Versailles
Versailles palace was constructed mainly under the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, in the second half of the 17th century. It is the most spectacular building to visit just outside Paris. Inhabited until the French Revolution, it was later on renovated and turned into a museum of French history, after a long period of neglect.
The highlights of the palace includes the State Appartments with the Hall of Mirrors and the King’s and the Queen’s bedchambers. It is possible to add an extra tour of the Appartments of “Mesdames” (Louis XV’s daughters).
Or to visit the private appartments where Louis XV and Louis XVI used to live (special fee and conditions).
Women played an important role at Versailles. A tour is available to evoke principally female characters like Mme de Pompadour, Mme du Barry, Queen Marie-Antoinette, as well as Mesdames, Louis XV’s daughters, and many more.
For more information click on the pictures below.
Information
Entrance fee : 20 € per adult. Special price for groups, limited to 30 people per guide. Closed on Mondays. Opened from 9am to 6.30pm. Guided tour for 1H30-2h00.
Highlights
Guided visit of the State Appartments, including the King and the Queen’s bedchamber and the Hall of Mirrors. Extra time is required for the Appartments of Mesdames.
The Trianons
Enjoy a guided tour in the grounds of Versailles. Visit the Grand Trianon created by Louis XIV, used then by Napoleon’s family. Continue to the Petit Trianon and the Queen’s hamlet mainly related to Marie Antoinette.
Women of Versailles
A guided tour to understand how women lived in the 17th and 18th century. Visit the palace in the morning, and the Trianons with the Queen’s hamlet in the afternoon. Full day or half day.
My favorite trips around Paris
Join me on one of my favourite guided trips around Paris. Enjoy a visit of la Malmaison, the splendid house where Napoleon and Josephine resided during the Consulate. Monet’s garden at Giverny is a very relaxing and peacefull area, at lunch time especially. Vaux-le-Vicomte is according to me the best palace to discover outside Paris, contemporary to Versailles, but less busy.