Château de Vincennes

The Medieval Castle On Paris’s Doorstep
- Avenue de Paris ,
- 94300 Vincennes
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By the time I was climbing the stairs up from the platform of the Metro Line 1 toward the exit sign ‘2’, I already knew that something special was waiting for me. The metro station is filled with artifacts and historic details about a castle and a keep, which once housed some of France’s most important kings and notorious prisoners.
Stepping outside and seeing the entrance to one of Europe’s largest and best-preserved medieval fortresses right there, a short metro ride from the city center, I felt a million miles away from Paris. Who knew that something like this was sitting right on the capital city’s doorstep?
Crossing the moat via the drawbridge conjured up visions of princesses and knights, an idea confirmed straight away when I took a quick look in the museum shop next to the ticket office. It’s a shame the outfits didn’t come in my size, but a fluffy googly-eyed dragon still did the trick… But I digress.

Dating back to the 1300s, the keep of the Château de Vincennes was once the residence of kings and queens, including Charles V with his wife Jeanne de Bourbon, and later, Louis XIV.
While it was typical of castles to have some room to hold prisoners, the donjon was the royal residence, since it was the safest place in the château. In the 16th century, however, the royal visitors began staying in the other buildings of the castle, the keep being used now only as a prison. After all, the English word dungeon is derived from the French donjon, so it’s only logical!
Prisoners such as the Marquis de Sade; Nicholas Fouquet of former owner of Château Vaux le Vicomte, the forerunner of Versailles, and philosopher Denis Diderot, all were incarcerated within the château’s sturdy walls. You can even still see graffiti left by bored prisoners. The writing and dates are beautifully turned out, but I guess they had the time to do it properly.

Opposite the donjon and glimpsed through the windows of the roofed battlement walkway, lies the 14th century Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, a jewel of a church, delicate and filled with light, and protected by a whole range of gargoyles along the roof.
Outside the fortress walls, you’ll find the Jardin Floral, one of Paris’s botanical gardens, and the vast Bois de Vincennes. Both the garden and forest are perfect for a stroll before heading back into the city.
So, the verdict? It is well worth taking the Metro Line 1 to its end and spending a day there, in the ‘burbs. Vincennes itself is lovely city to explore, the castle amazing, and the parks perfect for anything from a stroll, hike, or run. What are you waiting for?
Château de Vincennes
Frenchie
Poinçon
The Hardware Société
Le Saint-Régis
Pantagruel
Brasserie La Lorraine
Du Pain et Des Idées
Brasserie Dubillot
Granite
Giorgio
Bouillon Julien
FIEF
Fluctuat
Le Four du 12
Café A
Aux Petits Oignons
Le Coupe-Chou
Les Vins des Dames
Bouillon Chartier
Lapérouse
Monsieur Bleu
Chez Gladines
Le Voltaire
Misso
Bambou
Septime
Il Cottage
Le Chalet de Neuilly
Georges
Le Pantruche
Le Radis Beurre
La Felicità, Station F
Le Comptoir du Relais Saint Germain
Vaudeville
Le Troquet
Le Grand Bain
Ralph’s
Terra
Can Alegria
Bisou.
Paname Brewing Company
Mezcaleria
Berthillon
Willi’s Wine Bar
Dose – Dealer du Café (Batignolles)
Rosa Bonheur – Buttes Chaumont
Mr Culbuto
Boca Dos
Le Comptoir Général
Anticafé
Dragon
Candelarìa
La Péniche Antipode
Castor Club
La Belle Hortense
Le Mary Celeste
Fitzgerald
Café de Flore
Le Syndicat
Night Flight
Tiger
Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Le Bar Dix
Le Bouclier de Bacchus
CloudM
Strada Café
Le Perchoir de l’Est
Divine
Le Renard Bar
Wild & the Moon
Le Peloton
Le Pavillon des Canaux
Dose – Dealer de Café (Mouffetard)
Café Kitsuné – Palais Royal
Angelina
L’Abribus Café
Le Perchoir Marais
La Samaritaine
Eataly
Antique & Used Book Market, Marché du Livre
La Cure Gourmande
Marché Belgrand
Bercy Village
Les Puces de Vanves
Liquides
Passy Covered Market
Le Bon Marché
Printemps
Le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville
Koshka Mashka
Galeries Lafayette
Librairie Galignani
Buly 1803
Androuet
The Frankie Shop
Shakespeare and Company
Assouline – Saint Germain
Fromagerie Quatrehomme
Legrand Filles et Fils
Empreintes
The Abbey Bookshop
Aujourd’hui Demain
Artazart
CityPharma
Verbreuil
TWINS Concept Store
Merci
L’Eau et Les Rêves
Alix D. Reynis
Marché Saint-Pierre
L’Eclair de Génie
Matières à Réflexion
Erotokritos
L’Appartement Sézane
Musée Carnavalet
Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet
Bourse de Commerce
Square Édouard VII
Musée de Montmartre
Rue Denoyez
Le Village Saint Paul
Square des Batignolles
Wall of ‘I Love You’
Les Champs-Elysées
Galerie Perrotin
Fluctuart
Galerie Kamel Mennour
Atelier des Lumières
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Institut du Monde Arabe
59 Rivoli
Parc de Belleville
Square Barye
Rue des Eaux
Parc Monceau
Arènes de Lutèce
Musée Nissim de Camondo
Musée Jacquemart-André
L’Hôtel de Sully
Centre Pompidou
La Sainte-Chapelle
Cimetière du Montparnasse
Galerie Vivienne
Maison de Balzac
La Conciergerie
Gertrude Stein’s Apartment
Musée de l’Homme
Place Dauphine
Notre Dame Cathedral
Maison de Victor Hugo
Rue Cler
Musée Marmottan Monet
Rue Daguerre
Musée des Arts Forains
La Seine Musicale
Aquaboulevard
Supersonic
BAM Karaoke Box
Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione
Moulin Rouge
Crazy Horse Paris
Folies Bergère
Le Grand Rex
Théâtre Michel
Gossima Ping-Pong Bar
Playground Duperré
‘Oh My God, She’s Parisian’ Comedy Show
Les Petites Flèches
Le Louxor
La Gare
Théâtre du Châtelet
Café Oz – Denfert
Bus Palladium
Open-Air Cinema at La Villette
Les Bains du Marais
Aux Bains Montorgueil
Hammam Les Cent Ciels
Free Persephone
Spa My Blend by Clarins
Peninsula Spa
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Paris
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Avenue de Paris
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94300 Vincennes
Very, very interesting…will visit for sure on my next visit to Paris.
You’ll have to let us know how you like it!