The holiday season is well and truly upon us. This week on the podcast, we headed out of Paris, as a family, to Vaux-le-Vicomte, to soak up their famous annual Christmas festivities – known as Le Grand Noël.
And, my goodness, it didn’t disappoint. Bertrand d’Aleman, from My Private Paris, was our trusty guide, ready to unveil the magic of this distinguished landmark. We even caught up with the chateau owner Jean Charles de Vogüé. And yes, red velvet capes were involved.
The podcast episode
Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What is Vaux-le-Vicomte?
The chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte is breathtaking and frequently overlooked for the chateau of Versailles. In fact, Vaux-le-Vicomte served as inspiration for Versailles, such is its beauty. Around 50 km south east of Paris, it’s used regularly as a film set, so you might recognise it from films like James Bond’s Moonraker, The Man with The Iron Mask, and ironically, the TV series Versailles.
It is equally famous for its Christmas festival, which made our visit even more special. We previously visited back in 2021, when we were fortunate enough to have a close-up peek at the restoration site in the Grand Salon. Check out the video below.
Why visit at Christmas?
Vaux-le-Vicomte is the typical fairytale castle and there’s nowhere better to enjoy an enchanted Christmas adventure. So, we donned our red velvet capes and stepped into this winter wonderland. And, honestly, magical cannot fully describe the experience we had. This chateau, which is magnificent on any day of the year, has been utterly spellbound. Many of the rooms had the theme of a specific fairytale – Cinderella, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, as well as the Christmas classic, The Nutcracker.
Giant cakes ready for a Madhatter’s Tea Party, a carriage transformed from a pumpkin, and a princess perched atop a pile of mattresses – these spectacles really have to be seen to be believed. The pièce de résistance was a 30 foot crimson Christmas tree, immersed in the centre of a breath-taking forest projection. The atmosphere of astonishment and excitement amongst the children, big and small, was brimming over with each new sight and sound.
How to get there?
- The most direct way is to rent a car (or book a private tour from Paris)
- Or, take the RER R train to Melun from Gare de Lyon (it is a 30-minute direct train).
- Then take the Chateaubus shuttle from Melun station which runs every day from 30 March. Or take a 10-minute taxi to the chateau.
That’s all for this week, folks. Hopefully the episode, alongside our galleries of photos here, have made you feel like you were *almost* there. But, you know what? There’s no reason you can’t visit in the future, because Le Grand Noël at Vaux-le-Vicomte is an annual Christmas staple in this part of the world. And it’s not hard to see why. An utterly unforgettable experience.
This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specialises in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here.
For Earful members
Lastly, if you’re an Earful Tower Patreon supporter, here’s the link to see the replays of the two live videos I did at the chateau in the summer of 2021. The first was a long stroll with owner Jean Charles through the gardens, he even turned on the fountains for us (and his pet dogs who joined us for the walk).
The second video features an exclusive look inside all the rooms of the chateau without another soul in sight, with Jean Charles explaining it all and even revealing a family secret on one of the tapestries 🙂 Sign up here for the replays (and all the other bonus content!)
That’ll do for now! Hope you can make it to Vaux on your next trip to Paris!