The Château de Fontainebleau, Napoleon III and Eugenie in a Second Empire tour

The Château de Fontainebleau invites us to delve back into the history of the château, and more specifically into the Second Empire (1852-1870), to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of Napoleon III.

During this period, Napoleon and Eugénie stayed here and embellished the château. The couple welcomed hundreds of guests, providing them with tastefully decorated apartments. Today, the château still retains many of its original features.

As of February 18, 2023, a new itinerary has been added to the tour circuit, presenting the 19th-century château and the improvements made during the Second Empire. Among other things, you'll discover pieces of furniture delivered for Empress Eugénie, as well as a new display in the Galerie des Fastes.

This tour is enriched by stereoscopic view productions from the château's collections, guided tours and installations, including costumes, to help you discover this new chapter in the history of "the house of centuries".

As part of the celebrations marking 150 years since the death of Napoleon III, the Château de Fontainebleau is staging an exceptional exhibition of 13 reproductions of Second Empire costumes. Thanks to these outfits presented on mannequins, you'll be able to discover the feminine and masculine fashions of the period, and relive the highlights of life at the Fontainebleau court.

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This original presentation is an opportunity to discover a selection of emblematic rooms in the Second Empire tour, created especially for the occasion. Daytime, afternoon, summer, ball gowns and even military outfits will be on display, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the world of fashion at the court of Napoleon III.

Nathalie Harran, Director of the Dame d'Atours, is behind this unique exhibition, which brings court life at the Château de Fontainebleau to life. In addition to the exhibition, you can take advantage of a number of complementary tours to discover spaces that are usually closed to the public, such as the smoking room with a new presentation of works by Rosa Bonheur, Napoleon III's study, the Empress's Chinese museum, the Salon des Laques, the guest apartment and the majestic Imperial Theater.

Want to know more? Theatrical tours are on the program, as are themed guided tours to delve even deeper into life at the court of Fontainebleau during the Second Empire. It's the vacations and you're bringing the whole family? why not take advantage of the family guided tour, which takes you on a 1? hour investigation in search of the thief of the Sacre sword.

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