit to Vaux-le-Vicomte.
  • For adventurers: at the end of the gardens, the monumental statue of Hercules awaits. Reachable on foot or by electric buggy, it offers breathtaking views over the estate’s grand perspective.
  • For dreamers: brand new this season, the confessional becomes a relaxation area. Settle into a deckchair under the lime trees for a nap or a peaceful moment out of time…

Spring Holidays

From 14 November to 3 January

Let the magic of Christmas carry you away on an enchanting journey around the world, at the heart of Vaux-le-Vicomte.

From the moment you arrive, you are invited to immerse yourselves in a warm and transporting atmosphere, where each state room of the château is adorned with décor inspired by distant horizons, blending elegance, traditions and wonder. The crackling of open fires accompanies this fairytale journey through cultures and imagination.

In the Grand Salon, a monumental projection brings a striking immersive spectacle to life, enhancing the architecture and history of this remarkable setting. Outdoors, the gardens are illuminated and transformed into a sparkling trail, inviting you to stroll and dream. An ice rink completes this winter experience, offering a joyful and convivial moment to share.

Blending poetry, light and discovery, experience an unforgettable Christmas where every step takes you further on a magical journey filled with a thousand shimmering delights.

Informations et réservation à venir

Spring Holidays

Every Saturday from 16 May to 26 September 2026, as well as on 13 July and 15 August

Vaux-le-Vicomte invites visitors to rediscover this 17th-century masterpiece by the flickering light of two thousand candles illuminating the château and French garden. A refined romantic dinner, water features in the ponds and a champagne bar complete this delightful, timeless evening. A golden and silver fireworks display will bring the evening to a close.

Practical Information

Every Saturday from 16 May to 26 September 2026, as well as 13 July and 15 August.

From 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm (last entrance at the ticket office).

The estate closes at midnight.

  • Full price (including Castle & Gardens): €22
  • Reduced rate (children from 4 to 17 years old, students, job seekers) including Castle & Gardens: €17.50
  • Gardens-only rate: €16
  • Free for children under 4 years old
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Every Saturday during Candlelight Night, shuttle buses are provided from Paris and Melun.

Book your tickets for the shuttle bus
Book your tickets online

An enchanted evening by Candlelit Evenings

Since 1980, Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte has been the first château to offer candlelit evening visits, providing a dreamlike and unique experience. From 5:30 PM, explore the château in soft lighting, and as night falls, marvel at the gardens illuminated by thousands of candles!

Rediscover 33 hectares of French-style gardens designed by Le Nôtre, the magnificent architecture of Le Vau, and the sumptuous paintings of Le Brun, all bathed in the flickering glow of 2,000 candles… Relive, for an evening, the magic of the legendary fête of August 17, 1661.

In case of bad weather, our team will do everything possible to ensure at least a partial lighting of the candles and the fireworks display (except in cases of force majeure or public safety concerns).

Live Performances in the French Gardens

This year, Vaux-le-Vicomte enhances its Candlelit Evenings with an exclusive artistic program. In a true open-air theater, street performers will bring the French gardens to life, blending into the flickering candlelight to create a poetic and immersive experience.

But the enchantment doesn’t stop there… At 10:15 PM, a magical moment awaits visitors in the main alley: sparkling lights will be handed out to the audience to create a fleeting luminous fresco, just before the fireworks show begins. As the first musical notes echo through the gardens, let yourself be swept away by this collective choreography and immerse yourself in this timeless celebration.

Immersive projection : the Palace of the Sun, Le Brun

Starting at 5:30 pm (continuous).

Visitors can discover the digital restoration of the immense 380 m² painting that Charles Le Brun had planned for this ceiling and be mesmerized by the work that builds and comes to life before their eyes.

A fireworks display of gold and silver!

A true spectacle that concludes each candlelit evening: a series of pyrotechnic scenes retracing the celebration of August 17, 1661, thanks to the letter written by La Fontaine to his friend Maucroix!

For the occasion, André Dussollier, the famous French actor, lends his voice to Jean de La Fontaine, to transport the visitor 360 years back to this famous and sumptuous evening…

The fireworks display starts at 11:00 pm.

Special Candlelight Evenings 2026!

Two evenings will punctuate the summer, each with the atmosphere of a festive open-air café:

  • on 13 July, with a blue, white or red dress code to celebrate the National Day;
  • on 15 August, an evening in white, dedicated to refinement.

Dancing Water Displays in the Gardens

The dancing water displays will take place during each Candlelit Evening, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

Swimming is prohibited.

*(Depending on available water reserves)

A varied dining offer

During the candlelit evenings, the estate offers a quality dining experience. Enjoy a gourmet dinner at the Charmilles restaurant, with a view of the castle and gardens lit by candlelight, a convivial meal at the Relais de l’Écureuil, comfortably seated at the Songe de Vaux with a glass of champagne and macarons while listening to baroque music, or in the gardens enjoying a delicious picnic. Each visitor experiences magical moments, contemplating the harmony of a complete 17th-century work of art.

Privatize the dome to share a unique moment for 2!

Culminating at over 25 meters high and offering a breathtaking 360° view of the estate, the dome provides an exceptional spectacle. A unique and magical moment to celebrate together at the top of the château! You’ll also have the privilege of launching the fireworks yourself from the Dome, while enjoying a glass of champagne!

For more information, contact our team by email: commercial@vaux-le-vicomte.fr.

Spring Holidays

Saturday, May 23th

Each year, this event is a highly anticipated moment for lovers of the 17th century! A unique experience of the French art of living in the time of Louis XIV and Nicolas Fouquet. The festivities will continue until nightfall in an intimate candlelit atmosphere.

Practical information

  • En cas de mauvaises conditions météorologiques, certaines animations sont susceptibles d’être annulées.
  • Le parcours sonore immersif (PSI) ne sera pas disponible lors de cet événement.

Saturday, May 23th

11:00 am – 9:30 pm (last access to ticket office)

Animations start at 3:00 pm

 

  • Full price (including Castle & Gardens): €22
  • Reduced rate (children from 4 to 17 years old, students, job seekers, and costumed attendees) including Castle & Gardens: €17.50
  • Gardens-only rate: €16
  • Free for children under 4 years old
  • After Prestige (in addition to the entrance ticket and soon available online on our online ticketing service): From €60
  • Costume rental and fitting are strongly recommended in advance with our approved partner : Un jour dans le temps.

 

Book your tickets online
  • A cloakroom and free lockers will be available on-site.
  • Children’s costume rental is available at the château starting from €4 (for the château visit only, no reservation required). Wearing a costume is not mandatory to access the estate.
  • The immersive sound experience (PSI) will not be available during this event.

 

Book your tickets online

On Saturday, May 31, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, a family residence and a grand venue for celebrations in Nicolas Fouquet’s time, invites you to step back in time to the era of the Sun King and the artists of the Grand Siècle. Each year, thousands of costumed visitors and curious onlookers flock to the Château, dressed in their finest attire, to experience a memorable day at a 17th-century court, set against the magnificent backdrop of the palace that inspired the Château de Versailles.

On the program for this 2025 edition: courtly dance invitations, musketeer performances, horse-drawn carriage rides, falconry shows, stilt-walking artists, costumed parade, baroque dance performance by the students of Cie Fêtes Baroques – Chrystelle Arcelin, gardens illuminated by candlelight, fountain displays in the estate’s pools, and a grand gold-and-silver firework show at 11:00 pm.

At 6:00 pm, all costumed guests will be invited to stroll through the French formal garden.

Children will be kings!

Children will have the opportunity to explore the château dressed in magnificent period costumes. Around the fountains, they can enjoy a 17th-century-style pastime, guiding small colorful sailboats across the water. A face-painting workshop and an introduction to the language of beauty patches, a hallmark of the era, will also be offered free of charge.

A varied dining offer

During this exceptional evening, the estate offers a high-quality dining experience. You can enjoy a gourmet dinner at Les Charmilles restaurant, in an intimate setting with a view of the château and its candlelit gardens, or opt for a warm and convivial meal at Le Relais de l’Écureuil. Every visitor will experience magical moments, admiring the harmony of a 17th-century masterpiece.

The After Prestige, for Ambassadors of the Grand Siècle

Are you someone who seeks excellence, wears period costumes, and knows everything about 17th-century fashion? Then this special event within the event is made for you! The Château honors passionate enthusiasts by offering them the opportunity to participate in a “Prestige After Party” to close the day. Welcomed at the gates of the Cour d’Honneur at 9:30 PM, marquises and marquis, dukes, and other costumed guests will enjoy a convivial and intimate moment inside the Château and on the south terrace, specially privatized for the occasion.

The program will include a champagne bar, snacks, baroque dance classes with Irène Feste, discovery of period cosmetics, a musical interlude, and much more. Our ambassadors will also have the privilege of watching the fireworks from the south terrace of the Château, which will be privatized at 11:00 PM.

To contribute to the magic of the event, it is essential to arrive wearing a period costume dating from the grand siècle to the beginning of the siècle des lumières: ancien régime excluding the revolution, and to don it before entering the Château grounds. Entry will be refused to those not in costume.