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History and art enthusiasts will have plenty to admire in Fontainebleau. This city, 68km (42 miles) southeast of Paris, has a 1900-room 肠丑芒迟别补耻 that was home to 34 kings and two emperors for eight centuries, who each embellished and enriched it. Nearby is also Ch芒teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, which predates Ch芒teau de Fontainebleau and inspired the monumental Ch芒teau de Versailles.

And when you've had your fill of artistic treasures and architectural masterpieces, and are looking for something a little more active, head for For锚t de Fontainebleau. This forest is world-famous for its bouldering opportunities, but if you don't fancy rock climbing, choose from cycling, walking, horseback-riding, canoeing or swimming.

鈥媁hen should I go to Fontainebleau?

You can visit the 肠丑芒迟别补耻x and villages at any time of year. If you want to canoe or wild-water swim, then conditions are best from about mid-May to mid-September.

鈥婭s it easy to get to and around Fontainebleau?

It鈥檚 a 40-minute train ride from Paris Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon. A 2.9km (1.8-mile) stroll through the 肠丑芒迟别补耻鈥檚 park along the canal (or through town) and you鈥檒l reach the palace. Or you can take bus 1, which leaves every 15 minutes from the train station. Get off at the Biblioth猫que stop for the 肠丑芒迟别补耻. If you鈥檇 prefer a taxi, one in advance as you鈥檙e unlikely to find one at the station.

You can reach many of the small towns and villages by public transport, but to be honest, service is infrequent (one bus every few hours, for example) and can be complicated, so it鈥檚 easier to either drive or cycle. The EuroVelo3 cycle route (called the for its French segment) serpents along the Seine and the Loing through almost all the towns and villages highlighted here, and you can join it at the train station.

inside the train station and in the city center rent electric bikes (鈧�39/US$43 for a half day, 鈧�59/US$66 full day, 鈧�99/US$110 for two days), perfect for cycling along the sandy paths through the forest. If you鈥檙e looking for a traditional pedal road bike, then rent one (鈧�10/US$11 per hour, 鈧�20/US$22 per day, 鈧�70/US$78 per week) from in the city center. For all three, it鈥檚 wise to book ahead.

How long should I spend in Fontainebleau?

There is a lot more to the region than 肠丑芒迟别补耻xs, forest and rocks, so it鈥檚 worth spending at least two days here. If you don鈥檛 want to be rushed, particularly in summer, you could easily pass a pleasant four days, especially if you factor in an afternoon cooling off in the river Loing. (There are no lifeguards so it's officially forbidden, but everybody does it anyway!)

鈥媁hat are the best things to do in Fontainebleau?

Visit the Ch芒teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte by candlelight

The story goes that when Louis XIV鈥檚 finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, invited the king to his 肠丑芒迟别补耻-warming party in 1661, the luxury and beauty enraged the young king, who promptly placed Fouquet behind bars for life and engaged the architect, artist and gardener to create something even grander: Versailles.

The current owners of the Ch芒teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte are the fifth generation of their family to manage the domain, which opened to the public in 1968. Check for information on the up-to-date program of events including and 17th-century themed events.

Planning tip: There is a dedicated shuttle bus, the Ch芒teaubus, that runs from the Caf茅 de la Gare at Melun train station to the estate. in advance.e

Visit Ch芒teau de Fontainebleau

Francis I, a keen hunter, wanted somewhere comfortable to stay in the deer- and boar-filled forest, so in 1528 he ordered the fortress built by Louis VII in 1137 to be rebuilt and decorated in what would become known as the School of Fontainebleau style: a combination of frescoes surrounded by a riot of willowy, stucco figures.

It became Henry IV鈥檚 favorite home, the birthplace of Francis II, Henry III and Louis XIII, a roof over Louis XIV鈥檚 head while he waited for Versailles to be built, the place where Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska were married, a refuge from the formality of Versailles for Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette and a golden prison for Pope Pius VII from 1812 to 1814. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can visit 121 of the palace鈥檚 1536 rooms 鈥� some on your own, others only with a tour-guide 鈥� and admire more furniture than in any other castle in Europe!

Fontainebleau did not suffer the same fate as Versailles in the wake of the 1789 French Revolution. The latter was never lived in again while the former became an imperial palace, restored by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769鈥�1821). You鈥檒l see the only Napoleonic throne room in the world here.

As you walk down the beautiful Horseshoe staircase at the front of the palace, imagine how the Emperor must have felt that day in April 1814, when he stood there and said goodbye to his troops gathered in the vast courtyard before leaving for exile in Elba. This courtyard has since been known as the Cour des Adieux (Farewell Courtyard).

The beautiful but fragile Imperial Theatre was built in the southern wing in the 1850s on orders of Emperor Napoleon III. It was only used for about a dozen performances before the main access was walled up in the 1870s and then 鈥渞ediscovered鈥� in the early 21st century, together with one of the best-preserved collections of 19th-century stage sets in France. After extensive restoration work, which maintained 80% of the original furniture and decor, the theater reopened in 2014 and can be visited as part of a guided tour.

Built between 1606 and 1608, the 1.2km-long (0.75-mile) ornamental canal predates those of Vaux-le-Vicomte, Versailles and Chantilly. If the small white door to the left of the clock tower on the main facade is open, go inside to see the Jeu de paume (real tennis court), the only historic one in France still in use.

Planning tip: Open daily (except Tuesdays) from 9:30am to 6pm (to 5pm in October to March). The general-admission ticket is 鈧�14 (US$16) and will allow you to visit the Grands Appartements and the Napoleon I museum. Access to the park and gardens is free. You can visit other parts of the palace with a tour guide, and there is a (in French only) for children.

Hike or cycle through the For锚t de Fontainebleau

If you鈥檇 come to this 220-sq-km (84-sq-mile) forest 30 million years ago, you鈥檇 have been swimming in a warm ocean. This left its mark in the shape of a layer of very fine-quality sand, covered by a layer of sandstone. Over eons of time, water, flora and fauna fashioned the chaos of sandstone boulders, heather and fern under a canopy of oak, beech, scots and maritime pine trees.

As you cycle or walk along the many straight paths (which are named so it鈥檚 easy to find your way around), you鈥檒l notice how incredibly fine and soft the sand is. It鈥檚 considered one of the highest-quality sands in the world and is used mostly to make glass, notably for the pyramid at the Mus茅e du Louvre. To see glass objects being created, visit the (artistic glass) workshop at Soisy-sur-Ecole, 20km (12 miles) northwest of Fontainebleau.

Planning tip: If you鈥檙e driving in the area at night, be extremely careful, as accidents with boars, stags and deer are frequent.

Go rock climbing

Hugely popular with climbers all over the world, Fontainebleau gave its name to the 鈥淔ont鈥� bouldering grading scale, and there are thousands of problems for climbers of every level here, from expert to novice.

Planning tip: The major climbing areas are accessible from car parks, but keep in mind that those north of Fontainebleau (closest to Paris) can get pretty crowded at weekends. For detailed information about the different bouldering areas, visit .

鈥婣dmire the horses

Fontainebleau is the French horse capital (except racing 鈥� that鈥檚 in Chantilly, even if there are races at Fontainebleau鈥檚 lovely ). Events are at the Grand Parquet, one of the largest equestrian stadiums in Europe. You can cycle there from the train station.

Planning tip: Check for upcoming competitions at the Grand Parquet.

Enjoy the rivers

Three major rivers, the Seine, the Yonne and the Loing, flow through the region. Did you know that the river meandering through Paris should be called the Yonne? That鈥檚 because at the confluence of the Seine and the Yonneat Montereau-Fault-Yonne, just south of Fontainebleau, the Yonne鈥檚 93-cu-meter-per-second flow is greater than the 80-cu-meter flow of the Seine, so if hydrographic rules were strictly applied, it is the Seine that is a tributary of the Yonne and not the other way around!

There are myriad activities to do on or along these rivers. For some, such as rowing or sailing, you need to be a member of the club in question but, as a visitor, you can rent a kayak on the Loing for either a half-day or full day. Try (prices start from 鈧�47/US$52) at La Genevraye; (from 鈧�41/US$46); or from (online reservations only from 鈧�44/US$49). You can also water ski on the Seine at the from 鈧�40 (US$45) for adults. It鈥檚 about a 10km (6.2-mile) bike ride from the train station at Fontainebleau.

Planning tip: If you follow the Seine either upstream or downstream from Fontainebleau, you will see some huge, bizarre houses. Known as Affolantes, these extraordinary country retreats were built between 1830 and 1914 for wealthy Parisians by architects whose imaginations ran wild: medieval tower, Swiss chalet, fake timber, all rolled into one. The 50 or so houses are privately owned and closed to the public.

Explore the town of Fontainebleau and its market

Like an island, surrounded by the forest that curtails its expansion, Fontainebleau is a town without suburbs or ugly business parks. It鈥檚 a thriving, upscale town of 16,000 inhabitants (of whom 18% are foreigners, due to the presence of top-ranking international educational establishments), filled with boutiques, bars and restaurants ranging from Michelin-starred to street food. The town caters to everyone from elegantly dressed grandparents to families with babes in strollers to cash-strapped youngsters camping here to rock climb.

The 100-plus-stall market, held on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings, is particularly lively on weekends, when bellifontains (inhabitants of Fontainebleau) carefully select ingredients for long family lunches and students rummage for a good deal at the clothes stalls. Stop by the cheesemongers (more expensive than the supermarket but incomparably better) and choose one of the local Brie cheeses (thus named because this is La Brie region): Brie de Melun, de Meaux, de Montereau, de Nangis or de Provins. All slightly different; the historical one is from Provins. Coulommiers, Fougerus, Orvannais and Gratte-Paille are also local cheeses. A baguette from the baker, fruit from the market gardener, a calorie-filled Fontainebleau desert (quark topped with Chantilly cream), a bottle of something and you have everything you need for a delicious meal.

Bring your easel, like the artists who flocked here

With warm greige exposed-stone-and-limewash houses lining narrow streets that cluster around a medieval church and village square, pollarded trees and a river usually close by, many people are drawn to the picturesque towns around Fontainbleau. Its proximity to Paris attracted 19th- and early 20th-century artists eager to paint outdoors. Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Th茅odore Rousseau, Jean-Fran莽ois Millet, Rosa Bonheur and Alfred Sisley were amongst those who settled in the region, together with a number of foreign artists and authors, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Kuroda Seiki, Carl Larsson, John Singer Sargent and Emma Chadwick.

鈥婱y favorite thing to do: explore the small towns and villages

Most of the small roads through Fontainebleau forest have been closed to traffic for more than 20 years, so it is safe and pleasant to cycle or walk to one of the villages, where you can just let your instinct guide your steps up and down the streets. I like to compare today鈥檚 view with the panels that have been set up in some villages on the exact spot where an artist set up their easel 100 years or more ago, and then enjoy a simple meal in one of the many restaurants.

How much money do I need?

Bouldering, walking, wild-water swimming, visiting the villages and the churches are all free. Entry fees for the museums depends on your age and whether or not you come from an EU member state, but count on about 鈧�4 (US$4.45) for the village museums to 鈧�14 (US$16) for the 肠丑芒迟别补耻x. Fontainebleau Palace is free on the first Sunday of every month except in July and August.

You鈥檒l find accommodations and places to eat to meet every budget. The cheapest option is the along the river Seine in Samoreau, a 3.4km (2.1-mile) walk from the Fontainebleau-Avon train station. At the luxury end of the scale, stay in the very central or the family-run .

Book ahead for , the Michelin-starred restaurant run by Japanese chef Kunihisa Goto that offers a set-lunch menu from 鈧�70 (US$78). But this is a student town, so not everything is at top-of-the-range prices, and you can keep it simple by picking up a freshly-made sandwich from one of the many boulangeries (bakeries) in town for about 鈧�6 (US$7).