Private tours in Versailles.
Louis XIV's hunting lodge that became the most copied palace on earth.
Versailles, in a nutshell.
Versailles sits 20 km southwest of Paris in the Yvelines department. What began as a modest hunting lodge for Louis XIII became, under his son Louis XIV, the political centre of Europe and a 2,300-room statement of absolute monarchy.
The palace and its 800-hectare park have been UNESCO-listed since 1979. The whole estate inspired the imperial palaces of Vienna, Saint Petersburg and Potsdam.
Key facts about Versailles
- Country
- France
- Region
- Île-de-France (Yvelines)
- Distance from Paris
- ~20 km / 35 min by car
- Built
- 1661–1715 under Louis XIV
- Rooms
- 2,300 — including 67 staircases
- UNESCO
- World Heritage since 1979
What to see in Versailles
Hall of Mirrors
73m gallery with 357 mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles ended WWI in 1919.
King's & Queen's Apartments
State rooms where Louis XIV staged his daily levée in front of the court.
The Gardens
Designed by André Le Nôtre — 800 hectares, 50 fountains, 200,000 trees.
Grand & Petit Trianon
Marie-Antoinette's private retreats away from court etiquette.
The Hamlet
Marie-Antoinette's working farm village where she played at being a peasant.
How to reach Versailles
- By car: 35 minutes from central Paris via the A13. Paid parking on Place d'Armes opposite the palace.
- By RER C train: 'Versailles Château Rive Gauche' — 40 min from Saint-Michel or Invalides, €4.65 each way.
- By SNCF train: Paris Montparnasse to Versailles Chantiers, 12 min, every 15 min.
- Most visitors come on a private day tour from Paris that includes door-to-door transfers and skip-the-line entry.
Local transport
- Inside the estate, walking covers the palace and the immediate gardens. The Trianon and Hamlet are 30 min on foot.
- Petit train: €8.50 round trip between palace, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon.
- Bike rental at the Grand Canal: €8/hour. Rowboats: €19/hour for four people.
What to know before you go
- Closed on Mondays. Busiest days: Tuesday (when the Louvre is closed) and weekends.
- Musical Fountains Show (Saturdays and Sundays, April to October): the only days the fountains actually run. Worth planning around.
- Allow 5 hours minimum for palace + gardens, a full day to include Trianon and the Hamlet.
- The palace is wheelchair accessible; the gardens are gravel and uneven in places.
- Bring layered clothing — the palace is warm, the gardens often windy.
Versailles FAQ
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