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Where Napoleon Went to Relax: 3 History-Rich Day Trips From Paris

Museums at these châteaus hold artifacts and stories of the French emperor

aerial view of Château de Fontainebleau
Napoleon Bonaparte often escaped to the countryside during his reign as emperor. He stepped down at Château de Fontainebleau in 1814.
François Lison/ Cémaprod
By

Melissa Rossi,

 
AARP
Published April 25, 2024

Paris, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, is more bustling than ever as it gears up to host the Olympics this summer. Those wanting a short break from the urban frenzy can follow in the steps of Napoleon Bonaparte — the subject of the recent Ridley Scott movie Napoleon — who sought relaxation in a trio of nearby forested castles, now national museums.

Rising from general to become first consul in 1799, then proclaiming himself emperor of the French in 1804, Napoleon unwound at the châteaus in Malmaison, Compiègne and Fontainebleau, where historical moments unfolded for him. Still brimming with his furniture, portraits and possessions, these destinations offer 21st-century visitors a glimpse into Napoleon’s bygone 19th-century world.

To set the mood, we highlight the châteaus’ significance to Napoleon.

Château de Malmaison
Napoleon returned to Château de Malmaison in 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo.
Getty Images

Château de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison, France

During his first years in power, Napoleon spent most weekends at this fetching country estate 10 miles from the center of Paris strolling amid nature of a most curious sort. Gazelles, kangaroos, ostriches, wildebeests, monkeys and llamas — all part of his wife Joséphine’s vast menagerie — roamed the wooded grounds that held greenhouses of tropical flowers and hothouses where oranges and pineapples grew, says Aurélie Caron, the château’s librarian.

Château de Malmaison with pink flowers on the front lawn
Early in his rule, Napoleon spent most weekends at Château de Malmaison. He gave the estate to Joséphine when their marriage was annulled.
Grand Palais Rmn

“Nowhere, except on the field of battle, did I ever see Bonaparte more happy than in the gardens of Malmaison,” wrote his private secretary, Louis-Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, in his memoirs. However, Napoleon didn’t visit as often after December 1809, when he annulled his childless marriage with Joséphine, giving her the estate.

Shortly after Napoleon abdicated in 1814, his nemesis Tsar Alexander I strolled with Joséphine in the gardens where she fell ill, dying days later. 

Escaping from exile on Elba in February 1815, Napoleon returned to rule France for nearly an additional 100 days, abdicating on June 22 after his defeat at Waterloo. He then rode to Malmaison, bidding adieu to his mother and lingering in the home that had brought such joy. “It took him a while to leave because he kept hoping that things would turn out differently,” Caron says. 

Ultimately surrendering to the British, who exiled him, he died in 1821 on the Atlantic island of St. Helena.

The château’s highlights include the library decorated with literary figures, Joséphine’s 16-sided bedchamber and the tent-like Council Room, where the 1800 Treaty of San Ildefonso with Spain was signed, giving France the Louisiana Territory. Three years later, Napoleon sold it to the U.S. 

Need to know: Entry: 6.50 euros (about $7, depending on exchange rates). It is wheelchair-accessible only on the ground floor. Easiest route: a taxi ride from west Paris. Alternately, take the RER “A” train to Rueil-Malmaison station, then bus 27. 

a ballroom at Château de Compiègne
Château de Compiègne houses several museums. Here, a lavish ballroom at the château.
Hugo Maertens/Château de Compiègne

Château de Compiègne, Compiègne, France

About 55 miles to the north of Paris and wrapped by an approximately 35,000-acre forest, Château de Compiègne, which houses several museums, was something of a love nest for Napoleon, says Etienne Guibert, heritage curator at the château. He says Napoleon spent his first night here with his second wife, Austrian Archduchess Marie-Louise, in her canopied bed. Married by proxy, they didn’t set eyes on each other until March 27, 1810, when Napoleon met her carriage en route to the château; they returned there in April to kick off their official honeymoon.

“All the memoirists say that, during this period, Napoleon is very in love with his wife and it’s a little bit difficult to have a moment to discuss state affairs,” Guibert says. 

Brimming with original furnishings from the suites of Napoleon, Marie-Louise and their son, the château’s must-see historic apartments offer the most complete example of First Empire decor in France. 

Napoleon’s nephew, Emperor Napoleon III, made this château world-famous during the Second French Empire (1852-1870). Every autumn, he hosted some 100 guests over four to six weeks, the roster changing weekly in an A-list event called “the Series,” when monarchs and ambassadors mingled with VIPs such as author Gustave Flaubert, scientist Louis Pasteur and painter Eugène Delacroix. Hunting was favored, charades were frequent and plays were staged, says general curator Marc Desti — and often the guests “were writing the texts, doing the costumes and playing [the pieces] themselves.” 

The fashions and art of Napoleon III’s era are displayed in the Second Empire Museum, which holds the Franz Xaver Winterhalter painting Empress Eugénie Surrounded by Her Ladies in Waiting. The château’s car museum showcases imperial carriages and royal automobiles.

Need to know: Entry: 7.50 euros; during exhibitions, 9.50 euros ($8 to $10). Easiest route: the TER train from Paris Gare du Nord to Compiègne (ride times vary from 40 minutes to about 1¼ hour). Take free bus 1 or 2 to the wheelchair-accessible château. 

a theatre at Château de Fontainebleau
This theater at Château de Fontainebleau was built by Napoleon’s nephew, Napoleon III, during the Second French Empire.
Sophie Lloyd

Château de Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau, France

With 1,632 rooms, Château de Fontainebleau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most stunning and vast of the Napoleonic getaways. It served as a continuous refuge for rulers going back to the 12th century. Napoleon called this forested château lying about 45 miles southeast of Paris the “true home of kings,” and he extensively renovated it, including building his imperial apartments and throne room, the only one that still exists. 

Napoleon hastily redecorated what became known as the Pope’s Apartment, in honor of the 1804 visit of Pope Pius VII, who arrived in France to crown Napoleon emperor. Those same suites served as a plush prison for the pope from 1812 to 1814, after Napoleon had him arrested in Italy and transported there. 

This château marked Napoleon’s nadir. On March 31, 1814, while there, Napoleon learned a coalition of nations allied against him had taken Paris. Forced to step down without a successor from April 4 to 6 in the “Abdication Salon” — part of the “Emperor’s Small Apartment” suite — Napoleon emptied a vial of poison he’d long worn around his neck, attempting to die by suicide six days later. “But this poison was too old to be effective,” says Christophe Beyeler, chief heritage curator at the château’s Napoleon I Museum. “And he escaped death.” On April 20, Napoleon bade his troops farewell and was exiled to Elba. 

Filled with some 30,000 works of art, including many iconic paintings of Napoleon, the sprawling château houses some exhibitions in far wings. Don’t miss the breathtaking 11-room suite of the Pope’s Apartment. Holding everything from the emperor’s sabers to jackets, the Napoleon I Museum showcases portraits of Napoleon’s oft-overlooked siblings as rulers of the kingdoms he gave them — Holland to Spain. With its many treasures, 321 acres of gardens and parks and a restaurant on site — perfect for a break from all the dazzle — this château can fill most of your day.

Need to know: Entry: 14 euros (about $15). Easiest route: the 40-minute train from Paris Gare de Lyon. A 10-minute ride on bus 1 brings you in front of the château. There is limited wheelchair access.

Melissa Rossi, the author of six books about geopolitics, has written for Yahoo News, Outrider, Rolling Stone, Newsweek and National Geographic Traveler. Typically residing in Europe, she often delves into history and travel for her Substack — Rossi Reports.

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