A southeastern suburb of Paris, Melun is a small town with a big heritage.
In Melun’s backyard are the lavish, dumbfounding palaces of Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. Not only are these properties stupendous to see, but they are also both steeped in enough intrigue and political maneuvering to keep you rapt for hours. But you can also pick from strong assortment museums close by, charting the history of aviation or that signature French institution, the Gendarmerie. Add to this the idyllic banks of the Seine and the lush Brie countryside and Melun becomes a placid little town just 30 minutes by train from the capital. Discover the best things to do in Melun.
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1. Vaux-le-Vicomte
The ambitious and extremely wealthy Nicolas Fouquet entrusted this brilliant Baroque castle in the mid-1600s.
In addition to its size and absurd grandeur, the hotel is also historic because this is the first time stylist André Le Nôtre and decorator Charles Le Brun have collaborated on a large-scale project. This is where the Louis XIV style was born, and will then be perfected at Versailles.
Word is that when Louis XIV saw Vaux-le-Vicomte for the first time in 1661 he was so jealous that he invented charges against Fouquet that saw him spend the last 20 years of his life in prison.
2. Vaux-le-Vicomte Gardens
The château gardens are outside this world and it is amazing to think that three villages were destroyed in order to make way for these lands. In its heyday, the palace hired 18,000 people to look after the gardens, for a short time the venue for Fouquet's lavish parties.
There are round circular peaks along the aisles, huge arabesque patterns are formed with precision-cut boxwood fences, fountains and a water pipe. Special dinner evenings are held in summer for a taste of the garden soirees Fouquet would stage here.
3. Palace of Fontainebleau
The historical value of this palace is almost impossible, summed up in one paragraph, but we will try: Fontaineblue Palace, and the previous castle, which is the residence of hundreds of years of French rule, from King Louis XII in the 12th century until Napoleon III in the 1870s.
This is exactly where Napoleon I abdicated before going into exile in Elba. Beginning as a fortress, the palace came together in the 16th century at the orders of François I, and the Cour des Adieux, Ballroom, and Galerie François I are all from this phase.
Prepare the room behind the gilded plaster room, lavish furniture, paintings, tapestries, decorative items and amazing artifacts like the sword Napoleon wears for his coronation.
4. Forest of Fontainebleau
Not only a hunting ground for kings, but Fontainebleu Forest is also a place that combines nature and culture. There are 25,000 hectares of oak, beech and pine woodland with more than 1,600 kilometers of hiking trails.
These routes are all the more exciting for the many sandstone boulders in the forest, some so tall they are used for climbing walls.
For a magical panorama, head to the stone Franchard Gorge to ponder a scene painted by Monet, Camille-Corot, Sisley, and Cézanne and depicted by Balzac, George Sand, Flaubert, and many others.
5. Musée de la Gendarmerie
The officers’ school for the French National Gendarmerie is set in Melun, and in 2015 it opened up its archives to the public.
There are 30,000 objects and 10,000 images and documents that outline the force's history, dating back to 1791. If you’ve ever been confused by the distinction between police officer and gendarme, this museum will fill you in, explaining the remit of the gendarmerie and outlining a day in the life of one of its officers.
There are also fascinating temporary exhibits like the recent “Les Sciences du Crime”, putting you in the position of an investigator and introducing the forensic world.
6. Musée Aéronautique et Spatial Safran
A true Aladdin cave for aviation enthusiasts, this museum has assembled aircraft engines from the early years of the flight to the present day. The manufacturers represented here are the historic Gnome et Rhône and SNECMA brands, both of which belong to Safran Group.
You’ll inspect the inner-workings of piston engines, jet engines, and rocket engines. There are also some whole aircraft on show, like the SA103 Emouchet glider, a Dassault Mirage III C jet and the Blériot XI, the same model as the first heavier-than-air craft to cross the Channel in 1909.
7. Collégiale Notre-Dame
This church is older than the Renaissance facade; it was founded in the first decades of the 11th century by King Robert II, and the base of the towers, the nave and transept are all from this original construction. The church is renowned for something that is actually no longer here.
Melun Diptych phenomenon is a gothic picture of Jean Fouquet from 1452, staying in the church until 1775 when the panels are sold separately and are currently in Berlin and Antwerp.
There is a reproduction of the image on the south walkway, but there are also some beautiful 14th and 15th-century tombs leaning against the wall.
8. Château de Blandy-Les-Tours
After marveling at the splendor of Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau it makes a nice contrast to see a hardy military fortress. Ten minutes from Melun, this Château dates back to the 14th century and dwarfs in the small village surrounding it.
There is a moat, tall tower, hexagonal wall, five muscular towers, and a bridge. After a few centuries of neglect the whole site was renovated in 1992 and is completely open to visitors.
You can climb up the five-story keep or ponder the surrounding medieval village and Brie countryside from the battlements.
9. Église Saint-Aspais
If you know Paris well, you might have seen Saint-Jacques Tower on Rue de Rivoli in District 4. This lone structure, once part of a church destroyed in the Revolution was designed by the 16th-century architect Jehan de Félin.
And Félin Heat has the only other notable work being the lovely Saint-Aspais Church in Melun. You’ll notice how the building has an irregular outline as it had to adapt to uneven ground.
Félin was a master mason, as you’ll tell from the filigrees on the western and eastern portals. Inside, you have to see four sculpted stone altars, a mix of brilliant Gothic and Renaissance.
10. Musée d’Art et d’Histoire
Melun’s municipal museum is in the noble surrounds of the 16th-century Hôtel de la Vicomté, which is classed as a historic monument. Nicolas Fouquet bought this property in the 17th century so that he could oversee the construction of his palace at Vaux-le-Vicomte.
The museum is small but will draw your attention for half an hour or so with the paintings, pottery, and works of fabled sculptor Henri Chapu. Most of the paintings are from the 18th and 19th centuries and record Melun’s townscape on the Seine or scenes in the Forest of Fontainebleau.
More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Meaux
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