Palace of Fontainebleau

About this place

Fontainebleau served many French rulers as a hunting retreat and seasonal residence, gradually becoming an extensive palace. Monarchs including Francis I and Napoleon left their mark, making the site a record of changing courtly tastes rather than a monument to only one reign. Its rooms and decoration illustrate how later occupants adapted an inherited royal setting. Look for differences in style as you move through the complex. The palace's long history of reuse helps explain both its architectural variety and its importance as a place of continuity across different French regimes.