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We visit the Château de Vincennes – a castle in Paris!

If you’re visiting Paris for the first time, you may well have a day set aside for seeing Versailles. It’s unmissable of course, and our hotels are well-placed to get you there, with the C line of the RER train nearby (the train journey is around 30 minutes, and Saint-Michel station will be reopening after a major refit in the spring of 2023).

However, while Versailles is well-known, you might not have heard of a castle that’s a lot closer to the city centre (a 17-minute metro ride), albeit of a different style. It’s the Château de Vincennes, a fascinating fascinant monument with a rich history. We went down to take a look…

Château de Vincennes, Paris — photos: JasonW

The town of Vincennes touches Paris on its east side, and has a few interesting sights to see – the bois de Vincennes (a vast 1.000 hectare wood), the Parc Floral de Paris gardens, and… the Château de Vincennes, the heart of the French monarchy until 1682, when Louis XIV decided to move to Versailles!

With a dungeon that served until the 19th century (with inmates including the Marquis de Sade) and its incredible chapel, this fortress protected Paris from invasion and is still the home of the Service Historique de la Défense (the army’s historical archives).

As soon as you go in the north entrance (the “Tour du Village“), you are transported back to another era, surrounded by vast walls and a huge courtyard.

The royal pavilions (not open to visitors) are at the far end, but before them are two amazing spaces to explore – the dungeon (50 metres high, the highest in Europe when constructed) and the chapel, or should we say Sainte-Chapelle, founded in 1379, with a jaw-dropping 20-metre high ceiling 😲

But let’s start at the dungeon, whose drawbridge is currently being restored (you can donate to the project here). You can walk round the building’s galleries, go up to the roof of the entrance building and take in the view of the wood, visit three different floors, see the marquis de Sade’s cell…

Lots of screens and panels are provided to give you historical information for each room. It’s fascinating and perfect for a family visit, as it’s not to bug and the info given is usually quite succinct.

If the dungeon leaves you cold 🥶 the chapel will almost certainly warm your heart. It’s a magical place based on the same plan as the famous Sainte-Chapelle in the centre of Paris (super close to our hotels).

You’ll see the façade with its large round window, the sun beaming through the space, the vaulted 20-metre high 40-metre long nave, the 16th century stained glass windows… Everything about it is remarkable, and yet it’s something that not all visitors to Paris get to see, so be ready to wow your friends with amazing photos of a place they may never of heard of.

Try choosing a sunny day for your visit to make it even more stunning 😜

The Château de Vincennes is one of those rare sights that few people know about or go to see. And if you don’t want to pay to enter the dungeon and chapel (although that would be a shame, as it only costs 9.50€), you can walk round the outside of the buildings for 0 euros.

There are also occasional free exhibitions on offer, like the current one called Aux origines de l’Académie de marine which runs until 25th March 2023, telling the story of an institution founded by Louis XV in 1752.

In spring 2023 (dates yet to be fixed), the chapel is also the venue for an installation by Joana Vasconcelos created specially for the Sainte-Chapelle and called Arbre de Vie (Tree of Life).

It will be 13 metres high and feature 100,000 black, red and gold leaves all embroidered and woven by hand. Should be impressive…

Arbre de vie - une installation de Joana Vasconcelos au château de Vincennes — All rights reserved

As you may have gathered, we think the Château de Vincennes is one of Paris’ hidden treasures. It’s not a remplacement for Versailles by any means, but a great alternative not so far afield and a good choice for any family interested in Mediaeval history, great views, jaw-dropping chapels and, er, the Marquis de Sade.

It’s also a great choice for Insta photos that will wow your friends back home. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the sheep that cut the grass round the castle. So sweet!