Entrance to and exit from the castle is via the Tour du Village (on avenue de Paris, a stone's throw from metro station 1), despite the works currently underway.
Launch of works around the castle
The north side of the château de Vincennes will be redeveloped in 2025. It's a long-term project that will help make this jewel of French history more attractive and visible!
5 March 2025
What does the work involve?
The château de Vincennes is the most visited monument in the Val-de-Marne, with 145,000 visitors. In 2024, two major events organised by the City of Vincennes, in conjunction with the Centre des monuments nationaux and the Service historique de la Défense, have reaffirmed the monument's tourist and cultural potential: the 2024 Olympic Games Club and Château de lumières.
With this in mind, and with a view to enhancing the heritage and cultural appeal of this exceptional site, over €40 million has been invested in various restoration projects around the site, including redesigned pedestrian walkways accessible to people with reduced mobility and pushchairs, the replanting of 45 trees and improvements to the quality and permeability of the soil.
The project, carried out by OPPIC on behalf of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and supervised by Christophe Baltard (chief architect of the Monuments Historiques), will initially involve replanting trees. A total of 45 new trees will be planted, giving a positive balance of 27 trees. It had not been possible to keep 18 of these trees, either because they were diseased or because their root development was threatening the counterscarp walls or buried networks.
The new species planted (9 Hairy Oak and 36 Damask Plum) were chosen for their ability to adapt to climate change. Improving the quality and permeability of the soil will ensure that they last longer. The project will also provide more shade, which until now has been lacking and poorly distributed. The glacis, a 19th century defensive structure made of stony embankments, will be levelled to give the Château better visibility. The walkways, which are not very accessible to walkers and are currently inaccessible to people with reduced mobility and pushchairs, will be redesigned to correct the mistakes made in the 1930s when the metro arrived. These two changes will respect the history of the Château while meeting the needs of 2025.
An impact on access to the monument?
The work currently being carried out at the entrance to the castle (Tour du village, a stone's throw from the metro exit) makes access particularly complicated, especially for people with reduced mobility (uneven ground, presence of lorries, etc.).
© François Brosse
From autumn 2025, access via the Tour du Village will no longer be possible, and entry to the château will be via the Tour des Salves. Temporary signage will be installed to help visitors find their way around.