THE VERSAILLES PALACE HALF DAY TOUR : No queueing tickets and audioguide - State apartments, hall of mirrors

France Tourisme invites you to discover Versailles Palace, the Sun King's Estate which is among the most famous monuments from the French heritage and the finest and most complete example of 17th century architecture. While visiting the palace, you will appreciate the treasures of the site, and then you could have a quiet walk in the park.

VERSAILLES CASTLE TOUR

Thanks to the tour, you could discover on your own, fabulous rooms of the palace such as:

• the King's Grand Apartment, this prestigious seven-room enfilade was meant to serve as a parade apartment, that is, as a venue for the sovereign's official acts. Therefore it was sumptuously decorated according to the model of former Italian palaces.
• the Hall of Mirrors or "the Grande Galerie", as it was called in the 17th century, was used daily as a place of passage, and a waiting and meeting space for the courtiers and the visiting public.
• the Queen's chamber, the chamber is the main room of the apartment, the one where the Queen spent most of her time. She slept here, often joined by the King.

MUSICAL GARDENS AND MUSICAL FOUNTAINS SHOW

For the week-ends and national holidays, you could attend to a wonderful water fountains show with baroque music. Musical fountains show takes place on week-ends from April to October, on national holidays, on Tuesday for July and August. (compulsory fees)

THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES

You will have free time to stroll through the amazing gardens. Versailles is the model of the typical French garden laid out between 1661 and 1700 by le Nôtre who levelled off the land, drained it and landscaped the views, groves, canals, and flowers bed. The gardens are adorned with more than 400 marble, bronze and led statues and fountains by water features.

ASSETS OF VERSAILLES PALACE HALF DAY VISIT WITH FRANCE TOURISME :

• no queuing access to the palace
• transportation Paris/Versailles included
• castle visit on your own with audioguides
• free time to stroll through the gardens

SOME HISTORY ...

When the Versailles Palace was built, the city of Versailles was a country village; today, it is a suburb of Paris, some twenty kilometres southwest of Paris. The court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.