Hiking at Fontainebleau Forest

This past weekend, I decided to spend a day outside of Paris and go on a hike. Living in a big city could be overwhelming at times and it’s nice to venture out once in a while. My Parisian friends mentioned that there were some gorgeous views at Fontainebleau Forest and I decided to go have a look for myself.

The Terrain

Autumn is my favorite season of the year especially when all the leaves change color and you see can red, green and yellow scattered across the ground. In New York, I used to roast store bought chestnuts from Whole Foods during Christmas but in France, you can pick your own in the Fall season!

View of the Fontainebleau Forest

45 minutes by train from Paris, you can take the Transilien train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon Station where you then transfer to Bus line 1. You can also take your car along the A6 highway and arrive there between 45minutes to an hour depending on traffic. I would say leave early and get there just before 10am to have ample time to explore.

Reptile looking rock formation

Known for its peculiar rock formations shaped like animals, The Fontainebleau Forest is also known for its 3000 species of mushrooms. With 1,600 km of walking paths and 300 km of marked trails, there is a wide array of trails to pick from. The hiking trails range from easy to difficult by color. Difficult trails are marked in red and blue for the easier trails.  I tried the Sentier des Belvédères trail with an average level of difficulty which was perfect for a beginner hiker.

Autumn Leaves

Chestnuts “chataigne” are an Autumn favorite and right now is the perfect time to go pick some. The sound of chestnuts falling from the trees is also pretty awesome!

Chestnuts waiting to be picked

Hunting for Mushrooms is also another fun thing to do. I spotted the most amazing types of mushroom during the hike and I have to say, they were super adorable!

Cute Mushroom hanging out alone

Scatter of Mushrooms

I saw a few little ponds along the way and the depth of colors were just lovely.

A Little Pond

There were some interesting rock formations that we had to squeeze our way through to continue along the hiking trail.

Yes! You must go through this one to continue the trail.

Beautiful views await me!

Pack a picnic and have lunch overlooking some spectacular views. I completed the 8 km hike in 2.5 hours, not bad for a beginner!

I made it to the Top!

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