# Day trip to Compiègne and Pierrefonds from Paris: Eugénie's palace, the Armistice wagon and Viollet-le-Duc's castle

The apartments of Napoleon III and Eugénie at Compiègne, the Armistice wagon in the forest, lunch facing Lake Pierrefonds and its fairy-tale castle in the afternoon.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/hauts-de-france/pierrefonds-and-compiegne/itineraries/compiegne-palace-armistice-wagon-and-pierrefonds-castle · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 08:45 · Salida: 1 h 15 by car (A1, exit 9, and D 200 towards Compiègne)
- 10:00 · The Compiègne Palace and the Apartments of Napoleon and Eugénie (imperial apartments · €10 · free for under-26s)
  - 12 min by car, 7 km
- 12:00 · The Armistice Clearing and Its Railway Carriage (the 1918 carriage · closed Tuesdays)
  - 15 min by car, 13 km
- 13:15 · Le Beaudon Restaurant (facing the lake · open on Sunday at midday · menus from €20 to €34) · Le Beaudon Restaurant, €€
  - 8 min on foot
- 14:45 · Pierrefonds Castle, Viollet-le-Duc's Fortress (€9 · free for under-18s · last entry an hour before closing)
- 16:45 · Vuelta: 1 h 15 by car (in Paris around 18:15)

Three stories in one forest, an hour and ten minutes from Paris: the palace where Napoleon III and Eugénie de Montijo spent the autumn, the clearing where the end of the First World War was signed and the Château de Pierrefonds, which Viollet-le-Duc rebuilt as a medieval dream. By car all three fit in a day.

## The day, hour by hour

8:45 · Departure. A1 to exit 9 and the D 200 towards Compiègne.

10:00 · Compiègne palace. The apartments of the Emperor and Empress, furnished as in the Second Empire. €10, free under 26. Suitcases are not admitted.

12:00 · The Armistice clearing. About 7 km through the forest: the wagon where the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, in the centre of the museum.

13:15 · Lunch at Le Beaudon. In Pierrefonds, facing the lake and the castle. Open every day at lunchtime; menus from €20 to €34 and a children's menu at €12.

14:45 · Pierrefonds castle. Towers, battlements and rooms of the keep; since May 2026, also the Empress's apartments. €9, free for under-18s.

16:45 · Return. In Paris around 18:15.

## Is it for me?

With children it works very well: Pierrefonds looks like something out of a fairy tale and is free for them. If you are interested in 20th-century history, the Armistice clearing is essential. Without a car, do Compiègne by train and leave Pierrefonds for another day, or sleep there.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
A1 from Paris, exit 9; forest roads between Compiègne, the clearing and Pierrefonds.

### Without a car
Train from Gare du Nord to Compiègne, 40 minutes to 1 h 20, and a bus to Pierrefonds from the station; to the Armistice clearing, by taxi.

## Consejos

### Never on a Tuesday
The palace and the memorial are closed.

### Pierrefonds at the end
The last entry is an hour before closing: 16:30 from September to April.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the trip cost?
Between €45 and €70 per person with tickets and lunch, without petrol.

### Can it be done by train?
Compiègne yes; to combine Pierrefonds and the Armistice clearing on the same day you need a car.