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Château de Versailles

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Scubabartek
Scubabartek
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Editor Pick

The Best Reason to Visit Paris

  • September 10, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Wasatch from heber ctity, Utah
The Best Reason to Visit Paris

The Palace at Versailles is one of the world’s greatest buildings. Begun in 1624 as a modest hunting lodge by King Louis XII, the present grand palace took shape under Louis XIV between 1661-1689. Versailles has five parts: the Palace, the Trinanons, Le Hameau, the gardens, and the fountains. Allow 2-3 days to see it all.

1] There are several tours through the Palace, one home to 10,000 people, to see the grandly furnished public rooms glorifying the Sun King and the art galleries. If you can’t take them all, don’t miss the King’s Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors.

2] Queen Marie Antoinette got it into her head that peasant farming was a noble pastime, and had a little farm community built for her the gardens, Le Hameau, a 2/3 scale romanticized farm village where she could tend her sheep like any typical royal peasant.

3] The most interesting gardens are the flower beds between the Palace and the Apollo Basin. Beyond the Apollo Basin, the gardens are largely a classical representation of a forest– this is not a real forest, it is a garden planted as the gardeners thought a forest ought to look. The gardens suffered major damage in a wind storm a few years ago that destroyed many of the old trees. It is 3 km (almost two miles) from the Palace to the end of the gardens.

4] The fountains are the highlight of any visit to Paris, and should not be missed. A river was diverted to provide water for them, seriously affecting the water supply of Paris. Because of the strain the fountains put on Paris’ water supply, they are displayed only on six summer afternoons a year, roughly every other Sunday, May-September. It takes some planning. Try the Internet or the French National Tourist Office to get the days (and times) of the fountain displays and be sure to get the times for the Neptune Basin. To preserve water pressure in Paris, Neptune Basin, the largest of the fountains, does not run at the same time as the other fountains. For twenty minutes at the end of the displays, the Neptune Basin is the grand finale of the show. Sit on the hillside across from the fountain. Don’t miss it. It is a long walk to see all the fountains, and be there early for the display hours are just long enough to allow visitors to make the complete circuit.


5] The two Trianon chateaux have more grand rooms, but not as grand as the Palace. See all the Palace rooms first.


6] The justly famous Palace at Versailles so dominates the tourist scene that most visitors miss the charming old town itself. It goes without saying, see the Palace first, but while you are here, it would be a shame not to also take in the small town as well. The tourist’s town extends 3-4 blocks on either side of the Place des Armes and Ave. de Paris which runs from the entrance of the Palace to Paris, and much of it can be seen walking from the metro (RER) station to the Palace.

Lunch is easiest to get at one of the in town restaurants around the Place des Armes. These all seem to be nice places, but overpriced tourist traps-- you’re the tourist, and you are pretty much trapped, so enjoy.


Versailles is easy to get to from Paris by the Metro (RER line C). Use the walk from the Versailles RER station to the Palace to see some of the fine old city of Versailles, and some more of the Sun King’s extravagances (see journal Versailles- the town).

We’ve been to Paris twice, but to Versailles 3-4 times. That’s a clue about where to spend your time. Every time we have flown into one of the Paris airports and rented a car to see France, we have begun or ended our trip at Versailles. Forget Paris, but don't forget Versailles.

From journal A Crashing Bore

Editor Pick

Must be Patient When you Go...

  • February 23, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by normeybear from New Richmond, Wisconsin
My husband and I just returned, yesterday, from Paris. We visited Versailles on a beautiful Tuesday morning (Feb 19).

When you arrive off the train, walk toward Versailles but make sure to buy your tickets at the Tourist office on the left side of the street directly leading up to the chateau. That way you won't have to stand in the long line at the actual ticket office. The tourist office charges the same amount to get in.

There is a lot of waiting in lines here. So bring your iPod or a book. You will wait in a small line to get into the chateau, then wait in line to get your audio guides. Then wait in line to be able to get through the rooms. So bring some water and a small snack too!!

There are no photos or picture taking aloud..but everyone was doing it! So I broke down and videotaped a bit. I got caught once and was told to put it away.

When you get into the gardens, go directly to the far side of the back of the chateau and buy your tickets for the little trolly train. It is 6 Euros per person and shuttles you around the VERY LARGE gardens. You can get off and on all you want! So you can get off at Marie Antoinette's house and walk all around her little farm, then hop on the train to get down to "little Italy" where the water is.

You can rent a golf cart, for up to 4 people, for 30 Euros per hour. So if you have 4 people and only want to be in the gardens for an hour, that may be an option for you.

The little trolly/train is so worth the money! Our feet were killing us already and would NEVER have walked all the way down there. The line to buy tickets took a while, but we had to wait for the train too.

There is a McDonald's near the train station which is where we ate and went potty before heading back to Paris.

If you go in the summer, I would definately bring an umbrella just to make some shade for myself. The sculpured gardens do not have trees and are therefore very bright. It was about 45 degrees when we went and I got a little sunburn on me face and neck/chest area.
Editor Pick

Château de Versailles

Château de Versailles

Everyone says that a trip to Paris is not complete without a trip to Versailles, especially if you want to get away from the endless amount of museums in Paris. The best way to get to Versailles is by RER (Line C5, direction Rive-Gauche). You can purchase a round-trip ticket (€5.50) at any metro station (using an agent at a ticket booth). The train takes about 30 minutes each way then it’s a short 5-10 minute walk to get to the gates of Versailles Palace. Admission to the Palace is included in the Paris Museum Pass but does not include Marie-Antoinette’s Apartments or basically anything outside of the main chateau. You must pay an extra €7 for Marie-Antoinette’s estate and €2 for the apartments of the Dauphin and Mesdames. It is open every day except on Mondays and public holidays from 9am to 6:30pm (5:30pm during off-season).

It is best to show up before opening hours because the lines are brutal and you may have to wait more than three hours to get inside if you don’t have a Museum Pass. Make sure you wear sturdy non-slip shoes because of the dreadful cobblestones in the courtyard that are uneven and unforgiving to feet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people trip, stumble, slip or fall over in one single day! I didn’t wait too long in line because I had the pass, so it was only perhaps a 10-minute wait because of tour group that was already in front of us.

I would have to say that Versailles highly disappointed me for a number of reasons. During my visit in early May 2007, there was extensive restoration going on in front of the chateau so we could not get any decent pictures. Inside, it was a madhouse – I was pushed or shoved endlessly. There were far too many people and tour groups in one room and even though the Hall of Mirrors was re-opened, the crowds overwhelmed me.

By the time I reached the King’s living quarters, I just had enough of Versailles. It was very drab and noisy and too much for me to bear. I think I must had a bad day because it was pouring outside and it must have been the day where every single tour group from Paris decided to go to Versailles for the day. I would not return to Versailles until the Palace is completely restored and free of construction. A tip to travellers: Make sure you call ahead and ask about which parts of Versailles are closed for renovation so you don’t want time and money, only to be disappointed by the time you get there. By the time I left Versailles, the line was already packed from the entry to the gate, which was a good distance away in the parking lot area. So buying the Paris Museum Pass is a good investment, especially if you’re not a patient person!

From journal Vive La Paris

Château de Versailles

  • August 14, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Sabina315 from Athens, Ohio
Visiting Versailles can be a great day trip or a hot, loud, crowded experience that makes you want to go home. You can take the RER and explore the little town around the Palace, but I recommend getting there early, especially if you want to take a tour. Versailles is absolutely enormous and immediately imposing as you walk up to the palace. You'll probably have time to stare in awe at the outside of the building as you wait in line to go in, but if there is no line, take a little time to gawk at one of the most famous royal residences in history. In crowded places like this, I like to take the audio tour instead of a guided tour because I can get a little farther from huge groups and spend as much or as little time at various stops on the tour. If you like this sort of thing, the interior of Versailles is consistently impressive. Every room is entirely ornate, from the wallpaper to the furniture to the silver on the table or the pillows in the bedroom. A lot of history has been made at Versailles and the architecture and decor don't let any visitors forget that, especially in places like the Hall of Mirrors. If any place is worthy of being the site of the end of major wars (and the beginning), this is it. If fancy dining rooms and crowds of tourists aren't your thing, skip the building and head to the gardens of Versailles. They are expansive and you could easily spend the better part of a day exploring them if the weather is nice. Especially interesting is the Orangerie, full of orange trees. The gardens are a perfect follow-up to the palace or an alternative, they are large enough that you can find parts that are not too crowded and a nice break from bustling Paris.

From journal Paris in Spring...and Summer

Editor Pick

Palace of Versailles

  • February 23, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
Palace of Versailles

No one can possibly deny the superb-ness of the Palace of Versailles. It’s an extremely popular place for tourists, so I’d advise that you get there early and avoid the massive queues that form on busy summer’s days. I’d strongly recommend that you invest in a one day pass (around €20), as then you can get around the grounds, and the chateau, without having to queue for tickets. You can buy them at Versailles, but we got ours from the train station.


The parkland at Versailles is perhaps the most impressive we’ve ever seen, and was conceived by Louis XIV. Classically, the grounds were laid out in a complex, but geometrical, basis and incorporate water features, well-managed trees, boxwood hedges, splendidly verdant lawns, statues, and formal flowerbeds. Indeed the Sun King was so pleased with his creation that he wrote an itinerary (an insider’s guide) to the best route to enjoy these magnificent gardens, and the best places to pause to enjoy the views. I wonder if he ever believed that these gardens would continue to exist so far into the future?


The chateau itself is a magnificent sight and, as we were only there for a day, we were not able to do it justice. I’m afraid we ended up rushing around trying to take in as much as we could. Everything is just staggering, and the palace management has made a conscious decision not to display anything that was not originally here. So no fake furniture, or foreign period pieces here. It takes a bit of getting used to but I think I am in sympathy with the intentions.


The rooms are awe-inspiring and we were transfixed by most of them. The Royal Chapel with the clear lines of arches and columns, mosaic floor, gold lustre, and painstakingly painted ceiling is a treat. The Clock Room has... guess what (!) and some terrific chandeliers. The Hall of Mirrors (no surprises here!) is just flabbergastingly beautiful. I’m surprised that the King was ever able to get to sleep in his ornate bedroom—the heavy tapestry curtain is just amazing.


Of course Louis was a lover of the arts, and as King what better place to see them than in your own theatre. The view from the stage of the opera is incredible, with its wealth of gold leaf , rich colours, and fine chandeliers.


There's an abundance of fine ceiling paintings throughout the Palace and the architecture, both internal and external is just wonderful.


It's real easy to run out of superlatives to describe this enduring edifice, and I am sure that we'll return. We didn't have time to investigate the town, nor to pause too long on our tour of the Palace. Suffice it to say, there's loads to see and I'm sure that you could never be disappointed with the wonders of Versailles. Well done to the Sun King!

From journal Within Easy Reach from Fontainebleau

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