A perfectly preserved medieval royal fortress — with Europe’s tallest keep at 52 metres and a Gothic chapel with stained glass. Directly accessible by Metro Line 1.
Individual ticket
€13
With Museum Pass
Included
Timed slot
Not required
Open
Daily
Hours
10am–5pm (Sep–May) · 10am–6pm (May–Sep)
Last updated: February 2026 · Prices and details verified
Is the Château de Vincennes included in the Paris Museum Pass?
Yes — the Paris Museum Pass covers full entry to the Château de Vincennes, saving you €13 per person. No reservation required — walk in daily during opening hours. The château is at the end of Metro Line 1, 35 minutes from central Paris.
Château de Vincennes — Fast Facts
Address
Avenue de Paris, 94300 Vincennes
Nearest Metro
Château de Vincennes (Metro 1 / RER A) — 4 min walk (Metro 1 · RER A)
Bus
56, 112, 114, 115, 118
Opening hours
Daily 10am–5pm (23 September–20 May) · 10am–6pm (21 May–22 September) · Sainte-Chapelle closes 1pm–2pm and 30 min before château closing · Closed 1 January, 1 May, 25 December
Closed
1 January, 1 May, 25 December
Individual ticket
€13 (2026)
With Museum Pass
Free — included
What to Know Before You Visit
The Château de Vincennes is the most intact medieval royal fortress in France — a 14th-century complex with a 52-metre keep (the tallest in Europe), a Gothic Sainte-Chapelle, 1,200 metres of fortified walls with nine towers, and a 27-metre wide moat. It served as a royal residence from Saint Louis to Louis XIV (who abandoned it for Versailles), a state prison (the Marquis de Sade and the Count of Mirabeau were held here), and subsequently as a military arsenal. Today it is extraordinarily well-preserved and feels genuinely medieval in a way that more famous châteaux do not.
No reservation required. No reservation required. Walk in at the main gate on Avenue de Paris. The Sainte-Chapelle opens at 10am but closes between 1pm and 2pm for lunch and 30 minutes before the château closes. The donjon (keep) climb is included in the pass entry.
Note: The Sainte-Chapelle within the château has extraordinary stained glass windows — comparable to the Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de la Cité but far less visited. The donjon climb gives panoramic views over Paris and the Bois de Vincennes. The Bois de Vincennes (Paris’s largest park, immediately adjacent) and the Parc Floral de Paris are free to visit alongside the château.
Collection Highlights
A medieval complex that has survived virtually intact — including Europe’s tallest keep, a Gothic chapel, and fortifications used from the 14th to 20th centuries.
Highlight 1
The Donjon (keep)
Europe’s tallest medieval fortified tower at 52 metres, with the original royal apartments inside and panoramic views over Paris from the top
Highlight 2
The Sainte-Chapelle
a Gothic chapel begun by Charles V in 1379 with extraordinary Renaissance stained glass windows, a deliberate echo of the Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de la Cité
Highlight 3
The fortified enclosure
1,200 metres of intact medieval walls with nine towers and a 27-metre wide moat, offering a complete circuit walk that no other medieval fortress near Paris can match
Visitor tip: The Sainte-Chapelle closes between 1pm and 2pm for lunch — plan your visit to be there before 1pm or after 2pm. Combine with a free walk in the Bois de Vincennes or the Parc Floral de Paris immediately adjacent — together they make for a very pleasant half-day on the eastern edge of Paris.
Getting There
Take Metro 1 eastbound to the Château de Vincennes terminus — the château is a 4-minute walk. Journey time from Châtelet: approximately 15 minutes. RER A also serves Vincennes station. On arrival, the château entrance is on Avenue de Paris — follow signs from the station.
Ready to Visit Château de Vincennes?
€13 entry included with the Museum Pass. Plus 50+ more venues across Paris.
The Château de Vincennes is at the end of Metro Line 1 — 35 minutes from the Louvre, 30 minutes from the Marais. It is also served by RER A (Vincennes station). It is technically outside the Paris city limits (in Vincennes, Val-de-Marne) but directly connected to central Paris by the most central Metro line.
Yes — the full visit including the donjon (keep) climb and the Sainte-Chapelle is covered by your Museum Pass. The donjon is 52 metres tall with six floors of original royal apartments and panoramic views from the top. The climb is steep but manageable — allow 30–45 minutes for the donjon alone.
Vincennes is the most genuinely medieval of all the pass-covered châteaux — it has been used and adapted across 7 centuries in ways that Versailles and Fontainebleau (which were heavily remodelled) were not. It feels less like a museum and more like a real fortress. It is significantly less visited than Versailles or Fontainebleau, meaning you can often explore with very few other visitors. The Sainte-Chapelle’s stained glass is extraordinary and seen by a fraction of the people who visit its famous twin on the Île de la Cité.
