The Transilien Line R from Paris Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon takes approximately 40 minutes. Trains run roughly every 30 minutes; the fare is around €8.70 single (Zone 1 to 5 ticket). From Fontainebleau-Avon station, the Line A bus runs to the chateau gates in approximately 10 minutes. The approach from the bus stop to the palace entrance is flat.
The Paris Marathon runs in early April. Fontainebleau in April is entering its spring programme - the palace gardens are accessible year-round (free entry), and the forest that surrounds the town, the Foret de Fontainebleau, is in its earliest leaf. April is before the Easter crowds that fill the forest trails in late April; the palace is accessible and not overwhelmed.
The Chateau and Gardens
Chateau de Fontainebleau served as a royal residence from the 12th century to the 19th - eight centuries of French monarchs used it as their principal hunting palace, the forest surrounding the town being the largest royal hunting domain in France. Francis I rebuilt the medieval structure in the 1530s, creating the first major French Renaissance palace and importing Italian artists (including Rosso Fiorentino and Francesco Primaticcio) to decorate it. Napoleon used it extensively; it was here that he signed his first abdication in 1814.
The palace gardens - the Jardin Anglais and the Grand Parterre - are free year-round. The Grand Parterre, the formal garden stretching east from the main facade, is flat and extensive. The Jardin Anglais, immediately south of the palace, is the more informal space - paths through mature trees alongside the carp pond, which is the oldest ornamental carp pond in France and has been feeding the same goldfish for several centuries.
The palace interior (entry approximately €14) covers Francis I's Gallery - one of the finest examples of French Renaissance interior decoration, with painted stucco panels and elaborate allegorical frescoes by Il Rosso and Primaticcio - and the imperial apartments that Napoleon used for his court. Pre-book online; queues form in April.
The Foret de Fontainebleau - 25,000 hectares of forest immediately surrounding the town - contains the rock formations used by the French climbing community for bouldering. In April, the forest is accessible and quiet; the paths are well-marked. The flatter paths around the plain of Macherin, south of the chateau, are appropriate for post-marathon legs.
Where to Eat
The town of Fontainebleau has a full selection of restaurants on the Rue Grande and the surrounding streets. For post-marathon lunch: Chez Bernard on the market square serves classic French brasserie food - steak, confit de canard, the kind of lunch that requires no particular decision-making.
Getting Back
Transilien Line R services from Fontainebleau-Avon to Paris Gare de Lyon run throughout the afternoon and evening, 40 minutes.