Christmas 2026 in grand châteaux: Chambord, Chantilly, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau, dates and booking

Christmas doesn’t begin on the same day everywhere. Vaux-le-Vicomte opens the festivities on 14 November, Chambord and the Grandes Écuries of Chantilly follow on 28 November, Breteuil on 5 December, while Fontainebleau concentrates most of its celebrations during the school holidays, from 20 December. Four grand residences, four ways to celebrate: a Rabelaisian feast in the largest Loire château, an equestrian spectacle beneath the vaulted ceilings of a princely stable, a journey around the world in front of Fouquet’s façade, and a table set with Marie-Antoinette’s finest china. We have collated information published by the châteaux and tourist offices as of 9 November. Where an official source contradicts itself or remains silent, we flag it up.