Fontainebleau Palace @ Fontainebleau, France

Fontainebleau is home to the kings of France from the 12th century. Located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal palace. It is also the medieval royal hunting lodge of Fontainebleau, standing at the heart of a vast forest in the Ile-de-France, was transformed, enlarged and embellished in the 16th century by François I, who wanted to make a 'New Rome' of it. Surrounded by an immense park, the Italianate palace combines Renaissance and French artistic traditions.

To make your journey easier, I would recommend you to buy a day pass zone 5 ticket. This will enable you to take train until Fontainebleau Avon station from Gare de Lyon and then use the same ticket to Fontainebleau Palace via bus number 1.



SNCF train from Gary de Lyon station.

Pass by yellow colour field on the way to Fontainebleau.

Reached Fontainebleau Avon station.

Reached main entrance.

Main palace building.

Palace lawn.

Quite different when compared with Versailles.

Outside view from inside the palace.

The design is so complex. Its bed room.


Golden ceiling.

An area overlooking palace lobby.

Throne.

Dining room.

Main hall.

Library.

Reception room.

Another bed room.

Art.

Royal bed.

Meeting room.

The ceiling is so delicately crafted.

Coordinate/GPS: 48.401884,2.698106
Address: Place du Général de Gaulle, 77300 Fontainebleau, France
Transport: From Paris, you will need to take SNCF train from Gary de Lyon station. take train until Fontainebleau Avon station. After that, you need to take bus number 1 to reach Fontainebleau Palace. The whole journey by train will take you around 50 minutes and bus another 15 minutes. Mobilis zone 5 ticket cost Euro 14.00.

Admission fee: Euro 10.

The château is open every day except for Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
From October to March : 9.30am – 5pm (last admissions at 4.15pm)
From April to September : 9.30am – 6pm (last admissions at 5.15pm)

The courtyards and gardens are open every day.
From November to February : 9am – 5pm
March, April & October : 9am – 6pm
From May to September : 9am – 7pm

For further information please visit: http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr

Versailles Palace - Marie-Antoinette's estate @ Versailles, France

Marie-Antoinette's estate is the heaven of privacy that enabled her to escape from the rigours of court etiquette. Nobody could come there without her invitation. Louis XVI’s wife loved this place where she could return to the pleasures of simple, rural pursuits, away from the pomp of Versailles. Its quite tired to walk from Versailles to the estate. You need to walk at around 30 minutes to reach there from the main palace building.


Grand Trianon. Smaller scale when compared to the glory of Versailles.

Grand Trianon.


First floor.

Unique looking table.

Corridors of Grand Trianon.

First floor reception room.

Another reception room.

Bedchamber.

The Queen’s Hamlet.

Almost similar like sakura.

Coordinate/GPS: 48.804744,2.121774
Transport: RER route C5 stop at Versailles-Rive Gauche station. The train ticket cost Euro 6.80 return (May 2012), and you need at least a zone 4 ticket if you have day or weekly pass. Do make sure you take the correct train as there are many location which have almost similar name such as Versailles-Chantiers.
Admission fees: I would recommend to take the one day passport for Euro 18 for monday to friday and Euro 25 from Saturday to Sunday. On the weekend, they have a special fountain show.

Versailles Palace - The gardens @ Versailles, France

Walking at normal pace, you will need at least two hours to walk around the Versailles palace main builidng. But outside the palace, you will need more time. I would recommend at least 3 hours for the gardens. Unlike the main building, the garden area is very huge. The entrance to the garden area is free.


Now you know what I mean. Colourful and beautiful.

You can see that this garden is huge.

The Orangerie. Consisting of six sections of lawn and a circular pool, in the summer it features 1,055 trees in boxes, including palm trees, oleanders, pomegranate trees, eugenias and orange trees that spend the winter inside the building.

Another angle of Orangerie.

Versailles main building from garden.

The trees are nicely cut and shaped.

The Grand Canal, 1,670 metres long, was the setting for numerous nautical spectacles and many types of craft were sailed on it.

Sculptures along the walks.

On the way to The Grand Trianon.

Nice trees path.

The sun vase. The vases, some of them copied from ancient Roman models, sometimes commemorate a more recent event.



Bronze sculptures. I am not sure what is the meaning behind these sculpture.

I am wondering how they cut these trees.

Coordinate/GPS: 48.804744,2.121774
Transport: RER route C5 stop at Versailles-Rive Gauche station. The train ticket cost Euro 6.80 return (May 2012), and you need at least a zone 4 ticket if you have day or weekly pass. Do make sure you take the correct train as there are many location which have almost similar name such as Versailles-Chantiers.
Admission fees: I would recommend to take the one day passport for Euro 18 for monday to friday and Euro 25 from Saturday to Sunday. On the weekend, they have a special fountain show.

Korean World Heritage Changdeokgung Palace @ Seoul

Changdeokgung also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace is set within a large park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. It blends well with its natural surroundings and boasts outstanding examples of traditional palace architecture and garden design. As such, this cultural treasure was selected for the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Changdeok Palace is called oen of the "Eastern Palace" because it lies east of Hangyang, capital city. It was first built to support the main compound, Gyeongbok Palace. Both were destroyed in the Japanese invasion (1592-1598), and Changdeok Palace was the first to be rebuilt immediately after the war, making it the king's primary residence until Gyeongdok Palace was rebuilt in the 19th century. There is rear garden boasts a gigantic tree that is over 300 years old, a small pond, and a pavilion.

The Palace is beautiful and I love the secret garden as it is a place to relax and breath some fresh air. Visit to the secret garden require extra payment. You cannot go to the secret garden alone. There will be a tour guide to explain the secret garden. You can choose your preferred language session which include English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.


Nice colourful roof. This palace looks more well restored compared to other palaces.

Changdeokgung UNESCO World Heritage.

Huge gate. Donhwamun.


Inside Changdeokgung.

Another palace building. Injeong-jeon. The throne hall.


The roof design is detailed.

Small pavilion.

This scenery is colourful and classic.

Autumn colour changing.


Maple leaves.

Me at the palace pool and garden.

Admission fee: 3000 Won.
Integrated Admission:
- Admission to the Four Palaces (Changdeokgung Palaces (including Huwon, Secret Garden), Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Gyeongbokgung Palace) and Jongmyo Shrine
- Ticket price: 10,000 won per person (Valid for 1 month after purchase)
Coordinate/GPS: 37.57863,126.990384
Address: Seoul-si Jongno-gu Yulgok-ro 99
Seoul Metro: Anguk Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 3.
Go straight for 5 minutes.