What it was like staying at a 17th Century Castle in France: Chateau de Bourron
France is amazing. Castles are even cooler. Castles in France – just WOW. The second we pulled up in our taxi from Paris to The Chateau de Bourron we were blown away. I mean it’s a freaking Chateau! After we passed through the gate and over the moat, we were greeted by the cutest guard dog, Bolivia, the family retriever. When we pulled up to the front, the Count came out to meet us and gather our luggage. The 42 acre grounds stretched farther than the eye could see and were kept up perfectly.
I just reread the paragraph above and it doesn’t seem like real life. It was a fairy tale y’all. What makes this place even more special is that my husband and I had a private wedding ceremony here. We didn’t go the typical wedding route and we much more enjoyed doing things our way. It doesn’t get more romantic than a Chateau in France. Luckily our photographer, Jennifer Oetting Photograpy, was there to capture our special moments. You can read more about our special day here.
Read More: Our Private Ceremony at Chateau de Bourron
Chateau + Rooms
The 17th century Chateau was perfect. Decorated magnificently to the period. There were 17th century tapestries hanging from the wall and every room was decorated differently. Our room had a fireplace an armoire and a renovated bathroom with an amazing clawfoot tub! You won’t find an elevator, mini bar, or TV in your room here but it’s more about the experience. You’re lucky if you can spot the secret door! You’re given a key and a fob to get into your room, the chateau, and the gate to the property.
Where to Eat
There is a dining hall downstairs that has a mini fridge full of water bottles. There is also a bowl of fruit that’s left out and a coffee + tea machine. When you wake up, an amazing breakfast full of baguettes, croissants, cheeses, fruit, jam, and ham is set out for you. You literally can’t eat a meal in France without a baguette and cheese.
There is a restaurant, bar, pizza truck, and grocery store that are within walking distance. Make sure to check the times before heading to a restaurant because the closest one, Le Martingo, closes at 2:30 most days. Which is exactly what happened to Mike and I when we set out for dinner on our first night there. Luckily we stumbled on a pizza truck and were provenceint in French enough to order a pizza. While we waited, we headed over to the local grocery store around the corner, Tcocci market, to stock up on some things for our hotel room. We slipped up and almost bought an uncooked baguette and having the clerk try to explain ‘oven and uncooked’ to us was quite hysterical. Mike and I had such a blast exploring Bourron-Marlotte. We had even more fun sitting on the bench by the pizza truck, at 8:00pm, in the middle of a quaint small town in France, trying new French food from the grocery store and trying to decide when our pizza would be ready. Occasionally other people would walk up to the pizza truck to order a pizza so watching and listening in was also amusing.
Tip: If you venture out to explore, brush up on your French or have your travel dictionary handy. In this small town in France not as many people speak English, some not at all, so be prepared. Yes this even includes your taxi drivers. Uber is available but it’s a 20 minute wait, sometimes more, and I hope you have unlimited data because you’ll need it.
What to Do
There is so much to do! First, you need to explore the grounds. Walk around the property, it’s really so spectacular! You can also venture out to explore the town or head to visit all the other castles in the area. Yes…more castles! If you need a lift, just call down to Guy, the count, and he’ll schedule a car to pick you up. Once you’re done checking out Chateau de Bourron and the town head out to see Fontainebleau and the other castles in the area. It’s so neat to take a stroll through French history. Make sure to chat your driver up! We had the most fun conversations with our driver…even the ones that don’t speak a lick of English. It was great! What I learned about France….Trés Jolle!
Tip: Bring cash. Not everyone, including the taxi’s take credit cards so having cash on hand is essential.
Book your trip today!
Read More: The Ultimate Travel Guide To Fontainebleau, France
