VISIT THE CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES

Enjoy the essentials of the Versailles castle at your own pace:

• The King's Grand Apartments, a succession of lounges richly decorated rooms to the glory of the Sun King
• The Queen's Large Apartments
• The Hall of Mirrors: masterpiece of Versailles! 17 windows adorned with mirrors opening onto the gardens follow one another along the 73 meters of the gallery. Colbert wishing to compete with products from Venice created a factory in Paris to manufacture these mirrors of exceptional dimensions.
• The King's Chamber which occupied the center of the castle in 1701 and which was the main framework for the king's ruling life.

THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES

Enjoy your free time to stroll the magnificent French gardens designed by Le Nôtre: nature is tamed, flowerbeds are geometric and the aisles are structured.
The fountains pools and terraces obey the laws of optical illusion, so the Grand Canal seems close when standing at the foot of the castle.

FOUNTAIN WATER SHOW and MUSIC GARDENS

On weekends and public holidays, the fountains offer a fabulous spectacle with Baroque music. The "Grandes Eaux de Versailles" show takes place on weekends from April to October and on public holidays, the "Musical Gardens of Versailles" takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays from early April to November 1st (compulsory fees +10€).

VERSAILLES HISTORY...

When the Versailles Palace was built, the city of Versailles was a country village; today it is a suburb, some twenty kilometers southwest of Paris. The court of Versailles was the center 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 the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the "Ancient Régime" in France.

Discover the Versailles Palace