The dome on a candlelit evening at Vaux-le-Vicomte

Why it is on the list

Vaux-le-Vicomte was built between 1658 and 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, the first house on which Le Vau, Le Nôtre and Le Brun worked together; it is a monument historique and still belongs to the Vogüé family.¹ It has held candlelit evenings since 1980: on Saturdays through the summer 2,000 candles light the château and its 33 hectares of formal gardens, and at 11 pm fireworks retrace Fouquet's fête of 17 August 1661.² On those nights the dome, over 25 metres high with a view over the whole estate, can be taken by two people, with a glass of champagne, and the fireworks are set off from there.²

It is the wrong choice outside the season, which in 2026 runs every Saturday from 16 May to 26 September, with 13 July and 15 August added.² For a day visit instead, the estate is open every day from 10 am to 5.30 pm (last entry) from 14 March to 1 November.³

How to get it

Write to the commercial team at commercial@vaux-le-vicomte.fr and ask to take the dome for two on a candlelit evening.² Evening tickets must be booked online: €22 for the château and gardens, €16 for the gardens only.² Entry runs from 5.30 pm to 9.30 pm (last entry at the ticket office) and the estate closes at midnight.² Dinner can be taken at Les Charmilles, which looks onto the château and the lit gardens.²

The château is about 50 kilometres from Paris.⁴ By car, take the A4 or A6 to the N104 and the A5 (exit 14, Voisenon); parking is free. By train, the R line from Gare de Lyon reaches Melun in about 25 minutes, and a taxi covers the last 10 to 15 minutes.³ On candlelit Saturdays a booked shuttle leaves Paris at 4.30 pm from Avenue des Terroirs de France and returns from Vaux at 11.40 pm.³ In bad weather the estate aims for at least partial lighting and the fireworks, except for force majeure or safety.²

Discretion

The candlelit evenings are open to the public and ticketed, so the gardens are busy; the dome is the one place on the estate taken by two alone, above the château.² The château is privately owned and the family runs it.¹