Vaux-le-Vicomte

VAUX LE VICOMTE is a beautiful palace, so beautiful in fact that Louis XIV, out of jealousy, wanted Versailles to surpass it in elegance and grandeur. People are so appreciative of the recommendation to visit Vaux le Vicomte —perhaps because it is lesser known, and so expectations are minimal, that people are overwhelmed by and enamored of this palace. Perhaps because  and enamored by this palace. Appropriately termed "extravagant," it was built for a finance minister, but never completed because he was imprisoned by a very jealous Louis XIV. It is possible to visit the interior ground floor apartments, and the gardens which in their own right rival the palace. The gardens, designed by Le Vau, Le Brun, and, most impressively, Le Nôtre, can be toured either on foot or by small electric carts that also explore the surrounding forest. Also fanciful, small boats in the shape of fairies and swans glide down the grand canal, and the Museum of Carriages stages a "moving" presentation using an incredible wealth of vehicles, from Roman chariots to carriages. If you can time your visit to be here on a Saturday evening, most magical and memorable of all is to experience the palace illuminated by candlelight. Each Saturday at dusk, over 2000 candles are lit, casting an enchanting glow while classical music is played in the gardens.