The Chateau de Versailles is one of the most decadent palaces on earth. The 17th century palace played a pivotal role in French history, as France’s final royal residence, and reflects the excesses of the French monarchy that led to the French Revolution in 1789. 

Its splendour was its downfall, and also what makes it the second-most visited attraction in France, after the Eiffel Tower. Three million people visit the Palace of Versailles every year.

Versailles is an easy day trip from Paris, just 20km from the city, but does require a little planning to maximise your visit. I’ve visited Versailles twice, in summer and winter, and have written this guide to visiting Versailles to help you get the most out of your visit.

A brief history of Versailles

Versailles was home to the final three kings of France, Louis XIV (14th), Louis XV (15th) and Louis XVI (16th). However, Versailles was first built as a hunting lodge for King Louis XIII (13th), the father of Louis XIV, in 1623. 

The final monarchs to live at Versailles were King Louis XVI and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette. 

Versailles witnessed the mob storm the palace gates on that fateful day and carry the young monarchs to Paris where they were imprisoned and eventually executed. The palace played a crucial role in the rise of the French monarchy and of France, and it witnessed their downfall.

How to Visit Versailles

Tickets for Versailles

There are several ticketing options for Versailles, but the best option is the “Passport Ticket” which includes entrance to the Palace, Gardens & the Trianon Estate. If you want to include an audioguide, you must add this separately to your cart.

You can buy tickets for the palace only, or for the Trianon Estate 

How to get to Versailles from Paris

It is very easy to get to Versailles from Paris. Catch the regional train, on line RER C. The trip takes around half an hour, plus a pleasant ten minute walk from the station through the town of Versailles to the palace. You can use your Metro Card on the RER C.

Versailles opening hours

Check the opening hours on the official website before planning your visit. Events at Versailles may impact opening hours.

Versailles is open Tuesday-Sunday, and closed on Mondays. The Palace is open from 9:00am and the Trianon Estate is open at 12pm. In the high season, both close at 6:30pm and in low season (November-March) it closes at 5:30pm. The ticket office closes at 5:40pm.

Sundays and Tuesdays are the busiest days at Versailles because many other Parisian museums are closed these days, and because it’s the first & last day of the week that you can visit.

Layout of Versailles

The Palace – Your first stop at Versailles will be the Palace. Expect to spend at least 90 minutes inside the palace.

The Gardens – The manicured French gardens are directly outside the palace.

The Park – The park is a large expanse of parkland, which is open to the public for free during high season, except on days with Fountain Shows or Musical Shows. The park surrounds the Grand Canal, and is popular for picnics. You can hire boats, and buy lunch at cafes and kiosks.

The Trianon Estate – The Trianon Estate shows the more intimate side of Versailles, and includes Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon & The Queen’s Hamlet.

Tips for Visiting Versailles

Buy tickets online

Don’t leave it to chance at the ticketing office. Buy your tickets online in advance to guarantee your admission to the Palace of Versailles.

Arrive early

Even in the middle of winter, you need to arrive at Versailles early. My first attempt to visit Versailles was in January of 2013, and when I arrived at 10am on a weekday, the queues crossed the courtyard and were already trailing out of the gate. We decided to head back to Paris, and return earlier the next day. The next morning, Dad & I set our alarms for 6 am. There was still a queue when we got there at 8:45, but it only took 15-20 minutes to get in.

Avoid peak season if you can

Unfortunately, in summer Versailles is so busy that it is hard to remember that it was the last royal residence of the French monarchy, because it feels like a busy museum. There are so many tourists that it loses its magic a little.

Fortunately, many of the rooms are mostly roped off, which creates a crowd at the doorway but means you can view the room uninterrupted by puffer jackets and iPads.

The benefit to visiting in summer is that the gardens are at their most beautiful, so it is still worth a visit if this is your only opportunity to go.

Save time for the Park & Trianon Estate

Plan to spend a full day at Versailles, to ensure you have plenty of time to enjoy the Park and to visit the Trianon Estate. 

Allow at least 90 minutes for the Palace, and a few hours for exploring the rest of the grounds. The grounds are huge, and you’ll need to allow time to walk to & from the Trianon Estate. There is a small passenger train but the walk is pleasant if you have the time. You can also hire small buggys, which are ideal in winter when the long walk is too cold.

The Trianon Estate shows a different side to Versailles, with two small chateaux and The Queen’s Hamlet, which is Marie Antoinette’s fairytale village.

The Palace of Versailles highlights

The Hall of Mirrors

The most famous room in Versailles is the Hall of Mirrors, which is the physical embodiment of the ego of the French monarchy. It was built as a lavish waiting room, designed to show off the economic, artistic and political victories of France at the time. It’s basically a huge flex.

The artwork depicts French victories, and the use of the 357 mirrors was somewhat of a victory in itself, as mirrors were crazy expensive at the time. It also represented France’s economic power, and the potential for the French to take over the mirror industry, which had been led by the Venetians.

The Sun King worked very hard to make France economically independent, but no one in France knew how to make mirrors. He lured Venetians artisans to France with extravagant salaries and commissioned them to set up factories. 

This infuriated the Venetians. When two of the best Venetian artisans were smuggled out of Venice to France they were poisoned by Italian secret agents, to keep the Italian techniques secret.

The Hall of Mirrors has been the stage for several pivotal moments in French history.

In 1871, France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, by the newly formed German Empire. The Proclamation of Germany took place in the Hall of Mirrors, and France was forced to secede Alsace-Lorraine to Germany.

Nearly fifty years later, the scales had tipped. At the end of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors. It represented the defeat of Germany, and contained rules for Germany to provide reparations to other countries.

The Royal Chapel

Every morning, the French court would assemble for the King’s mass in the Royal Chapel. These days, an orchestra plays in the Royal Chapel every Thursday, playing European pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries.

You can’t enter the Royal Chapel, and instead can view the Chape through a doorway. There’s always a crowd, but it means you can get a great view of the chapel without it being filled with crowds.

The King & Queen’s Chambers

The King’s Chamber and Queen’s Chamber are separate bedrooms at Versailles, and some of the most extravagant rooms in the palace.

The Hall of Kings

The Hall of Kings is a little less crowded, mostly because it’s just lined with white busts of various Kings of France. Impressive, but not as gobsmacking as the royal champers or the Royal Chapel.

It’s a good spot to wander and take a breather from the zoo-like atmosphere of the rest of the palace. It’s much easier to imagine this spot filled with the French court, than it is in crowded spots like the Hall of Mirrors or the chapel.

The Garden at Versailles

Gardens in 17th century France were considered works of art, just as important as paintings and sculptures, and with just as many important political messages. In the case of the gardens, The Sun King’s main message was that he was enlightening the world.

The Park at Versailles

The crowds thin out over the enormous garden, which is full of fountains, groves to get lost in, forests, canals and two smaller royal chateaus, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon.

Apollo & The Sun King

The Sun King chose the Greek Sun God Apollo to represent him. Apollo enlightened the world, and in return the whole world revolved around him. This reminded Louix XVI, of himself.

You can find Apollo in a few of the fountains throughout the gardens, the first of which at the start of the massive central walkway down from the palace at the Latona Fountain.

There are also four fountains at different intersections of the groves, representing each season. Flora fountain represents Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, garden and springs.

Latona Fountain

In the Latona Fountain you can see Zeus’ first wife Latona, with her two children, Apollo and Artemis, fleeing the wrath of Hera, Zeus’ second wife. Hera had some shepherds stir up mud in the pond to prevent Latona and her children from drinking from the water, and Latona had Zeus turn the two shepherds into frogs, doomed to be stuck in the muddy waters they created.

Latona represents Louis’ mother, Anne of Austria, as she fled Paris during the Fronde, a series of civil wars in France, with her two small children. The frogs represent the Frondeurs, or Parisians.

The fountains inside the frog’s mouths are very rarely turned on. Even during his reign they were only turned on as he approached and were turned off after he passed. Nothing was too frivolous for the Sun King.

Basin of Apollo

You can find Apollo again at the Basin of Apollo. Apollo is rising from the fountain with his chariot of horses to bring light to the earth. Everyone at Versailles knew that this was actually representing The Sun King enlightening the world.

Louis was not modest, but there was some truth in his reputation, unlike his two successors. He successfully united warring feudal lords who came to Versailles to wait on the King instead of fighting, and under his rule the arts and sciences flourished in France, making it one of the leaders of the western world at the time.

The Trianon Estate

The Trianon Estate includes two royal chateaux, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon, and the Queen’s Hamlet, which is a replica village that Marie Antoinette built as an escape from royal life. But you know, with better food and servants.

The Trianon Estate is one of the most interesting parts of Versailles, and is usually much less crowded than the palace. Tucked away at the back of the property, many visitors miss the Trianon Estate entirely. 

Grand Trianon

The Grand Trianon is the most impressive building on the Trianon Estate, built from red Languedoc marble, which gives it a dusty pink hue. The low-lying, sprawling residence is where the Sun King liked to escape the pressure of court life with his mistress, Mme Montrespan. 

After he lived there, many other royals lived in the Grand Trianon, as well as Napoleon.

Petit Trianon

Petit Trianon was built by King Louis XV’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, but she died before it was completed. The king’s new mistress, Madame du Barry, lived there instead. 

When King Louis XVI (16^th) married Marie Antoinette, he gave it to her. She loved to escape to Petit Trianon and spent as much time there as possible because she hated being at the court in Versailles. Before she even arrived in France, the aristocracy and court had nicknamed her the “Austrichienne” (chienne being French for dog, or bitch).

I really liked Petit Trianon because you could see the bedrooms, living rooms, games room and kitchen, without nearly as many crowds as in Versailles. It was quiet enough that there were only a handful of people in each room at a time, so you could more easily imagine this being the home of Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette was criticised for spending time too far away from the palace, and for her strict invite-only policy. The nineteen year old always felt like she was being judged by her new French family and the court, and so by order of the Queen, only people she invited could enter Petit Trianon. 

It was like her little fortress from her strange, new social circle. She only let in her closest friends, which infuriated the rest of the French court even more.

The Queen’s Hamlet

The Queen’s Hamlet is Marie Antoinette’s fairytale village at Versailles. While it is a little tone deaf to build a romanticised version of a peasant’s village, Marie Antoinette loved her home away from home. The Queen’s Hamlet was her sanctuary, where she could be surrounded by her chickens, sheep, rabbits and her two cows, Blanchette and Brunette.

She was ridiculed for building her little hamlet, which people mockingly called “Little Vienna”, in reference to her homeland.

It’s no wonder Marie Antoinette spent all her time as far away from Versailles as possible!

The Temple of Love

The Temple of Love was erected for Marie Antoinette, inside the English Gardens at Versailles. Marie Antoinette preferred the more “natural” style of the fashionable English gardens, as opposed to the French order imposed upon meticulous greenhouses and manicured garden beds, which you can see in the rest of the gardens.

Kings & Queens of Versailles

Louis XIV – The Sun King

Louis XIV (14th) is the king most often associated with Versailles, because he was responsible for a major expansion which turned Versailles into an extravagant palace. 

Louis XIV is known as “The Sun King”, and chose Apollo, the sun god, as a symbol of his reign. You can see symbols of Apollo all over Versailles. He still holds the record for the longest rule by a European monarch, with an impressive 72-year reign. 

At the time of his reign, the seat of power in France was at the Louvre Palace, and it had been for 600 years. Louis XIV hated Paris, after being forced to flee as a child during The Fronde, a series of civil wars in France.

Louis XIV transformed Versailles into an extravagant palace, and moved the royal residence & the court from Paris to Versailles. It became the seat of power, the home of the French court and administration, and the cultural centre of the western world. 

Louis XV – The Beloved

Louis XV (15^th) was known as Louis the Beloved. He was the Sun King’s great-grandson, and inherited the throne at the age of five. His grandfather, father and older brother were all before him in the long line for the throne, but they all died before the Sun King, so it was young Louis XV who inherited the throne.

Louis XVI – Louis Capet

Louis XVI (16th) was the grandson of Louis XV. He married Marie Antoinette, who was the Archduchess of Austria, and met his fate at the guillotine in 1791. He and Marie Antoinette were the final royal residents of Versailles, and were dragged out by the angry mob.

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was an Austrian Archduchess, before she married into the French royal family. 

The young Queen is remembered for many of the same things as Versailles – for her extravagant wealth, over-indulgence and being completely out of touch with the masses. My favourite parts of Versailles, Petite Trianon and her village in the gardens, were Marie Antoinette’s.

She is misquoted as responding “let them eat cake”, when she was informed of bread shortages facing the peasantry. This rumour was already flying around when she was a child, years before she ascended the throne! Originally, this was attributed to one of her predecessors, Marie Therese, who was the wife of the Sun King.

Marie Therese actually did say something along these lines, although it has been simplified. When she heard of food shortages facing the peasants, she suggested that they should eat the crusts of her pate… which is arguably a worse response.

Unfortunately for Marie Antoinette’s reputation, the dangerous story stuck and fanned the flames of the French Revolution. Historians agree that saying something like this would be totally out of character for the Queen, who was very charitable and sensitive to her people, despite her own indulgent lifestyle.

Marie Antoinette received appalling treatment at the hands of her captors, and was treated worse than her husband, the king.

She, like thousands of other royals and aristocrats, was executed in Place de la Concord in the centre of Paris. If you visit Place de la Concord today, you’ll find statues of horses rearing up on their hind legs. The horses are wild and angry, because of all of the French blood that has been spilt in the Place de la Concord.

Marie Antoinette’s final words were “Pardon me sir, I meant not to do it,” after she accidentally stepped on the toes of her executioner.

She’s gone down in history associated with a quote that made her sound selfish, yet her last words are rarely repeated, perhaps because they make her sound human.

.

The Wanderbug is reader supported. This site may contain links to affiliate websites, which means when you buy through links on this site I may receive a small affiliate commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!

You Might Also Like