Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Chateau Vaux le Vicomte is one of our favourites. It is only 45min from Paris (if no traffic) and was the inspiration for Versailles.  The owner, Nicholas Fouquet, was a court financier and it is a little unclear if he was clear about court finances and his own.  Louis XIV was invited to stay after its completion and was extremely jealous of its magnificence. Fouquet was arrested and his estates were confiscated. He should never have used gold plates when Louis XIV only had silver.

Louis XIV employed the same trio for Versailles - the architect, Le Vau, the decorator, Le Brun and the landscape designer, Le Notre. The perspective of the gardens is incredible. From the end of the gardens looking back to the chateau it seems as if the two lower, side wings of the chateau are attached. They are actually stables which are behind the chateau. There are hidden basins and fountains and the chateau is surrounded by a moat.

The children love to visit as you can hire children's period costumes to wear while inside the chateau. You can also hire golf buggies to wizz around the gardens. Click here to go the Chateau le Vaux Vicomte website - there is a great clip of an aerial view over the chateau and wonderful photos.

I must admit that I have flown over the chateau in a helicopter. A long time ago we were treated to a weekend away involving a surprise helicopter trip. We were flying back to Paris (the pilot had a road map and we were following the highway) and he radioed in to get permission to swoop over. Magnificent.

http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/