Pierrefonds Castle, Viollet-le-Duc's Fortress
1 h 30All agesAll year except 1 January, 1 May and 25 December
Visit · 1 h 30 · €9 · free for under-18s and EU 18-25s · open every day
From €9
Book
From ParisTrain · 40 min to 1 h 20 to Compiègne
By carA1 · exit 9
ClosedPalace on Tuesdays
Best timeApr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
What to do
What to do in Pierrefonds and Compiègne
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
The Compiègne Palace and the Apartments of Napoleon and Eugénie
2 hAll agesAll year except Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December
Visit · 2 h · €10 · free under-26s · closed Tuesdays · 10 min on foot from the station
From €10
How to do it
The National Car Museum, in the Compiègne Palace
1 hFamilies and car enthusiastsWednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from 14:00 to 18:00
Museum · 1 h · included in the palace ticket · Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons
From €10
How to do it
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Pierrefonds and Compiègne, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Pierrefonds and Compiègne
Spring and autumn are ideal for the forest, with the beeches green or golden. In summer the Château de Pierrefonds is open until 18:00. In December there are Nutcracker visits at Pierrefonds. Avoid Tuesday, when the Palace of Compiègne and the Armistice memorial are closed.
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How you travel
Pierrefonds and Compiègne your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Flying to Paris and Compiègne on the Northern Road
Compiègne and Pierrefonds lie north of Paris, on the Charles de Gaulle airport side, which has direct flights from the main Spanish cities. With a hire car at CDG, the A1 takes you north without going through Paris.
- Getting thereParis-Charles de Gaulle (CDG): hire…
- Getting aroundHire car to combine palace…
- Where to stayAlfred Hotels Compiègne, next to…
- ServicesTourist offices in Compiègne and…
Getting there
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG): hire car and A1, or RER B to Gare du Nord and a train to Compiègne
- Paris-Orly (ORY): to central Paris and a train from Gare du Nord
- Paris-Beauvais (BVA): the nearest airport to the west, by car
Getting around
- Hire car to combine palace, castle and forest
- Train and bus if you stay in Compiègne
Where to stay
- Alfred Hotels Compiègne, next to the station
- Logis Hôtel Beaudon, in Pierrefonds
Services
- Tourist offices in Compiègne and in Pierrefonds
Compiègne and Pierrefonds by Car
The car is what makes this day comfortable: the Compiègne Palace, Pierrefonds Castle and the Armistice Clearing are separated by forest roads, and by car all three fit in one day. From Paris, take the A1 as far as exit 9.
100–190 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayLogis Hôtel Beaudon, in Pierrefonds…
- Getting aroundA1 exit 9 and D…
- Where to eatLe Beaudon restaurant, in Pierrefonds…
- ServicesCar parks next to the…
Where to stay
- Logis Hôtel Beaudon, in Pierrefonds, facing the lake and the castle
- Alfred Hotels Compiègne, with private parking at €12 a day
Getting around
- A1 exit 9 and D 200 towards Compiègne; D 973 towards Pierrefonds
- Straight forest roads between Compiègne, the Armistice Clearing and Pierrefonds
Where to eat
- Le Beaudon restaurant, in Pierrefonds, open Sunday lunchtime
- Le Jardin des Roses, in the palace park
Services
- Car parks next to the Compiègne Palace
Compiègne and Pierrefonds by Train
Without a car, Compiègne is easy: a train from Gare du Nord and ten minutes' walk to the palace. Pierrefonds needs a bus from Compiègne station, and the Armistice Clearing, a taxi. If you only have one day, choose the palace or the castle; with one night, you can do both.
90–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayAlfred Hotels Compiègne, 300 m…
- Getting aroundTrain from Gare du Nord…
- Where to eatLe Jardin des Roses, in…
- ServicesTourist office on the town…
Where to stay
- Alfred Hotels Compiègne, 300 m from the station
- Logis Hôtel Beaudon, in Pierrefonds, a few steps from the castle
Getting around
- Train from Gare du Nord, 40 minutes to 1 h 20
- Free city buses Monday to Saturday
- Bus from Compiègne station to Pierrefonds
Where to eat
- Le Jardin des Roses, in the palace park
- Le Beaudon restaurant, in Pierrefonds
Services
- Tourist office on the town hall square in Compiègne
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Pierrefonds and Compiègne for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Compiègne and Pierrefonds with Children
Pierrefonds is the castle a child would draw: towers, battlements, drawbridge. Compiègne adds a museum of carriages and vintage cars and an enormous park. With children, this day works better than many Paris palaces.
- What works bestPierrefonds Castle, free for under-18s…
- Where to stayAlfred Hotels Compiègne, with family…
- Where to eatLe Beaudon restaurant, with a…
- Good to knowIn Pierrefonds pushchairs are not…
What works best
- Pierrefonds Castle, free for under-18s, and at Christmas the Nutcracker (Casse-Noisette) game-tour, from age 7
- The national car museum, with carriages, sleighs and the first motor cars
- The palace park and the Beaux-Monts vista, free
Where to stay
- Alfred Hotels Compiègne, with family rooms
- Logis Hôtel Beaudon, facing the lake at Pierrefonds
Where to eat
- Le Beaudon restaurant, with a €12 children's menu
- Le Jardin des Roses, a tea room in the park
Good to know
- In Pierrefonds pushchairs are not allowed into the castle: there is pushchair parking in the courtyard
- In Compiègne, folding pushchairs are left in the cloakroom
- The palace is closed on Tuesdays, and the car museum is only open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons
What to do as a family
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingif you're drivingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Logis Hôtel Beaudon
Why we like it: Hotel open all year in the village of Pierrefonds, facing the lake and the castle, with a restaurant, terrace and adapted rooms.
Alfred Hotels Compiègne
Why we like it: Three-star hotel with 56 rooms on the banks of the Oise, 300 metres from Compiègne station and close to the historic centre and the palace.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Pierrefonds and Compiègne
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Le Beaudon Restaurant
What to order: the seasonal menu on the terrace overlooking the lake and the castle
Open every day at lunchtime, Sundays included; no dinner on Sundays
Restaurant and tea room in the park
Le Jardin des Roses
What to order: an afternoon snack after the imperial apartments
In the palace park; next to the main entrance there is also a takeaway kiosk
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
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Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Never on a Tuesday
The Palace of Compiègne and the Armistice memorial are closed.
- 2The Car Museum, in the afternoon
Only Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from 14:00 to 18:00.
- 3First Sunday of the month
The palace is free for everyone; Pierrefonds, on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December.
- 4No luggage in the palace
It is not allowed: leave it at the hotel.
What is there to see?
Three very different things in one forest, the Forêt de Compiègne, the third largest in France: some 14,000 hectares of oak and beech that were the kings' hunting ground, with 1,200 km of straight tracks and star-shaped junctions marked by white posts.
The Château de Pierrefonds is a medieval fortress that Napoleon III had rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc: towers, battlements and painted halls, halfway between the Middle Ages and the Second Empire. The Palace of Compiègne was the autumn residence of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie de Montijo, with the apartments furnished as they were then and, inside, the National Car Museum. And in a forest clearing, the Armistice railway carriage, where the end of the First World War was signed on 11 November 1918.
How do you get there from Paris?
Compiègne has trains from the Gare du Nord: from 40 minutes to an hour and twenty, depending on the train. The palace is a ten-minute walk from the station, and there are free city buses from Monday to Saturday. Pierrefonds, about 15 km away, has no station: you get there by bus from Compiègne station or by car. The Armistice clearing, about 6 km from Compiègne, is reached by car or taxi.
By car, take the A1 from Paris to exit 9 and then the D 200 towards Compiègne; for Pierrefonds, the D 973. It is the way to fit all three visits into one day. If you are flying from Spain into Charles de Gaulle, the airport is on the way.
How to plan the day?
By car: Compiègne palace at 10:00, lunch in Pierrefonds and the château in the afternoon; the Armistice clearing fits in between if it is not a Tuesday. By train: one day for Compiègne (palace, park and Royallieu memorial) and another, or the afternoon, for Pierrefonds by bus. Bear in mind that the Car Museum is only open on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Behind the palace, the park and the Beaux-Monts perspective, a 4 km avenue opening towards the forest, can be strolled for free. For the memory of the Second World War, there is the Royallieu memorial and the trail of 150 bronze nails through the streets of Compiègne.
How much does it cost?
Little for what it is: Pierrefonds costs €9 and the Palace of Compiègne €10, and both are free for young people (under 18 at Pierrefonds, plus EU residents aged 18 to 25; under 26 at Compiègne). The park is free.
Where to eat and sleep?
In Pierrefonds, the Restaurant Le Beaudon, facing the lake and the château, is open every day at midday, Sundays included. In the palace park, Le Jardin des Roses is a restaurant and tea room.
To sleep, there is the Logis Hôtel Beaudon in Pierrefonds, and Alfred Hotels Compiègne, 300 metres from the station, on the banks of the Oise.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Paris to Compiègne?
By train from Gare du Nord, between 40 minutes and an hour and twenty; the palace is a ten-minute walk from the station.
How do I get to Pierrefonds without a car?
By bus from Compiègne station.
Can you see Pierrefonds and Compiègne in one day?
Yes, by car: palace in the morning and château in the afternoon. By train, it is better with a night's stay.
How much does the Château de Pierrefonds cost?
€9; free for under-18s and for EU residents aged 18 to 25.
Which day is the Palace of Compiègne closed?
On Tuesdays, and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
Where was the 1918 armistice signed?
In a railway carriage, in a clearing in the Forêt de Compiègne, about 6 km from the town; today it is a museum.