Never was there a story of more woe than that of Monsieur Fouquet and his gros château. Finance minister and friend to Louis XIV, Nicolas Fouquet rose from obscurity almost as fast as he fell back into it. Born into a family of parliamentarians, the ambitious and later ennobled art-lover started work on Vaux le Vicomte in 1641, eliciting the aid of the relatively unknown trio of Le Vau, Le Brun, and Le Nôtre. The architecture, interiors, and spectacular gardens of Vaux were conceived as a whole, and remain seamlessly united. Perspectival tricks and hidden surprises imbue the rather small château—and its not altogether expansive estate—with a yet unparalleled grandeur.

Although the Château was allegedly meant as a gift for the King, Fouquet’s hauteur annoyed Louis. Two weeks after Vaux’s infamous inaugural fête in honor of the Sun King, Fouquet was jailed on false charges of embezzlement, ne’er to be heard from again.

Vaux remains in private hands, and is frequently rented out for today’s grandes fêtes. Tony Parker and Eva Longoria celebrated their nuptials at Vaux; Victoria Secret models recently preened through its hallowed halls for their Christmas ad-campaign. Share in the glamor on Saturday evenings (May to October) when visitors are invited to stroll the gardens, illuminated by thousands of tiny candles, coupe de champagne in hand.

Vaux le Vicomte is about 45 minutes from Paris by car, and 25 minutes by train (plus a 6km connection to the Chateau).