I thought you might like to hear what the Chateau de Vincennes was like ?
I went out there Sunday. I was there around everybody else's lunchtime, which turned out to be a good idea, because when I left (around 15:00) there were very long waiting lines.
As someone said, it is easy to find. All you have to do is hop on the big west-east going metro line 1 (the one that goes under Champs-Elysées) direction Vincennes, and stay in the metro until the last station. Then head for the exit "chateau".
It is an impressive site and already from the outside you get an idea of how enormous this chateau/fortress must have been.
The entrance is under one of the 9 tall watchtowers that used stand on the walls going around the chateau. That tower and the bridge leading to it has also been restored recently.
Then you come into a vast courtyard which somehow gives the impression that this is a place that noone hasn't really bothered much about for many years. In short, it looks a bit unstructured and messy (different building styles), and I can understand why the French government had decided that something needed to be done now.
In front of you to your left is a large, wonderful chapelle with tall windows, rose window and all the usual accessories. It is closed for restoration now, but it will open in 2008 and I am positive it will be amazing to see inside. The Sainte-Chapelle of Vincennes is just as high but quite a bit longer and wider than the chapel of the Cité.
To your right is the ticket office and souvenir shop. I never really had it completely clear, but as I understood it, you cannot enter the area with the donjon "unescorted", that is you have to join a guided visit. WHICH I HATE !!!
Afterwards I found out that maybe it would have been enough to pay 4 € extra for an audioguide, but then you would have to schlepp that one around instead. So I joined a guided tour. It was in French, but maybe the audioguide was for that purpose ? I didn't find out, if you could have the guide translate her speeches into English also, if you wanted to, but I don't think so.
At the ticket office you are free to take a map of the chateau and several sheets of paper with history etc etc. A small folder in English is also available for free.
The donjon is EXTREMELY handsome ! (couldn't find any other word, "beautiful" sounds so flimsy to be used for such a masculine, robust building). 10 million € is a lot of money, but they are well spent and it is definitely worth the visit.
There are stairs to climb, but I counted, and it was not that bad, because you have breaks on the way, where you can see some chambers and stuff. All in all I counted about 130 steps up to the uppermost level that was open for visitors, and that was about 40% up the donjon, I guess. Of course it will be a longer climb once they open the upper floors also. The stairs are broad and nice to walk on. (for comparison: there are 105 steps up the spiral staircase in metro Abbesses, 388 steps to the top of Notre Dame, 473 steps to the top of Sacré Coeur incl. le parvis)
Inside the donjon there is really "nothing" to see, so don't expect furniture, gobelins, paintings, antiques or anything like that. The tour is for admiring the building only. On the 2nd floor there is a video running (in French, but you can take free audioguides in a box next to the screen).
As you can see the vaults are exquisite:
There are signs in 3 languages explaining what you are looking at, so very customerfriendly.
Take care to look upwards in the rooms you enter, because there are sculptural decorations in the corners and on the walls. Often portraying some fat angel playing a musical instrument, as one of the kings (Charles something) was a big musiclover.
These decorations you will also find on the outside on the donjon, can be seen from the drawbridge and from the châtelet.
On your way down the stairs, please notice the graffiti on the walls dating back to 1920-1930 something ! I think it was on the 2nd level. That's fun to see and it sort of cuts you down to size to think that there have been tourists climbing these same stairs long before your parents or grandparents were born !
After visiting the donjon you can cross the drawbridge to the châtelet again and climb up to see the guards' round-way on the walls and a terrace.
I did not go to see the pavillons built for Louis XIV by architect Le Vau in the 17th century - and I am therefore not sure, if they are open to the public. There should be some museum, maybe some military stuff ? The website says that the chateau houses a defence history study center, among other things:
>>The Château de Vincennes is not only a monument to visit and discover. It is also the seat of numerous services operated by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Culture.<<
So all you have to do is ask at the ticket office.
To the French government:
Cher Sarko, take a deep dive into the treasure chest and pull out another 10 (or 20) million € !
Once thoroughly restored this will be an extraordinary and magnificent attraction for Paris.
hahahha