Medieval Fortress · Compiègne Forest · 90km from Paris
Château de Pierrefonds & the Paris Museum Pass
A 14th-century fortress spectacularly rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc for Napoleon III — eight towers, a 53-metre Hall of Heroines, and the most romantic château in the Île-de-France region.
Individual ticket
€9
With Museum Pass
Included
Timed slot
Not required
Open
Daily
Hours
10am–5:30pm (Sep–Apr) · 9:30am–6pm (May–Sep)
Last updated: February 2026 · Prices and details verified
Is the Château de Pierrefonds included in the Paris Museum Pass?
Yes — the Paris Museum Pass covers full entry to the Château de Pierrefonds, saving you €9 per person. No reservation required. The château is around 90km northeast of Paris — best reached by train from Gare du Nord to Compiègne, then a local bus or taxi.
Château de Pierrefonds — Fast Facts
Address
Rue Viollet le Duc, 60350 Pierrefonds
Nearest Metro
Gare du Nord → Compiègne (50 min by TER) → taxi or bus to Pierrefonds (15 min) (Train from Gare du Nord)
Bus
Local bus or taxi from Compiègne station
Opening hours
Daily 9:30am–6pm (2 May–4 September) · 10am–5:30pm (5 September–30 April) · Last access 1 hour before closing · Closed 1 January, 1 May, 25 December
Closed
1 January, 1 May, 25 December
Individual ticket
€9 (2026)
With Museum Pass
Free — included
What to Know Before You Visit
Originally built in 1397 for Louis d’Orléans as a military fortress, the Château de Pierrefonds was largely destroyed on the orders of Louis XIII in 1617 to prevent it serving as a rebel stronghold. For two centuries it stood as a romantic ruin until Napoleon III, captivated by its setting in the Compiègne forest, commissioned the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc to rebuild it in 1857. Rather than a simple restoration, Viollet-le-Duc produced a magnificent reinvention of medieval architecture — part archaeological reconstruction, part 19th-century fantasy — that became his most celebrated and controversial work.
No reservation required. No reservation required. Walk in at the main entrance on Rue Viollet le Duc. Check chateau-pierrefonds.fr before visiting as the monument occasionally closes for events. Last access is 1 hour before closing. The château is 90km from Paris — allow a full half-day or day trip.
Note: Pierrefonds has been used extensively as a film and television location — most notably as Camelot in the BBC series Merlin (2008–2012), and previously for Luc Besson’s Jeanne d’Arc and Les Visiteurs. A permanent exhibition on the Monduit metalworking workshops — who created the zinc roofing and contributed to the Statue of Liberty — is housed in the château. Walking around Pierrefonds lake at sunset gives the most spectacular view of the château reflected in the water.
Collection Highlights
Eight towers, a drawbridge, and Viollet-le-Duc’s extraordinary interior — a 19th-century vision of medieval France at its most theatrical.
Highlight 1
The Salle des Preuses (Hall of Heroines)
a 53-metre vaulted hall with painted and sculpted decoration depicting nine legendary heroines of chivalric tradition, the centrepiece of Viollet-le-Duc’s interior and one of the most spectacular rooms in any French château
Highlight 2
The courtyard and towers
eight massive towers with crenellated ramparts, a drawbridge, and an elaborately carved courtyard that mixes Romanesque, Renaissance, and Neo-Gothic elements in a deliberate architectural anthology
Highlight 3
The Monduit exhibition
the permanent display on the metalworkers who created the château’s remarkable zinc roofing using the repoussé technique — the same workshop that contributed to the construction of the Statue of Liberty
Visitor tip: Walk around the lake to the south of the château before entering — the reflection of the eight towers in the water is the château’s most famous and most photographed view. From Paris, the train to Compiègne from Gare du Nord takes about 50 minutes; from Compiègne station a taxi to Pierrefonds takes 15 minutes.
Getting There
From Paris Gare du Nord, take a TER train to Compiègne — approximately 50 minutes. From Compiègne station, take a taxi (approximately €20, 15 minutes) to Pierrefonds — there is no direct bus. By car from Paris: A1 northbound, exit 9 towards Senlis, then D200 and D973 to Pierrefonds — approximately 90 minutes. Combine with Château de Compiègne (15 min by taxi) for a full day.
Ready to Visit Château de Pierrefonds?
€9 entry included with the Museum Pass. Plus 50+ more venues across Paris.
Take a TER train from Paris Gare du Nord to Compiègne — the journey takes approximately 50 minutes. From Compiègne station, take a taxi (approximately €20, 15 minutes) or a local bus to Pierrefonds village. The château is in the centre of the village. By car from Paris, take the A1 motorway northbound, exit 9 towards Senlis, then follow D200 towards Compiègne and D973 to Pierrefonds — approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879) was the most influential architect of the French Gothic Revival and is responsible for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, the walled city of Carcassonne, and dozens of other medieval monuments. At Pierrefonds, Napoleon III gave him an extraordinary commission: not a cautious restoration, but a complete reinvention of a medieval fortress as an imperial residence. The result was controversial in his lifetime and remains so — some historians see it as brilliant architectural creativity, others as historical fabrication. Whatever the verdict, the building is one of the most spectacular in France.
Yes — the Château de Compiègne (the former imperial residence of Napoleon III and Eugène) is in Compiègne town centre, also covered by the Paris Museum Pass. A day trip combining both — train to Compiègne in the morning, visit the château there, then taxi to Pierrefonds in the afternoon — is very feasible. The Compiègne Forest between the two châteaux is also excellent for walking.
