What to do in Fontainebleau Forest

Welcome to Bouldering paradise !

Located a mere 1 hour drive from Paris, the Fontainebleau forest is a landmark destination for the Paris region unhabitants as well as for tourists from the world over. Covering a large area of c. 200 km² when including its sister forest of Les Trois Pignons in the West, the Fontainebleau forest and its region has a rich history, and not only in the world of outdoor sports.

It is notably famous for hosting the Barbizon impressionist painting school at the end of the 19th century with painters taking their inspiration at the beautiful and varied landscape offered by the forest.

The Fontainebleau area landscape was indeed shaped by its special geological history. Million years ago, it was indeed entirely covered by a closed sea which created a huge sediment layer, and left the area with a sandy ground layer of more than 50m, unique in the region. Sand then agglomerated and created a huge chaos of sandstone boulders which spans much of the forest. The special ground also created a forest with a great variety of tree species with oaks, Scots pines, birches and beeches whilst the sandy grounds are covered by by heathers. Fontainebleau is definately one of the most beautiful forest in France.

But it is with its many sandstone boulders that the area became a favourite with outdoor enthusiasts. With literally thousands of rocks of all size and levels, it quickly became a major site for the Parisian alpinists who wanted to train for alpine ascents. But the area's popularity developed in the 80's when bouldering became a sport in itself, and many claim that bouldering was really invented here.

Today, climbing enthusiasts come from the entire world to discover the biggest and most developed bouldering area in the world, and climb the famous routes in well-known sites such as Bas-Cuvier, Dame Jouanne or Roche aux Sabots to mention a few. Very close to Paris, and surrounded by beautiful French villages anc cities with great touristic interest such as Barbizon and Fontainebleau, the forest is really a magical spot to mix outdoors with culture, and one that the whole family can enjoy.