Château de Vincennes: keep, tickets, opening hours and metro access
The Château de Vincennes can be visited every day from 10am to 5pm (6pm from 21 May to 21 September) for €13, free for under-18s; it is served by metro line 1, Château de Vincennes station. The Château de Vincennes, the only fortified structure in the greater Paris area, is both a marvel of medieval architecture and a symbol of French history. Built in the 12th century so that Louis VII could hunt in the Bois de Vincennes, it was later transformed into a full royal residence by Charles V in the 14th century. The king surrounded it with a wall and had a keep built standing 52 meters tall, which would later become a state prison. The fortress protected the kings, remaining their main residence until 1682. At that time, despite the construction of classical-style royal pavilions, Louis XIV came to prefer Versailles. In the 19th century, Napoleon added towers and casemates for military purposes: the castle's fortress served as barracks and an arsenal to protect the French capital. Occupied from 1940 by the German army, which damaged it in 1944, the château has undergone major restoration work. Today it also houses the headquarters of the Service Historique de la Défense (Defense Historical Service), whose libraries and archives are open to the public.
Highlights
The Keep
The keep is the tallest in Europe and offers an exceptional view over the city of Paris. Built by Charles V to house his art collection and manuscripts, Louis XI began using it in the early 15th century to lock away his most notable prisoners. A state prison from the 16th to the 19th century, it once held Nicolas Fouquet, Diderot, the Marquis de Sade, and Mirabeau.
The Curtain Wall
The 1,200-meter rectangular wall is made up of 9 towers roughly forty meters tall and ten sections of curtain wall. It was designed to protect the structures already standing there. Along with the keep, its construction between 1373 and 1380 required the largest building site in Europe.
The Sainte-Chapelle
The Sainte-Chapelle has stood since 1379. The building blends Gothic and Renaissance influences. Its nave reflects the introduction of the Gothic style into royal architecture at the end of the 14th century. Built to house certain relics of the Passion, it has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1853. It features choir stained-glass windows by master glassmaker Nicolas Beaurain, dating from the mid-16th century.
Practical info
Tips
- The ticket costs €13 and includes the Revelacio visitor tablet; the group rate is €11.50 for parties of 20 or more adults. Admission is free for under-18s, 18-25-year-olds who are citizens of the European Union or the EEA, people with disabilities, unemployed EU/EEA citizens, and on the first Sunday of the month from November to March.
- Please note that you cannot reach the upper floors of the keep without booking a guided tour. In summer these run daily, but the rest of the year they take place only on Sundays.
- Bags larger than 30 × 40 × 15 cm are refused and there are no lockers.
- After your visit, extend the outing in the nearby Bois de Vincennes; with children, the Vincennes Zoo is a good idea.
How to get there
Located at 1 avenue de Paris in Vincennes, you can get there by metro (line 1, "Château de Vincennes" station), RER (RER A: "Vincennes"), or bus (46, 56, 86).
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