Last Updated on 15th October 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
Tranquil and simply gorgeous: the magic of Barbizon swiftly becomes apparent to anyone who steps foot in the town. Easy to visit over the course of a few hours, here’s your guide to the best things to do in Barbizon, as well as what to know before you go.
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Introducing Barbizon
This little village lies on the edges of Fontainebleau forest (a luscious green space a mixed lying sixty kilometres southeast of Paris) in the Île de France region and has been a fashionable escape from Paris since the 19th-century.
The forest is probably most famous for its eponymous Château, which began life as a hunting lodge during the 12th-century but was transformed into a Renaissance style palace during the 16th-century. Today the château and its illustrious gardens can be visited for a fee.
The village grew to particular prominence during the 19th-century thanks to the plein artistes, a school of landscape painters who enjoyed painting the outdoors, making rural life the subject of their artworks and thus ensuring that realism gained popularity in French paintings.
This all began in 1827 when Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot first stumbled upon the village, which was then little more than a hamlet, and started painting the residents’, their farming way of life, and the lovely landscape surrounding Barbizon.
Members of the school included Daubing, Diaz, and Troyon. Van Gogh was a fan of the Barbizon school and imitated some of the styles of their paintings within his own artworks. During the 19th-century, Monet, Renoir, and Alfred Sisley all painted in Barbizon.
Leon Trotsky resided in the village for a brief time in the first half of the 20th-century. Today, little has changed in the sleepy little village during the past few centuries.
Local residents are known in French as Barbizonais. In the spring, the village comes to life thanks to the presence of lots of wisteria, which is known as glycine in French.
Getting to Barbizon
Unfortunately Barbizon is not reached easily via public transportation from Paris and so the best option is to have your own car. Check car rental comparison prices here.
If you do want to visit from the capital, then you should take a train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau. From there, you can take a bus which will take you from the Fontainebleau bus station to Place de l’Angélus, which is in Barbizon.
Once in Barbizon, I would recommend making your first stop the tourist office. Open from Wednesday through to Sunday, you can pick up pamphlets with more information about the town as well as suggested walking routes.
How long do you need in Barbizon?
Due to its fairly small size and compact nature (there’s just one main street and a few side streets), you only need a couple of hours to discover all that Barbizon has to offer. If you have more time to spare, then you can go hiking in the Fontainebleau forest.
Best things to do in Barbizon
Wander around the village
Truth be told, one of the greatest joys of a visit to Barbizon is simply strolling around and allowing the village to reveal itself to you. Follow in the footsteps of painters like Corot, Millet, and Rousseau, snap photos of the pretty architecture, and enjoy the ambiance of the quiet village.
There are a few shops where you can purchase local souvenirs. On the fringes of the village, you’ll find the rather impressive mairie (town hall), whose entrance is flanked by two stone lions.
Follow the mosaic trails
One of the best parts of strolling around is that there are countless mosaic remakes of famous Barbizon school paintings and other 19th-century painters from across Europe scattered around town.
Be sure to look out for these and their accompanying information panels as you’re walking as they are quite impressive. The mosaic trail features the following paintings:
- – Intérieur de forêt en hiver / Karl Bodmer [1809 – 1893]
- – La gardeuse d’oies / Constant Troyon [1810 – 1865]
- – Moisson / Charles-François Daubigny [1817 – 1878]
- – Décembre / Jean-Ferdinand Chaigneau [1830 – 1906]
- – Lisière de forêt / Felix Ziem [1821 – 1911]
- – La femme au puits / Jean-François Millet [1814 – 1875]
- – L’Angélus / Jean-François Millet [1814 – 1875]
- – Moutons au pâturage / Charles Jacque [1813 – 1894]
- – Lisière de Forêt / Narcisse Diaz de la Pefia [1807 – 1876]
- – La fillette à la chèvre / Narcisse Diaz de la Penia [1807 – 1876]
- – La hutte des charbonniers / Théodore Rousseau [1812 – 1867]
- – Les Glaneuses / Jean-François Millet [1814 – 1875]
- – White horse / John Constable [1776 – 1837l
- – L’église de Greville / Jean-François Millet [1814 – 1875]
- – Maison de Théodore Rousseau / George Gassies [1829 – 1919]
- – Sortie de forêt de Fontainebleau / Théodore Rousseau [1812 – 1867]
- – Le Coup de vent / Jean-Baptiste Corot [1796 – 1875]
- – Le laboureur / Veyrassat [1828 – 1893]
- – La mare aux chênes/ Jules Dupré [1811 – 1889]
La Maison Et Atelier De Jean-Francois Millet
The former home of Millet has now been transformed into a museum. Though it only comprises of a few simple rooms, you can stroll around the artist’s former workshop and living quarters and imagine how life would have been during the middle of the 19th-century.
Within the three rooms of the museum (the kitchen, bedroom, and the artist’s atelier), there’s everything from books to furniture to personal items. There is a separate gallery where it’s possible to buy authentic 19th-century Barbizon school paintings.
Musée départemental des peintres de Barbizon
The main museum in town is set over two locations and the larger location is set against the backdrop of a delightful virginia creeper clad building complete with pastel shutters and a stone façade which wouldn’t seem at all out of place in Provence.
The former Auberge Ganne (Ganne Guesthouse) was constructed in the 1820s and housed many of the painters who flocked to paint Barbizon over the decades (predominantly between 1820 and 1860).
The other part of the museum comprises of Théodore Rousseau’s former atelier. Functioning as both Rousseau’s home and studio, the artist resided in the building for the last two decades of his life, and is where he produced some of his most iconic works.
Today the museum has been transformed to look just as it would have done during the 19th-century. As well as period furniture, the museum’s permanent collection boasts around 100 artworks of less well-known 19th-century artists, but also works by Jean-François Millet, Narcisse Diaz de la Peña and Rosa Bonheur.
Chapelle Notre Dame de la Persévérance
The small and rather plain main church in Barbizon is dedicated to Our Lady of Perserverance. Free to visit, its little turreted spire and buttery stone façade looks like its been plucked straight out of a fairytale.
The church was constructed in the latter half of the 19th-century. Prior to the arrival of the painters, Barbizon didn’t constitute as large enough to merit its own parish church and so the chapel was consecrated in 1899 before being expanded in 1920.
Besharat Gallery & Museum
Besharat Gallery was originally founded in Atlanta, USA and has now opened a branch in the sleepy village of Barbizon. Set within the 19th-century Villa Les Charmettes, the gallery showcases contemporary artworks and is also a hotel where you can book a stay.
Walk through Fontainebleau forest
Barbizon is conveniently located on the fringes of Fontainebleau forest. Just a twenty minute walk from the village allows walkers to discover some unusually shaped rock formations, including one in the shape of an elephant, one in the form of a sleeping hippo, and another in the shape of a sheep.
Where to stay in Barbizon
If you’re looking for an escape from it all that’s not too far away from Paris, then you can opt to spend a couple of days in Barbizon and discover just what made so many painters fall in love with the village and its surrounding countryside. Here are some of the best places to stay in Barbizon:
Hôtellerie du Bas-Bréau: This hotel has been a place to stay for many famous painters, writers, and other creators over the years, including Robert-Louis Stevenson. Amenities include an upscale restaurant offering game dishes and a fireplace, and a seasonal pool. Check prices and availability here.
La Bastide de Barbizon: This is the oldest B&B in Barbizon and offers a cosy space to relax a little way from the busy village centre. Highlights include individually decorated rooms which come with en suite bathrooms and breakfast. Check prices and availability here.
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Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, travel, pizza, and history. A Francophile at heart, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming something sweet. She splits her time between Paris and London and travels as much as she can! Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.